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Finding the best microwave crisper pan is a bit tricky, but don’t worry, we’ll give you all the insights so that you can make an informed decision.
If you buy the wrong crisper, you might end up burning your appliance. That’s why we tested 15 popular crispers for microwaves and reviewed the most reliable ones.
The Whirlpool W10187336A amazed us the most for its rich crispness, and you don’t even need to use a microwave crisping sleeve while using it.
The Maconee Deluxe Non-Stick pan is also a great option, offering the whole package with its covering lid and carrying handles.
It was hard to pick the overall best microwave crisper, but we feel like we chose a great appliance as our number one. Curious to know which one won the race?
Read below to find out!
| Image | Product | Our Rating | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Editor’s Choice
|
Maconee Microwave Crisper
|
10
|
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|
Most Versatile
|
Maconee Deluxe Microwave Crisper
|
9.5
|
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|
Best Value For Money
|
Microhearth Microwave Crisper
|
9
|
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|
Best Seller
|
12 inch Universal Microwave Crisper
|
9
|
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|
Best Design
|
Whirlpool Microwave Crisper
|
9
|
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|
Best under 20$
|
EasyComforts Microwave Crisper
|
9
|
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|
Smart Option
|
Maconee Square Microwave Crisper
|
9
|
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|
Budget Option
|
Micro Microwave Crisper
|
9
|
Check Current Price |
The Best Microwave Crispers on the Market
Table of Contents
Crisper pans can look all the same from a distance, which is why things get a bit confusing. In this section, we’ll go through 7 popular microwave browning plates and share our experience with each so you’ll know what to expect from these crispers before you try them yourself.
Maconee Microwave Crisper
- Optimal build quality
- Non-stick surface
- Preserves food nutrients
- Dishwasher-safe
- Oven-safe container
- No handles
- No lid
The Maconee Universal microwave crisper pan is of high quality, evident from the first moment you handle it. In addition, it has a diameter of 10 inches, so you can easily place it into most microwaves without sticking to the sides or struggling to get it out of the microwave while it’s burning hot. This makes up for the absence of handles.
Furthermore, the pan is designed to absorb microwaves for heating the food without damaging the various nutrients or interfering with the taste and allowing even heat distribution, so your food cooks evenly.
Although it can take a bit longer than usual to get a nice crisp, you’ll notice a mouthwatering grill effect which makes it an excellent option for bacon, hamburger, and of course, chicken. The pan is also good for pizza, fries, vegetables, eggs, and heating various frozen meals.
It’s worth noting that the manufacturer recommends preheating the pan for a maximum of 3 minutes if you’re cooking proteins, like steaks, beef, or chicken for the best results.
Also, as different microwaves have different heating capabilities, you may need to experiment a little to find the most appropriate heating for different dishes. Lastly, flipping the food or turning it over once or twice gives optimal results while using the pan.
You can use the Maconee Universal crisper in the oven without any trouble. Moreover, the non-stick surface makes it quite easy to clean; whether you do it yourself, or leave it to the dishwasher.
Maconee Deluxe Microwave Crisper
- Excellent quality
- Doesn’t change the original taste
- Non-stick surface
- Compliant with safe industry standards
- Multi-purpose pan
- Comes with a covering lid
- Has two handles for easy use
- Relatively small size
- A bit expensive
The Maconee Deluxe crisper is another excellent pick if you want to crisp food in the microwave with the best quality possible. It’s mainly made from aluminum, but of course, it’s coated with platinum silicone, so you can safely place it in the microwave without setting the appliance on fire.
This unit is a deal-breaker for many other crispers because, while you can heat your food in it like any other crisper, you can use it for cooking as well, including baking, steaming, grilling, you name it!
What makes it easy to use the pan for numerous purposes is that it comes with a lid, so splashes and spills are off the list.
Moreover, the Maconee Deluxe crisper has two handles to help you get it into and out of the microwave. It comes at the expense of the size because the diameter is around 7.5 inches; however, we didn’t have any issues with placing fries, frozen meals, or even pizza inside the tray.
Last but not least, the pan is ETL-approved, so you can be sure you won’t be putting your family’s health at any risk while using this pan in the microwave for however long you wish.
Microhearth Microwave Crisper
- Food taste won’t change
- Premium build quality
- Includes recipe book
- Easy user manual
- Lid included
- Only the large grill has handles
- Not dishwasher-safe
We believe the Microhearth Cookware set is a valuable option for many users because of several reasons. To start with, it’s a great investment, and you’ll probably end up paying much more money to get similar items with the same quality.
