Amana Commercial HDC12A2 Heavy-Duty Microwave Oven, 1200W, Stainless-Steel

This is one of the few made in USA microwaves left out there. It is commercial so I thought maybe it wouldn't be versatile for home use. I was wrong! the 1-10 keypad on the top is as simple as you can get. just push one of them and the microwave starts! There are also a ton of programs for all the usual things typical of most microwaves, but let's face it; how much do we really use features such as popcorn or defrost. When you open the door, a fan starts and after your time is up the fan runs for about 30 seconds. This thing is a brute and it is very long (20 inches) so make sure it fits where you intend on using it. I love that it doesn't have a turntable and whatever coating is on the inside is super easy to clean. I was reluctant to pay $800+ for a countertop microwave, but those junky chinese Panasonics cost even more for an inferior product. Best of all, it fits a regular Corelle 10 3/4" plate with plenty of room to spare. I can't think of anything that wouldn't fit in this microwave. It "feels" commercial as the door is super strong and beefy and opens by simply pulling on it. It must have some sort of high tech heater because it heats food evenly somehow.

Will work great for our situation.

Nothing that's worth having is cheap. And, the microwave oven is the most frequently used appliance in most kitchens. With this microwave, you will need a 120 volt, 20 amp circuit that uses a NEMA 5-20P socket. If your junction box allows that, you only need to swap out the correct socket which would only require the simplest skills for a typical home dweller.This microwave can do a 3 1/2 ounce bag of commercial popcorn in less than 3 minutes. It can also heat a 16 ounce cup of coffee in 1 minute and 30 seconds. The Amana HDC12A2 has among the fastest speeds for a home microwave that can be used in a home kitchen, and there are only a select few on the market that have the same power, among them being the LG 1.5 cubic foot NeoChef which has a typical life expectancy of less than 15 months (according to some reviews I've read about the oven). This Amana, on the other hand, is designed for heavy use in a restaurant setting, and may last a few decades through personal use. This can be verified with a vast number of Amana Radaragnges that were made in the mid 1970s still in use today!Among the disadvantageous would be a lack of sensors that cheaper microwaves would offer. Yet, keep in mind that most frozen food manufacturers would caution against using such features, so you will be back to using the timer anyway.If you want a microwave oven that will last you the rest of your life, and is repairable with a simple screwdriver and a few instructions, this is the one to get. Instead of a single magnetron and a dozen fragile sensors, you get TWO magnetrons and a programmable system that can be customized to which ever task you wish, without limits!

To those who are confused by the plug at the end of the power cord of this COMMERCIAL appliance, you only need to visit anywhere selling electrical supplies or from here at "Amazon" and you will see that an NEMA-5 20 AMP plug/receptacle "MUST" have one of the plug's blades turned 90 degrees to the other. This is to keep the UNINFORMED from plugging this high wattage oven into an ordinary 120V 15 AMP receptacle which may melt the receptacle, blow a fuse or pop the breaker in the building's electrical panel.The National Electrical Code requires that one shall install at least ONE 20 AMP receptacle in the kitchen's area for use by high wattage appliances. Here is what it may look like: Leviton CR20-WS 20-Amp 125-Volt NEMA 5-20R, 2P, 3W, Narrow Body Duplex Receptacle, WhiteSadly, I personally observed one of my less fortunate friend's home, which was wired back when the aluminum electrical wiring was legal, burnt to the ground because they left an ordinary 1500 watt "small space-heater" plugged into a 15 AMP circuit, then went out for the evening. I was sad because, instead of doing more, I had "only" warned the wife a few days earlier, during a Christmas Eve visit, that I felt some heat coming from the wall above the exact same receptacle where they had plugged in this small space heater.