Microwave Ovens

Microwave ovens offer an easy way to cook and reheat food. There are different types of microwave ovens available on the market, with a diverse range of features. The following information outlines the features to look out for when selecting a microwave if you are blind or vision impaired.

Dial operated microwave ovens

These are mechanical microwave ovens that are very simple to use. They only have two operating dials: one for power level and one for cook time. The power dial has different power levels ranging from 200 to 800 Watts. The cook time dial can be turned to cook for up to 60 minutes.

Dial Operated Microwave Ovens are often recommended to people who are blind or vision impaired because they are so easy to use once they have tactual markings placed on them.

Contrasting/tactual markers like bump-ons, velcro and Braille can be applied to the preferred power level and most commonly used cooking times, such as 1 minute, 5 minutes and 10 minutes. The user can simply rotate the dial by feel to the necessary power and cook time, and the microwave does the rest.

These microwaves are less powerful and they are less likely to burn or overcook food items. They tend to have a smaller capacity at around 19 litres, which may be a problem for larger families or for cooking large quantities of food.

Dial operated microwaves are becoming increasingly hard to buy so if you already have one still in good working order hold onto it. Otherwise Tiffany makes a dial operated microwave oven (MMW17M 17 Litre Microwave Oven. To find out which retail outlets sell this model call GAF on 1300 659 489.

What to look out for when purchasing a dial operated microwave oven

Clear, easy to read labelling. Black on white or dark blue on white labels are the clearest and some brands do have this.
Well-spaced dials that are easy to mark at the power and times you prefer.
A defined pointer on the cook time dial to assist in accurately lining up the dial to the desired time.
A power dial that clicks into the different power settings to assist in locating the correct power level.
Easy opening/closing door.

Features to avoid

Poor contrasting labels with small print.
A "busy" layout.
Continuous dials. These dials have no beginning or end (they can be turned 360 degrees and more). They rely on the numbers being lit up when the dial is pointing at them. These dials are not accessible to people who are blind or vision impaired.

Electronic microwave ovens with push button controls

Microwave ovens with push button operation can be more complex to use than the dial operated microwaves. The buttons are often difficult to distinguish because they are flat on the face of the control panel. However, they do beep when you press them. As a result, they often need to be marked with bump-ons, velcro, braille and large print labels so that a person who is blind or vision impaired can use them effectively. Electronic Microwave Ovens with push button controls tend to be more powerful and have larger capacities. They have a digital display that indicates the selected cook times and other settings.

There are two main types of electronic microwave ovens with push button controls:

Style 1 has the numbers 1 to 0 on the control pad similar to the number layout of a telephone. The user usually presses a “TIME” button and then enters the required cook time using these numbers on the control pad. For example, if you wish to reheat something for 2 minutes and 30 seconds, you press the numbers 2, 3 and 0 and then START.

Style 2 has direct cook time buttons of 1 second, 10 seconds, 1 minute and 10 minutes. These are pressed repeatedly until you have reached the required cook time. Therefore, to select a cook time of 2 minutes and 30 seconds, you press the 1 minute button twice and the 10 seconds button three times and then START.

The second style of microwave is often recommended to people who are blind or vision impaired as it is easy to count the beeps to select the preferred time. Markers are usually placed on the 10 seconds and 1 minute buttons and the START and CANCEL buttons.

Features to look out for when purchasing a push button microwave oven

Simple operation and layout. Select a microwave that has the 1 Minute Start button, so that by simply pressing the one Start button the microwave will automatically start cooking for 1 minute.
Direct cook time buttons for 1 second, 10 seconds, 1 minute, 10 minutes. These are easy to mark and use. Press each button repeatedly to achieve the desired cooking time, for example, press 10 seconds button 3 times to cook for 30 seconds.
Well spaced out buttons that can be easily marked with tactual markers. The numbers and other labels should be relatively large and bold so that they are easier to see by someone who has a vision impairment.
Large, bright and clear digital display. Green or Orange LED displays are a lot easier to read by someone with vision impairment than Red LED displays or black on grey LCD displays.
A large, bright and clear viewing window on the door.
Automatic functions that allow you to cook or reheat common food items at the press of one or two buttons.
Some microwaves have a memory function so that commonly used cooking programs can be programmed in and then accessed at the push of a single button. For example, in the LG brands this called the “Custom Set” button.

Convection microwaves

A variant of the push button microwaves is the convection microwave. A convection microwave is a combination of the push button microwave and a convection oven. It allows food to be cooked quickly, yet come out browned or crisped, as from a convection oven. As is the case for push button microwaves, convection microwaves usually have flat buttons, which may need to be marked with tactile markings or large print labels. They also have a digital display.

Convection microwaves are more expensive than a push button microwave. They are not considered cost-effective if primarily used just to heat drinks or frozen food. They are usually used for cooking a prepared dish. These microwaves can be handy for 1 or 2 person households where there is not a lot of cooking required.

Convection microwaves tend to have a busy layout due to the large number of buttons required to operate both the convection oven and microwave. The majority of these microwaves also have continuous dials. These dials have no beginning or end (they can be turned 360 degrees and more). These dials correspond with a visual display therefore these dials are not accessible to people who are blind or vision impaired.

Features to look out for when purchasing a convection microwave oven

Clear, easy to read labelling. Black on white or dark blue on white labels are the clearest and some brands do have this.
Well spaced out buttons that can be easily marked with tactual markers. The numbers and other labels should be relatively large and bold so that they are easier to see.
Large, bright and clear digital display. Green or Orange LED displays are a lot easier to read by someone with vision impairment than Red LED displays or black on grey LCD displays.
A large, bright and clear viewing window on the door.

Features to avoid

Poor contrasting labels with small print.
A "busy" layout.
Continuous dials. These dials have no beginning or end (they can be turned 360 degrees and more). They rely on the numbers being lit up when the dial is pointing at them. These dials are not accessible to people who are blind or vision impaired.

Electronic microwave ovens with sensor cook

A number of electronic microwaves with the push button controls described above also have Sensor Cook functions. Many people who are blind or vision impaired ignore these controls because they can complicate the cooking or reheating process. Sensor Cook allows for the cooking of commonly food items at the press of a button, for example, jacket potato, vegetables, frozen vegetables, rice, pasta, fish, chicken. Marking is usually required for someone who is blind or vision impaired to use the sensor cook functions. Please note that the Sensor Cook option often relies on the visual display to tell the user to “Turn Over” the Potatoes or to “Let Stand” and then “Press Start”. This is usually not accessible to people who are blind or vision impaired.

Defrosting with microwaves

Most Defrost functions in microwaves require you to enter the weight of the item you wish to defrost and rely on the visual display. There are some brands now, however, that have an “Auto Defrost” function where the microwave senses the level of steam being emitted and adjusts the defrosting process accordingly.

Recommended brands

Whirlpool, LG, Samsung, Panasonic, Sharp and NEC.

Recommended retail outlets

Harvey Norman, Bing Lee, Retravision, Myer, David Jones.

Types of markers that can be used to make microwaves tactile

Bump-ons are raised buttons that can be stuck to a smooth surface.
Velcro can be cut to size and stuck to a surface. Both the smooth (hook) and rough (loop) velcro are useful as markers.
Polymark paint is a craft paint that dries three dimensionally in hours, so that it can be felt. Available in a variety of colours.

All of the above markers are available from: Equipment Solutions, Vision Australia Phone 1300 847 466

Microwave