Full Analysis Summary
Freestanding grill microwaves
Le Monde tested and compared seven freestanding grill microwaves with cavities between 23 and 30 liters, sold for a maximum of €200 at the time of publication, to identify the best models for everyday use.
The testers selected models from different brands and highlighted three recommendations: “The best 23-liter oven” (price €179.99), “A good 30-liter oven” (price €199), and “Not great, but cheap” (price €159.99).
Testers praised models from Samsung and LG among those recommended.
The testers noted that a budget model sold for €130 delivered performance comparable to the Samsung and LG units.
The Proline model sold by Fnac/Darty is presented as microwave plus grill but its claimed convection fan proved ineffective in practice.
All selected appliances are freestanding and made in China.
The guide notes that Whirlpool sold 75% of its European operations to Turkish manufacturer Arçelik in 2023, creating the Beko Europe group.
However, the tested Beko model was not manufactured in Europe despite the company’s European sites.
Microwave and grill tests
The testers ran controlled heating and grilling trials.
For microwave heating speed they placed 20 cl of water at 17.5° in each oven and heated at maximum power for 30 and 90 seconds.
They found that 900 W ovens heat faster than 800 W units, with water reaching between 82° and 84° after 90 seconds at 900 W.
Using a Picard "Formule express" ready meal specified for 5 minutes at 900 W, all tested ovens reached at least 80° in the dish.
The most powerful ovens reached up to 89° (Whirlpool).
For grill effectiveness they cooked a frozen Picard "Pizza Créative beef, merguez, salsa sauce" on the rack.
The Proline oven reached a core temperature of 68° after 10 minutes, while Samsung and Whirlpool pizzas reached 76° and 80° at the core.
Testers concluded that grill mode dries and browns crusts better than microwave mode, though results do not match a conventional oven’s crispiness.
Oven safety and usability
The guide emphasizes practical constraints and safety.
Manufacturers commonly overstate usable internal volume because the grill element under the dome reduces space.
Samsung’s usable volume did not reach 17 liters versus the advertised 23 liters, and Sharp’s usable volume came closest at 28 liters versus 30 liters advertised.
Some designs leave little clearance and one LG model left only 6 cm above the rack.
Testers flagged control panels as a major usability factor, with Samsung’s panel proving the most intuitive.
Some models use fully touch panels that are easier to clean, while others suffer from poor pictograms or low-contrast gray-on-black labels that make functions hard to read.
The testers measured external surface temperatures above and behind ovens after 5 minutes of grilling and found local temperatures frequently exceed 90°.
They noted manuals typically recommend leaving 20 or 30 cm of free space above the oven and at least 10 cm behind it.
The author of the guide described his credentials (equipment editor at L’Ordinateur individuel for 11 years, freelance journalist since 2012, and CAP in cooking obtained in 2019).
Testers also surveyed user reviews, social networks and blogs to assess real-world uses and tricks.
Where details in the article were unclear (for example, the practical effectiveness of Proline’s stated convection mode), the guide reports the observed limitations rather than assuming functionality.