Magic Chef Countertop Microwave Oven, Small and Compact,
$154.99
Product Overview
The Magic Chef Countertop Microwave Oven delivers powerful performance in a compact design, making it an ideal choice for small kitchens, dorm rooms, offices, or any space where counter real estate is limited. With 1100 watts of heating power and a 1.6 cubic foot interior capacity, this microwave efficiently cooks, reheats, and defrosts meals without sacrificing speed or convenience. The sleek black exterior not only adds a modern aesthetic but also resists smudges and fingerprints, maintaining its appearance with minimal effort. Engineered by a brand with over 90 years of experience in home appliances, this model combines reliability, functionality, and affordability into one dependable kitchen companion.
Key Features
- Child Lock Safety Feature: A built-in child lock prevents accidental activation, ensuring safe operation around children—ideal for families or shared living spaces.
- Countertop Design with Electronic Controls: Equipped with user-friendly electronic controls and a clear digital display, operating the microwave is intuitive and accessible for users of all ages.
- Three Auto Defrost Modes: Simplify meal prep with three preset defrost options—thaw by weight or time—ensuring even thawing and consistent results for frozen foods.
- Glass Turntable for Even Cooking: The rotating glass turntable promotes uniform heat distribution throughout the cavity, reducing cold spots and improving cooking consistency.
- Black Exterior Finish: Durable and stylish, the black finish complements contemporary kitchen designs and stays clean-looking despite daily use.
- Six One-Touch Preprogrammed Settings: Enjoy instant meal preparation with dedicated buttons for popcorn, pizza, dinner plates, and vegetables—perfect for quick snacks or full courses.
Technical Specifications
- Power Output: 1100 watts
- Cubic Feet Capacity: 1.6 cu ft
- Color: Black
- Control Type: Electronic with digital display
- Tray Type: Glass turntable
- Safety Feature: Child lock included
- Defrost Options: Three auto defrost modes (weight and time-based)
- Cooking Presets: Six preprogrammed settings (popcorn, pizza, dinner plate, vegetables)
- Door Release: Easy-access button for convenient opening
Benefits & Use Cases
Designed with practicality in mind, this Magic Chef microwave excels in environments where space and efficiency matter most. Its compact footprint fits seamlessly on standard countertops, making it suitable for studio apartments, condos, RVs, or secondary kitchens in larger homes. Despite its small size, the 1.6-cubic-foot interior accommodates everyday essentials like full dinner plates, casseroles, or multiple servings of side dishes, ensuring you can prepare meals without overcrowding. The high 1100-watt output significantly reduces cooking and reheating times compared to lower-powered models, helping busy individuals save valuable minutes during hectic mornings or late-night snack rushes.
The six one-touch preprogrammed settings streamline common tasks. Whether you’re craving movie night popcorn, warming up leftover pizza, or steaming vegetables in just minutes, these presets eliminate guesswork and deliver reliable results every time. The auto-defrost function further enhances convenience—select between weight-based or timed thawing to safely and evenly defrost meats, desserts, or frozen meals without manual monitoring. Many users appreciate how straightforward the interface is, allowing even those unfamiliar with advanced kitchen appliances to set timers, adjust power levels, and navigate functions confidently.
Families particularly value the integrated child lock, which adds peace of mind when little ones are nearby. Parents can secure the unit during nap times or while children play nearby, knowing the microwave won’t activate unexpectedly. Meanwhile, the durable black finish maintains its sleek look over time, resisting scratches and fingerprints better than lighter-colored finishes often do. Combined with Magic Chef’s long-standing reputation for quality and affordability, this microwave offers a smart investment for anyone seeking performance without excess bulk or cost.
Important Notes
Customer feedback reflects generally positive experiences, with many highlighting the appliance’s compact size, ease of use, effective heating capabilities, and attractive design. Users frequently mention satisfaction with programming meals, setting clocks, and achieving desired temperature levels quickly. However, some customers report variability in noise levels during operation, noting that it may be louder than expected—particularly when running at full power or using defrost cycles. Additionally, opinions differ regarding long-term build quality, suggesting that durability perceptions may vary based on usage intensity and environmental conditions. These differences stem from individual expectations rather than widespread manufacturing defects.
No specific care instructions beyond standard microwave maintenance are provided; however, proper ventilation around the unit is essential for optimal airflow and performance. Always ensure there’s adequate clearance on all sides to prevent overheating. Please note that the product package includes only the microwave unit itself—accessories such as manuals, additional trays, or cleaning kits are not confirmed to be included and should not be assumed. For best results, refer to your local Magic Chef support resources if documentation or troubleshooting assistance is needed after purchase.
13 reviews for Magic Chef Countertop Microwave Oven, Small and Compact,
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Mari –
SO FAR SO GOOD – Just Got It
Perfect size, 1000 watts of fast cooking time, quiet!!, light goes on when door is opened, easy to operate with many time options, no continuously annoying beeping when cooking time is over, and very nice looking! Looks well made for the reasonably low price so I expect this one to last a long time!
Nancy Spurlin –
Great
This works great and is very quiet when running.
One of God’s Blessings –
Just perfect microwave
The size along with the power of 1000 watts. Bonus …I love the inside color.
Billie C. K. –
Good buy for the money
Insisted on this model (Magic Chef 1.1cf, 1,000 watt) as it most closely matched my previous Magic Chef which died after 18 years. Outer dimension slightly smaller footprint which was great for counter space. New one has different turntable rotater which is kind of jerky and noisy until it gets going but then smooths out and quiets itself. Wattage of interior light is apparently less than previous oven – darker and harder to see what’s going on inside also don’t care for the gray interior which I think contributes to the inside dimness ( old one had white interior).HOWEVER, it works great, cooks quickly and reliably and I’m very happy with my purchase. I hope it lasts at least 1/2 as long as its predecessor and I will be thrilled.