There are two pans included in the set, an everyday pan that’s about 13 x 7 inches and a grilling pan that’s 10.1 x 4 x 9 inches. You can use the set for grilling, steaming, baking, or even stir-frying if you need to.
Moreover, there’s no change in the taste of the food when you heat it in any of the pans. So your leftovers will still taste as good and fresh as they did when you first cooked them.
What’s even better is that the package comes with multiple recipes that you can actually try, unlike the usual useless recipes that frequently come with pans and cookers.
The Microhearth Cookware set has an included manual as well, which comes in quite handy with clear, simple instructions regarding using each unit and cleaning the set.
We were a little disappointed to learn that the parts are not dishwasher-safe, though. Nonetheless, the parts are quite easy to clean due to the non-stick surfaces.
12 inch Universal Microwave Crisper
- Outstanding crispness
- Large size
- User-friendly
- Dishwasher-safe
- Non-stick surface
- No handle
- Slow-heating
If you have a large microwave or a large family, then the Maconee Universal 10-inch crisper pan might not be the best option to go to. As mentioned earlier, Maconee microwave crisping trays are among the top-rated microwave cookware, so we couldn’t go through the list without letting you know there’s a bigger option – the 12-inch!
Just like its brothers, the 12-inch Maconee Universal crisper is really easy to use and even easier to clean thanks to its non-stick surface. It’s also a dishwasher-safe pan, which means you won’t have the trouble to clean it every time — it will be enough to throw it into your dishwasher along with all the other dishes.
We wholeheartedly recommend the Maconee crispers line, because we value the quality of food above everything else and these pans are the best for preserving nutrients, although the 12-inch Maconee Universal crisper might heat a little slower than other pans. All in all, the design, build, and quality of the pan guarantee unmatchable crispness.
Whirlpool Microwave Crisper
- Easy to use
- User manual included
- Strong build
- Dishwasher-safe
- Detachable handle
- Non-stick surface
- Large size
- Excellent crisping effect
- Pricey
- No lid
What stands out most about the Whirlpool Microwave Crisper is how well-constructed it is. Being mainly made from cast iron certainly makes it among the most durable microwave browning pans on the list. Also, its base is made from soft silicone, and its diameter is about 12.25 inches, so it’s more suitable for bigger microwaves.
The package also contains an additional high-quality handle that’s designed explicitly for the tray. The handle comes separated from the pan, so you’ll need to fix it using some screws, which can, unfortunately, be quite tedious. If you have a small microwave, you don’t need to attach the handle You can simply use oven mitts to remove the tray from the microwave.
Testing the Whirlpool Microwave Crisper was a true blast. It gives an outstanding crispness to chicken nuggets, bacon, and other proteins. Heating pizza and fries leftovers was trouble-free as well, even if you don’t preheat the pan.
As for the inside of the pan, it’s covered with non-stick coating, so using metal tools and pizza peels isn’t recommended, or else you’ll end up scratching the pan itself.
If you tend to get lost with first-time uses, the user manual is very easy to follow and clear in every step. Nonetheless, if you didn’t receive it or you didn’t bother to check it out, you’d still be able to pick things up in no time.
Cleaning the Whirlpool Microwave Crisper is a piece of cake as well, particularly because it’s dishwasher-safe, and the non-stick surface ensures you don’t go through any trouble even if you don’t own a dishwasher or yours is currently broken.
EasyComforts Microwave Crisper
- Made of sturdy carbon steel
- Instant heat absorption
- Short preheating period
- Non-stick coating
- User manual included
- Dishwasher-safe
- No handles
- No covering lid
The EasyComforts microwave browning tray is the go-to option for instant heating in less than a minute. It has a sturdy silicone base that instantly absorbs heat, so you’ll only need to preheat it for a few seconds rather than a couple of minutes.
The carbon steel construction guarantees long survival even with some mishandling. We were surprised that it’s suitable to use in a microwave, and not just that, but the outcome was pretty satisfying. It’s recommended to only use this pan in microwaves that feature glass plates or turntables, though.
As its name suggests, the pan is all about ease and comfort. It’s quite easy to use, let alone clean, thanks to the non-stick coating. So, you don’t have to worry about stuck leftovers and harsh cleaning processes. It’s also dishwasher-safe, so you can let the dishwasher do the work.
It’s worth noting that it takes the EasyComforts crisper pan a few seconds to get the job done, especially if you’re re-crisping leftovers. As per the manual, it should never be preheated for more than 1 minute, so make sure to take note of that.
