OTG Oven VS Microwave Oven: What is the difference between the two and which is better?

OTG and microwave oven are two great kitchen appliances and for some people, it is almost indispensable as they use them to bake and cook several meals of the day with the help of these appliances. Many people, however, don't know how different they are from each other, and once you know get learn the in-depth knowledge of the appliances you will be able to finally zero down on which one you should buy. Before we dig in and find out the differences between the two, let's talk about the oven and microwave in general.

So, oven is a broad and umbrella term used for appliances that cook and heat our food, basically any heat chamber. It is a prehistoric thing as its existence is since the discovery of fire. Old ovens required kindling, fire, manual temperature management and as humans and technology evolved, we have been getting compact and better versions of ovens. Most types of ovens run by gas or electricity depending on its model. The recent type of oven is microwave-based. It was invented by Percy Spencer during the Second World War and was only formally launched as a kitchen appliance in the year 1967. 

What is OTG (Oven Toaster and Grill)?

Oven, Toaster, Grill aka OTG is a smaller version of a traditional oven. And as the name suggests you can bake, toast and grill. However, most of them do not have reheat, cook or de-freeze options. In this type of oven, you will find heated coils to cook meals. The fan which is present inside helps to distribute the heat and the thermostat helps in controlling the temperature. Have you noticed that heating takes time in comparison to microwave? This is because the electric coils take time to heat up. And that's why cooking time also goes up.

Speaking of shortcomings, there is an issue of uneven heat distribution and pre-heating is required to bake the dish fully. If you have OTG, then you can use aluminum, ceramic, glass or silicone-based utensils.

What is Microwave?

A microwave oven uses electromagnetic waves and these waves get absorbed by the food. These electromagnetic waves range between 300 MHz and 300GHz and include a spectrum of radio waves and infrared radiation. The pre-heat time is lesser in comparison to OTG. There is no fan inside instead there is a turntable that rotates so that food is cooked evenly. When you keep the food in a microwave oven, the oven throws microwaves at the food and after absorption, it is then turned into heat. 

For the unversed, the waves that are absorbed by the fat, water, and other substances and the molecules of the food heat up. The heat later travels outward and the rest of the food is also heated up. Plastic, ceramic, silicone, and glass utensils can be used in a microwave oven. Unlike OTG, you cannot use metal utensils in a microwave. Coming to usage, it is mostly used to heat up food, cooking, or boiling.

Factors to consider

Capacity
Speaking of capacities of both, OTG's capacity can go up to 60 liters while some microwaves have a capacity of around 32 liters. Also, the rotating surface in a microwave is quite small, and putting bigger utensils especially rectangular ones becomes an issue. 

Ease
OTG has racks and one can add multiple trays. So, in short, you can bake multiple batches. While microwaves have a digital display, OTG has knobs and to track time becomes difficult here.

Cost
Coming to cost, OTGs are a little cheaper than the microwaves. Also, the power usage is low in OTG and high in the latter. 

What is best for you?
So, the bottom line is OTGs are good for baking bread and desserts, while microwaves are best for cooking rice or heating up food. But the ideal option is convection microwave as it can do all the stuff that OTG can do also, along with reheat, cook, and de-freeze. So, it is a win-win situation as you are getting the best of both worlds. If you are a basic baker then you should go for microwave with a convection mode as they have heating coils in it just like OTGs. If you are pro baker, then OTG can be a good option as you can handle it well and get bigger batches. 

Which cooking appliance you use and why? Let us know in the comments section below.

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