AngelA Cooper –
Microwave
Works Great! Love the child prove unlock button.
Rebecca Roper –
Amazing
Needing to replace my old microwave, I was hesitant to order online. Relying on reviews, I ordered this great one from Amazon. It was exactly the same size as my old one so it fit perfectly in the same space. I ordered white. I couldnât be happier with itâs performance.
Benjamin 805 –
Glad I took the chance.
Update August 30. As I am now at the 3 month mark of owning this microwave I figured I would come back and give a quick update. I am just as happy now with this microwave as I was at the time of my original review. I still feel the same way that this microwave is definitely money well spent. My original review is below.I have only had this microwave for about 2 weeks but considering there are currently no reviews for it I decided to go ahead and write one based on what my experience has been so far. After my Panasonic microwave that I only owned for 10 months decided to die without warning and the manufacture not being any help I went looking for a new microwave. The first microwave I came across was highly rated on Amazon and was made by Bella. I almost purchased that microwave but my girlfriend was insistent that The microwave have a pushbutton for the door instead of a pole handle. Because of this I continue to look and came across this one from magic chef. The first thing that I noticed aside from the fact that it had the button my girlfriend was looking for was that it had an identical keypad to the first one that I looked at. Doing a quick browsing of the owners manual for both microwaves I confirmed that the interface was the same and that the magic chef looks to be a slightly bigger version of the Bella microwave. I normally donât take chances on items with no reviews but since this looks to be almost the same and the other one was rated so highly I purchased it. Fast forward to now and I can honestly say that I am very glad that I took the chance that I did. We have put this microwave through its paces ever since we got it and everything we have asked it to do has come back with great results. One of the biggest things that I have noticed since we switched to the magic chef is how it heats. With our previous Panasonic we would find spots where food would be bubbling and other spots where it would be ice cold. This new microwave definitely does a lot better of a job with providing even heating. We have warmed up everything from lasagna to soup with great success. My girlfriend also fixes eggs in it for breakfast and she said that she is also a lot happier with the newer one than she was with our previous unit. I have so far only found a couple of small quirks that I wish were different. The first that I noticed was with the kitchen timer. Unfortunately you cannot use the kitchen timer and expect to use the microwave at the same time. I know there are other manufacturers who do have this ability so was a bit disappointed to see that this microwave does not. The other quirk is with the display. Considering they had all of the extra space that they do I was surprised to see that they went with a smaller display for the time. Neither one of these issues are dealbreakerâs and I would definitely recommend this microwave. I know this review is early so I will come back and update it if I come across any issues.
HappyMom –
“Weird” wattage and wobbly turntable tray/UPDATE: HAZARD WARNING!!!
It seems that 1000 watts is not the same for all microwave ovens. We recently lost a Cuisinart (they tend to break down faster than most; at least that is our experience) that was also 1000 watts. But even when the Cuisinart stopped working at its full 1000-watt power it still cooked whatever we put in there a lot faster than this “weak” Magic Chef. Not a major deal once we recalculated and adjusted for the difference, but just the same. Our major gripe though is the wobbly and somewhat unstable turntable tray. If we place something light on it the noise is not too bad, but anything heavy, like a bowl full of soup, etc. and it is quite noisy. (Actually, overall, this machine is very noisy.) We are also concerned that a container that was not itself stable might tip over. It is also noisy when you open and close the door. In order to not wake up others in the house whoever is using the microwave just needs to be gentle when opening or closing the door. I actually give this 2.5 (I had a 3 before) because it is usable, and because finding a dependable, solid white microwave is difficult. But when this one dies (soon since not everyone in this house is gentle when using that door) we will buy a different brand. UPDATE 4/28/19. We have changed the rating to 1. This is a fire hazard or explosion waiting to happen. Until recently we had not used the microwave for more than a few minutes at a time. But recently we nuked an item that required more than 3 minutes of cook time. The outside of the microwave oven got quite hot! Also, this was noticed from the beginning, this microwave oven does not do a good job of venting out steam/heat when cooking food. So steam builds up inside, making it impossible to see what is cooking. But a microwave oven should not get that hot on the outside of the unit, regardless. We are afraid to use this unit because of the heat buildup, and now do not even trust it for use of less than 3 minutes.
N Cleroux –
Sauf pour les instructions uniquement en anglais et espagnol
Florin C. –
I had the previous version of this, twice. Each one lasted about 6 years, which I guess is the most you can expect from products made nowadays. Yes, it’s made in China, but so are the Panasonic ones that cost almost twice as much. It’ solidly made, with solid performance, at least so far. If it lasts another 6 years, I will be happy.
Carol RB –
This product is a perfect size for counter. Lots of watts for cooking. color black and white is outstanding. Heats up food extremely fast. The touch screen buttons are very sensitive & I would highly recommend this product for a family.
Deanne Dewey –
Nothing more to say, it arrived I use it and life is grand. It’s more powerful than my old one and that’s great!
TrialAndError –
Works nicely.UPDATE: Burnt a spot on a damp towel. Multiple times now seeing its “firepower” concentrated on relatively small areas in the oven. It is not cooking evenly. Hope this is a one-off problem. I like this size/price. The door seems to have a gap or space for microwaves to leak.