Microwave-convection news 

SHARP R-820 Grill-2 Oven by Janet Sadlack 

Overview 

This little brother to the larger over-the-range microwave-convection oven offers many of the same advantages, but also has some differences. The similarities and differences will be outlined here. The oven is built as a countertop oven, but can be installed in a cabinet with a special installation kit. The kit (or something similar) is necessary to allow the heat that is exhausted out the back of the oven to exhaust into the room rather than remaining in the cavity and causing the oven to overheat. There are options with many of the cooking pads. These are listed inside the oven at the top. I have also given them to you on the R-820 Guide that you can download and print. 

Oven Display 

The circular “Compu” display accesses many of the automatic timings that are stored in the oven’s computer. Use the diagram in the center bottom of the R-820 Guide for a quick reference to the options. For example, when you press Pizza and then number 1 you will get the timing to bake a Frozen Pizza with Regular Crust. If you press Pizza and then number 5, you will get the timings for reheating pizza. Rather than a sensor for microwave cooking, this oven uses its Compu technology to give you timings. So, to microwave a baked potato, press Cook in the Compu circle and then press 1. The oven will ask for the quantity and is then ready to start. The same will be true for the other microwave options listed under Cook. Some of the Compu settings are microwave, some are convection and some are combination. In general, Bake and Grill as well as some Pizza settings will be convection. Combination settings will be used with the Compu Roast setting and Microwave will be used for Cook and Defrost as well as #4 under Pizza. The manual settings are listed below the circular display. Convection will be used when using your own recipe for Convection-baking. Grill will be used when broiling and Roast will be used when you want a High-Mix combination since this combines 30% microwave with whatever temperature you desire. The Popcorn setting is based on time rather than a sensor. The Reheat button will be useful for a number of items. The square below the Compu circle will give the 5 options you have for this setting. You will be asked for the quantity with most items. 

Microwave Cooking 

Generally, microwave cooking will be the same as in the larger oven. You will be limited some by oven size, but timings should be similar. Since the oven has a metal, rather than a ceramic turntable, be sure to elevate popcorn and other thin foods such as bacon or pie crust on an overturned dish or microwave rack. Microwaves are not very effective at the point where they bounce off of metal and this will improve the cooking. Be sure to wipe oven clean after microwaving so spatters do not cook on when the convection setting is used. For lower power, use the same technique as with the larger oven…enter time, then press power level and then enter the power level desired. Minute Plus works the same…gives 100% power when no program is in the oven or increases the time 1 minute in whatever cooking program you are in. Each touch adds a minute. 

Convection Cooking 

This oven is designed for 1 layer of cooking and has only 1 rack rather than the 2 racks and 2 levels of cooking of the larger oven. When baking cookies or biscuits, use the low rack and bake 1 layer at a time. Some dishes, like a Bundt pan or large roast, may set too high in the oven on the rack. For these foods, omit the rack and place the food directly on the metal turntable. Aim to have your food centered vertically in the oven. This oven does not have a separate preheat button. Instead, after pressing convection, press 1 for preheat or press 2 for no preheat. Then, press the temperature pad and put in the time. If you have pressed 1 to preheat, the oven will preheat to the desired temperature and then ring to alert you that it is time to place your food in the oven. Once the food is in the oven, press start and the convection time will start. Since the oven has a smaller cavity, preheat times may be slightly less and are often not necessary. You can check the temperature during preheat by pressing the convection pad. 

Combination Cooking 

This smaller oven has one combination setting and it is called Roast. There is a setting within the Compu circle that accesses the timings and temperatures in the oven computer. As with the larger oven, the size of food entered must fall within the range in the oven. Check your use and care manual for these ranges. There is also a manual Roast button just above the “Minute Plus” button. This is like High-Mix button on the larger oven. It is preset with a temperature, but the temperature can be changed by pressing the button a second time. The setting will combine 30% microwave energy with the temperature you have selected. The oven does not have a Low-Mix setting (10% microwave), but you can cook recipes successfully that call for Low-Mix settings. Just cook on Roast for about half the specified Low-Mix time. Then, complete the cooking with convection using the same temperature. For example, if a recipe calls for baking a cake on Low-Mix for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Use High-Mix at 350 for 10 minutes; then Convection cook (no preheat) at 350 for 10 minutes. Usually preheat is not necessary, but I prefer to preheat for Low-Mix baked items such as cakes and breads. Follow Step G on the download. 

Grill Cooking 

Just like broiling in the larger oven, the Grill setting uses just convection heat. The oven has a heater in the top of the oven as well as the bottom. Thus, when grilling (broiling), preheating is not necessary. For grilling most meats, I use the Compu Grill setting. For manual settings, use the Grill pad that is between the Convection and Roast buttons. After pressing Grill, press 1 to use both the top and bottom heaters or press 2 for just the top heater. When using both heaters, place the food (steak, chops or pizza) directly on the low rack to get maximum browning. For the highest heat, set the oven at 450 degrees. For breads or sandwiches, a lower temperature can be used. Since there is a bottom heater, the Teflon baking sheet will probably darken when used with broiling. Use an older discolored one or you can also use a piece of foil since this setting is convection and no microwaves are present. The turntable is also easy to wash so you can just soak with soapy water for a few minutes and it will readily clean. 

Enjoy! 

Your oven will do many things for you. Watch the video on the larger oven, check out the items on these pages and then read through the Use and Care book to glean more information about the features you most often use. As with all Sharp ovens, you can increase of decrease the cooking times in the Compu settings by pressing Power Level just before pressing Start. Press the pad once for more cooking and twice for less cooking. Feel free to email me with any questions: janet@microwaveconnect.com.