Maconee Square Microwave Crisper
- Made of sturdy carbon steel
- Instant heat absorption
- Short preheating period
- Non-stick coating
- User manual included
- Dishwasher-safe
- No handles
- No covering lid
The Maconee Square Microwave Crispy Tray is by far the best square microwave crisper pan, made with Advanced Heatwave Technology that enhances the microwave power to mimic conventional cooking with rich crispiness.
And that applies whether you’re crisping steaks, chicken, sandwiches, or even fish.
However, this tray is only suitable for microwaves above 31 liters or bigger, so make sure to check the capacity of the microwave before making any purchases.
To make the best of the pan, preheat it for 3 minutes, then follow the instruction book to reach the desired crispness.
It’s important to note that metal trays heat pretty quickly, so avoid placing them on heat-sensitive surfaces or plastic kitchen utensils.
Also, make sure to have your mitts on before taking the tray out of the microwave.
Micro Microwave Crisper
- Affordable
- User manual included
- Even heating
- Easy to clean
- Needs careful handling
- Weak crisping effect
The Micro Crisper pan is for minimalists on a budget. It’s pretty decent in terms of heating pizza and frozen meals, but when it comes to a rich, brown crisp, don’t expect too much.
The bottom of the pan is made of silicone and helps with even heat distribution, whereas the inside is coated with a non-stick layer so that you don’t face any troubles with serving the food or cleaning the pan.
It’s also worth mentioning that the instruction manual is highly informative and will help you understand how to use the pan, how long to preheat it, and the approximate time needed to crisp different meals.
We’d like to highlight that this pan gets extremely hot inside the microwave. So for those who are used to holding plates or plastic cookers with their bare hands while taking them out of the microwave, you should never try this while using the Micro Crisper pan.
How To Choose A Microwave Crisper
There are various parameters to keep in mind if you want to get a worthy crisper.
In this part of the guide, we’ll highlight some of the characteristics that can make a world of difference as you crisp food in the microwave.
Size
Although it may seem easy to pick the right size, more often than not one might overlook some little details because the first thing that comes to mind is whether the pan is big enough to use in one sitting or not.
What most people fail to notice when it’s their first time buying a crisping pan is that while it fits into the microwave, there’s little or no space between the pan and the sides of the microwave.
So, things tend to go messy, and they have to clean the sides of the appliance after each and every use.
That said, you need to be familiar with the size of your microwave and hence, the largest sizes of crisper that you can fit in it. You can find more information about what you can fit into your appliance in the user’s manual.
Another thing to be on the lookout for is that sometimes manufacturers provide the dimensions of the tray itself without including the handles, which can be problematic because the tray itself is of the right size, but the handles can make it hard to fit the crisper into the microwave.
Design
There’s no right or wrong when it comes to the shape of the crisper; at the end of the day, it depends on what you frequently cook. For instance, if you make pizza all the time, then a round tray sounds more convenient.
It’s worth mentioning that some trays are troublesome, especially if they have an uneven base because the food doesn’t cook evenly.
If you want a crisper for microwave with a specific, unusual shape, make sure the brand you buy from is trusted. It wouldn’t harm to check user reviews as well.
Another detail to pay attention to is the presence of a lid. We’ve all had times when we take food out of the microwave only to realize the sides of the microwave are soaking wet.
So whether it’s vapor from heating soap, broth, or something else, it’s best to have a covering for any microwavable cooking pan.
This way, you can avoid splashes, and you don’t need to worry about cleaning the appliance too vigorously, which can turn into such a mess, and you may end up peeling off the inside of the microwave while cleaning it.
On the matter of comfort, handles make things much easier as long as they don’t get in the way of fitting the crisper into the microwave.
If worse comes to worst, you can simply use oven mitts. Nonetheless, if you narrow things down between two pans, the one with a handle gets an extra point.
As you may already know, not all pans are meant to be cleaned in the dishwasher, no matter how sturdy they look.
And since cleaning crispers is usually unpleasant and time-consuming, it’s fundamental to pick a crisper that’s dishwasher-safe so as to spare time and energy.
He likes to call himself a ‘tech freak’ and if you ask him anything about whatever tech-trend is on these days, he will likely go on for hours.
Apart from his passion for technology, Lucas has worked in an appliance store for many years and is also an over-enthusiastic foodie.
He considers his job at ConsciousEating a ‘dream come true’ because it allows him to explore the two things he loves the most in the world: technology and food.
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