If you are doing any kind of food service, chances are you’re going to need a microwave. But which commercial microwave should you choose? We’ll explore that in this video. Whether you need a microwave for customers to warm burritos in your convenience store or to steam vegetables in your restaurant, the first and most important rule when buying a microwave for a foodservice establishment is to buy a commercial microwave. Commercial microwaves not only have the proper UL and sanitation approvals which are important to insurance companies and health inspectors, but they have doors that will withstand the constant opening and closing that is bound to happen at work. In addition, commercial microwaves also are available in higher wattages to speed up the cooking process. Wattages are important when buying microwaves because the time it takes to cook an item is directly related to the wattage. The higher the wattage, the shorter the cooking time. It is that simple. You can see by this chart that the time it takes to cook a baked potato in an 1800 watt microwave is much shorter compared to a 1000 watt microwave. Keep in mind that the higher wattage microwaves will generally need a higher voltage outlet. Light duty, lower wattage models are great for break rooms, convenience stores, breakfast bars, or wait stations – anywhere where the primary purpose of the microwave is simply warming up food. Microwaves with wattages between 1200 and 2000 watts fall into the medium duty category. These microwave models do everything that light duty microwaves do, only they do it faster. They also tend to be more durable. In addition, these microwaves are often found in the back of the house of many restaurants, and are used for anything from warming soups to baking potatoes. Anything over 2000 watts is considered heavy duty. These microwaves are found in busy restaurants, including fast food restaurants and can be used to over 200 times a day. Quick service restaurants will use these microwaves to heat entrées while other restaurants will often use them in place of a steamer. What you’ll need size-wise of course depends on what you’ll be cooking, and what sort of cooking vessel you’ll be using. Some will only be good for a lunch plate while others will hold a full size food pan. Just be sure to read the specifications carefully and consider what you’re going to cook. The next thing you’ll want to figure out is whether you want dial or programmable microwave controls. People often choose dial microwaves because they are a bit less expensive and are easier to figure out. But a programmable microwave will allow you to see recipes for various food items which can increase both speed and consistency. We’ve covered the basics of what to look for when buying a commercial microwave, but if you’d like to learn more about commercial microwaves, check out our Microwave buying guide on our site. Thank you for watching, and if you have any questions, please use our Live Chat button.