OTG Vs Microwave Oven Comparison – Which is better?

Both an OTG oven and a microwave oven have their distinctive features and aspects which set them apart from the other. In this comparative analysis of microwave and OTG, we will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each product. The cooking mechanisms employed in these devices decrease the amount of human effort required while saving time in the cooking as well.

Firstly, we need to address that although both these devices have their differences, they have certain similarities as well. The cooking mechanism is what sets them apart from each other. An OTG (oven-toaster-griller) is ideal for baking and grilling purposes. A convection microwave oven is good for all microwave oven purposes, along with roasting, grilling, baking. 

If you are planning on buying any one of these products, you must gather all the necessary information about each. Only then, can you properly assess which will be the ideal one to buy? This article has been written to help you with the same. Now, let us dive deep into the analysis of OTG vs. Microwave Oven.

OTG vs. Microwave Oven

Point of Difference	OTG Oven	Microwave Oven
Heating Method	An OTG utilizes heating coils present on the bottom and the roof of the oven that convert electrical energy into heat energy. This heat is then dispersed into food, baking it from the outside in. Most OTG ovens also utilize a fan to distribute the heat evenly.	Microwave ovens, as the name suggests, utilize microwaves to heat the food from inside out. Microwaves penetrate the food and make the water molecules present inside oscillate. This random oscillation generates heat and cooks the food evenly.
Size and Weight	Since the operation of OTG ovens is far more straightforward than microwave ovens, they are relatively lighter and easy to move from one place to another. They come in different sizes, although an OTG of the same size as a microwave oven will weigh far less in comparison.	Microwave ovens have advanced mechanical components that make them way heavier than OTG ovens. Though their size is comparably smaller, they can easily fit in a standard kitchen.
Capacity Range	Large capacity range: 9 to 60 liters	Short capacity range: 17 to 35 liters
Preheating Time	Since OTG ovens use conventional heating methods, the coils can take up to 15 minutes to heat the OTG oven.	Microwave ovens are far superior to OTG ovens in this department. They are almost ready to use and require just about 5 minutes; that’s 3 times faster than OTG ovens.
Cooking Time	OTG ovens use conventional methods to cook food. That causes the heat to penetrate slowly inside the foot, thereby marginally increasing the cooking time. OTG ovens can take up to 45 minutes to cook food.	These types of ovens use microwaves to penetrate the food and cook it from the inside out. This process is relatively faster and cooks food in less than 10-15 minutes.
Baking Facility	These ovens were primarily designed for baking, toasting, and grilling purposes; therefore OTG ovens offer a good baking facility. Conventional cooking methods that OTG ovens use are ideal for baking.	To bake in a microwave oven, you’ll need convection mode. It is available with convection microwave ovens only. Microwave ovens not having this mode (solo or grill microwave ovens) cannot bake food.
Reheating Facility	OTG ovens are not primarily suitable for reheating food. There’s a good chance your food will lose all its flavor if you try to heat it in an OTG oven without some special arrangements.	Microwave ovens are perfectly suitable for reheating and de-freezing food.
Auto Cooking	OTG ovens are far too outdated in technology; therefore, they do not possess are-cooking functionality. It may be possible in the near future, but OTG ovens currently only provide manual control overcooking.	Microwave ovens possess multiple advanced components that allow the microwave oven to provide an auto-cooking facility.
Compatible Cookware	Cookware made of metals such as aluminum and cast iron is ideal as cookware in an OTG oven. Avoid wooden, clay, plastic cookware inside an OTG oven.	Vessels made of borosilicate, glass, silicon, etc., can be used safely for cooking. However, you should not use any cookware built with metals.
Power Consumption	OTG ovens consume more energy than a microwave oven with the same capacity. Furthermore, the cooking time for an OTG is significantly higher than a microwave oven that results in more power consumption.	Microwave ovens consume significantly less electricity to cook. It also takes very little time compared to an OTG oven. Thus, the power consumption of a microwave oven is less than an OTG oven.
Ease of Use	An OTG is relatively harder to use.	Microwave ovens operate quickly and are very easy to use.
Cleaning and Maintenance	OTGs require manual cleaning, which takes time and effort. So, OTG ovens are relatively harder to clean as compared to microwave ovens.	Most modern microwave ovens possess a “vapor clean” feature that can clean your oven quickly effortlessly. These are very easy to clean, although these ovens require more maintenance.
Price	The upfront cost of an OTG is relatively lower than a microwave oven mainly because of less complex components. Price Range: Rs 4800- Rs 96000	Microwave ovens cost a lot higher than OTG ovens. Price Range: Rs 4800- Rs 215000
Best for	OTGs work wonders when it comes to grilling, baking, and toasting food.	Microwave ovens are suitable for reheating and de-freezing food. Some of them can be used as convection ovens for baking purposes.

