Samsung MG14H3020 950W Microwave and Grill – 1.4 cu ft – Stainless Steel

I’ve written quite a few product reviews in the past, but never have I seen so much debate and misinformation about what would seem to be a simple kitchen appliance! A lot of the reviews I have read here are either mistaken in their details or are trying to compare apples to oranges. Samsung (or whoever the Samsung dealer on here is) has only added to the confusion, unfortunately.First, a few points to set the record straight. The appliance is NOT covered in stainless steel. There may be a bit of it in the trim, but it seems like whoever wrote the description hasn’t actually sen one in person. Most of the outside has a black, textured metal finish, which does seem to blend in quite nicely with my own black and stainless steel kitchen appliances. It may not blend in with a kitchen that is all stainless and has no black in it though.There is a bare minimum of plastic in the construction, which is limited to the trim, “open button” and part of the door latch. I have not had any problem keeping either the highly polished front door clean nor the outside of the appliance. In fact, the texture of the black sheet metal on most of its outside surface actually prevents it from becoming a fingerprint magnet.Another misconception comes from the grill rack that fits inside. Some people have mentioned that it is only to be used in the grill mode, which is not true. The rack can be used in the combination grill/microwave mode just fine and your microwave will NOT burst into flames. From the manual, page 11: “Grill Rack, to be placed on the turntable. The metal rack can be used in grill and combination cooking”. It will even “work” in the microwave-only setting, although it won’t contribute to the cooking process at all. In fact, the main feature of this appliance is the ability to both microwave AND grill at the same time, and you can’t utilize the grill to any effect without the rack in place.This brings me to the main point of my review. Those who are most critical of this appliance are simply comparing it to a microwave. This is an apples vs oranges type of logic as the addition of the grilling element really makes this an unfair comparison. Is it heavier than most stand-alone microwaves? Of course it is, because it has an entirely separate heating element, electronics and carries the additional weight of a ceramic enamel interior. This is really two appliances in one that work together seamlessly to greatly enhance the texture and heat distribution of foods such as pasta, pizza, crusts, etc. The additional heating element also makes the appliance larger than stand-alone microwaves, which is entirely understandable to me. This also explains the slightly lower wattage rating than some heavy-duty microwaves. If used with the grill though, it seems to cook items just as fast as a microwave with a higher wattage rating.Adding to the weight is a metal exterior that uses a heavier gauge of sheet metal than the vast majority of stand-alone microwaves on the market. The reason for this is pretty simple. To keep people from burning themselves when coming into contact with the appliance. Without the heavy-duty (which is necessarily heavy) inside and outside finishes the device has, it would eventually lead to someone getting accidentally burned. For those who wonder why it doesn’t have more capacity or more wattage, the reasons all boil down to safety. You can only add so much shielding to keep the size (and cost) of such an appliance practical. I think that Samsung engineers did a pretty good job at balancing safety, size and materials to keep this at a reasonable cost for a device that offers so much more than a simple microwave does.In regards to cost, I have seen the price of this product fluctuate wildly over the past few weeks. At one point I believe it was $179 (shipping included). Then it went up to $230 (shipping NOT included). Today, it is down to $199.99 with free shipping. I have no idea what the MSRP of the unit actually is, but for the quality of construction it has and the features it carries, it seems like at bargain to me.For me personally, this product is just the right size for the foods I cook and offers a lot of flexibility as to how I can cook things. The polished surface makes it by far the nicest looking appliance in my kitchen, ever. It reminds me a lot of my Samsung Galaxy S4 cellphone, actually. All in all, I couldn’t be happier with my purchase and I would recommend it to anyone. If you have no interest in the grilling feature you probably wouldn’t want to buy this though, because it is definitely more expensive than a stand-alone microwave. If you are only going to use it for microwaving it is overkill. I’d never go back to a regular microwave after having used this though. I am too spoiled with this product’s cooking ability at this point. In any event, I think that it deserves more praise than it seems to be getting here. Try it for yourself and I would bet that you won’t be disappointed.

Awesome Microwave! I read all the reviews here before I bought it and wasn’t sure what to expect. Now, a month later, I can say this is an excellent microwave. I can’t figure out what people were griping about. The machine is beautiful, and can sit in a kitchen full of high end appliances. The little features like -turn off the beep- and -no clock display unless you use it- are so refreshing! It heats food great. It pops our popcorn. It toasts a loaf of bread without turning it to rubber. It does everything it should and you don’t have to think about it. I should add that for the price, there is no room for complaint!