How to look after your commercial microwave oven

The microwave oven is the workhorse of many a catering kitchen, big and small. In constant use for reheating, defrosting and cooking, they often get taken for granted, abused and misused. But when budgets are tight every piece of catering equipment needs to be looked after, even the humble microwave, to maximise its service life and ensure it is working to optimum efficiency.

Samsung is the UK market leader, supplying one in four of the commercial microwave ovens bought in the foodservice sector. Here David Watts, general manager of Samsung Professional Appliances, offers a few tips on how to look after these vital cooking appliances and keep them in pristine condition.

Clean the air filters regularly, by removing them and washing in soapy water.
Clean the ceiling plate by removing it and washing in the dishwasher.
Steam cleaning, part 1. Remove grease from the interior by steam cleaning. This is much easier than it sounds: simply place a wet cloth with lemon fluid in the oven cavity and turn on the microwave for a few minutes.
Steam cleaning, part 2. After steam cleaning, wipe the oven interior to remove any residual food (which should have been loosened). Don’t use the same cloth as for the steam clean – it may be too hot to handle.

Samsung is one of the world’s largest microwave oven brands. Samsung Professional Appliances distributes throughout the UK and Europe and offers a comprehensive choice of commercial microwave ovens, from large-capacity, ‘super-heavy duty’ 1850W units down to light-commercial, budget-priced 1100W models. All are backed by a full parts & labour warranty. For more information visit www.samsung.com/uk/professional/microwave