Nostalgia comes in many forms, and throwing back to the past in the form of microwave ovens carries a certain appeal. Perhaps you’re looking for a certain vintage style for your kitchen. Or maybe you’re just hoping for an appliance with 70s era simplicity. Either way, you’ll find many blasts from the pasts in this article.
We’ve researched, reviewed and rated the best retro microwaves on the market. We’ve looked at things like style, simplicity, ease of use and reliability to give you a clear breakdown of a number of microwaves that are best for consumer choice of best retro microwave.
Best Retro Microwaves 2020
- Daewoo Retro Microwave Oven
- Magic Chef Microwave Oven
- COMFEE Retro Style Microwave Oven
- Nostalgia Microwave Oven
1 Daewoo Retro Microwave Oven
Cool retro design could’ve come straight from the 50s.
Despite its appearance, this microwave packs in loads of modern features in its minimal number of buttons.
We’ll start with an awesome looking microwave from Daewoo, a mint green (cream and red options available too) throwback to the age where electrical appliances all looked like they were made from corrugated iron.
It’s a small microwave, coming in at 0.7 cubic feet and a 10″ turntable with modest power output of 700W. The small size adds to the cute appeal of the microwave and is a common theme with these retro microwaves.
The Daewoo belies its simple exterior by packing in a lot of modern functions along with its looks. You get auto cooking by weight rather than time with five different presets. Five different low power modes which gives you a good amount of control over defrosting and other lower power cooking. You even get a popcorn button and a convenient “+30s button”, I can tell you they were not on your grandparents’ microwaves, that’s for sure!
2 Magic Chef Retro MCD770CW Microwave Oven
Brilliantly simple microwave is operated entirely with only two dials!
High average reviews and few reports of issues shows this microwave is a consumer favorite.
Next up we’ve got a gorgeous little masterpiece from Magic Chef. This microwave takes bygone simplicity to a new level, simply having only two dials and no other input.
The top dial is for power level, with seven in total marked in roman numerals and one labeled defrost. The bottom dial counts minutes cooking in one minute increments up to 10 and then five minute increments up to 35.
The look is completed with a door handle which is used to open the microwave. The lack of options make for a pleasing aesthetic but mean you need to know your way around a microwave to do certain things. Popping popcorn or melting butter, for instance, is still achievable, but there’s no easy button that tells you what to do.
Again, we’re looking at a small microwave which is low in power at 0.7 cubic feet with a 10″ turntable and 700W of power. Nothing extraordinary, but enough to get the job done.
The Magic Chef enjoys a stunning rating of 4.5 on Amazon reviews. Click the link to read more, but safe to say, this one leads to few problems in the future and a lot of happy customers. Best of all, the price is very reasonable compared with others on this list.
3 COMFEE Retro Style Countertop Microwave Oven
Superb range of features considering its retro look.
Three choices of different colors for you to choose your favorite.
Another cute retro design with pull out door and options of red, green and cream (I guess those are retro colors?)… you’re probably spotting a theme here…
Like most of these retro microwaves that are aiming for the “small but cute” angle, it’s a 0.7 cubic feet capacity with 10″ turntable and a relatively low 700W power.
At first glance, this microwave seems to be super simple, but it actually manages to pack in a large number of features in its simple design. You get nine different preset options including popcorn and defrost settings, among others.
A full 10 power levels is nice too, a whole lot of control over different power levels especially useful if you like niche uses of the microwave like softening butter which ideally uses a 10% power level.
Throw in an “eco mode”, child safety lock and convenient “+30 second” button and you’ll feel like a king using a super modern 21st century microwave with all its features.
4 Nostalgia RM07AQ Microwave Oven
Retro microwave with an LED display that still manages to have a retro feel to it.
Choice of both 0.7 cubic feet 700W and 0.8 cubic feet 800W options.
The next microwave is another cool looking retro type deal with chrome door handle, and old style buttons and dial. Even the LED display manages to look both retro and modern at the same time.
Lots of pre-programmed settings with this microwave, a total of 12 which you can see as little icons around the time on the LED display. The microwave makes the most of its few buttons although this does make using all those features a little tricky at first while you work out what everything does.
The Nostalgia brand actually offers two retro microwaves of the same kind. One is the standard for retro microwaves at a 0.7 cubic feet and 700W. They also offer a 0.9 cubic feet and 800W one, too. A bit bigger and a decent amount more powerful in case you prefer faster cooking times. The design is also slightly different (some might say even more retro!) so if you like the look of these, click the link and check them out.
Not what you were looking for?
You’ll notice that the best retro microwaves all tend to be of a similar ilk. Small size, modest power with a smattering of features. All red, cream or mint green color, too.
If you’re looking for a microwave that is a bit more robust then you might want to check out this article on the best microwaves right now. They aren’t retro, unfortunately. But they are larger and more powerful and come with a huge array of features that’ll make your cooking super easy. Click the link if that sounds more like your cup of tea.