Readout more comparative details of these features with benefits and disadvantages of each in the following sections.

What is Oven Toaster Griller (OTG)?

Next in OTG vs Microwave Oven difference, is the OTG which is a short term for Oven-Toaster-Griller. Although it might look similar to a microwave oven it varies a lot concerning the cooking mechanism it employs along with its capabilities. The best OTG oven is ideal for baking purposes and is indeed most commonly used at a bakery or household.

A standout feature of an OTG is the cooking mechanism that is used in the product. The oven has heating elements, present at both the top and bottom of its cavity. These rods convert electric energy into heat to apply direct heat to the food. This makes the oven ideal for baking.

Benefits of OTG

• An OTG is ideal for baking purposes. The direct application of heat to the food makes the food browner, which is much desired by a baker.
• Most models have added rotisserie in the packaging to make the handling of the baked foods easier for the user.
• It is more compact in size and has a lightweight. Thus, an OTG oven can easily fit in a small kitchen.
• OTG ovens have a large range of capacities- from 10 L to 62 L.
• An OTG oven is cheaper in price compared to any other type of oven.

Drawbacks of OTG

• OTG has a very limited application. Although it is ideal for baking and even barbecue, the basic microwave oven functions like reheating and defrosting of food cannot be done.
• An OTG has a long preheating time, with most models requiring about 15-minutes to preheat. This stretches the cooking time significantly.
• The power consumption by an OTG oven is remarkably high.
• It is not ideal for reheating purposes. You need special arrangement if you want to reheat anyway.
• OTG ovens need more cleaning and maintenance.
• The cooking time in an OTG is also high resulting to more electricity usage.
• An OTG does not come with an autocooking function which may result in complexity of operation.

Uses of OTG

• It can be used for baking food like cakes. The cooking mechanism produces browner and crispier foods.
• It can be used for barbecue as well with heating elements present at both the top and bottom of the cavity.
• An OTG can also be used for toasting food.

Now raises the question, which OTG you should buy as a lot of options are available to choose from. We find Bajaj 2200 TMSS Oven Toaster Griller as the best quality OTG oven.

The OTG has a capacity of 22-liters enclosed in stainless steel and a powder-coated body. Bajaj OTG is capable of baking, grilling, and toasting along with an added rotisserie and auto shut-off technology in the timer. It has a warranty of 2 years along with a 10-days replacement warranty.

What is a Convection Microwave Oven?

In this article about microwave convection oven vs OTG, let us first look at the convection microwave oven. A convection microwave oven is an upgrade on the solo and grill variants in respect of its capabilities and features. The best convection microwave oven is capable of all basic microwave oven operations along with baking, roasting, grilling, etc along with some advanced systems. (Read More: Solo Vs Convection Vs Grill Microwave Oven)

One feature that sets the convection microwave oven apart from the other two is the mechanism it uses for cooking. The oven uses both microwave and convection oven features for the cooking thus making the food browner and better.

Advantages of microwave oven

• A user can easily roast, bake, and grill your food along with the basic microwave oven operations. A convection microwave oven is even capable of making brown and crisp foods.
• Since it uses both microwave and convection technology, the cavity is heated pretty fast, which significantly reduces the cooking time.
• You can also bake cakes using microwave-compatible utensils at your home.
• A microwave oven is ideal for reheating food which takes a very little time.
• Due to user-friendly automated functions, it is easy to use.
• Autocooking is a brilliant feature that increases convenience of a microwave oven.
• Microwave ovens are highly efficient in energy consumption. Because of low power rating and short cooking time it consumes very less amount of electricity.

Disadvantages of microwave oven

• It is pretty expensive to afford for most families. To be precise it is the most expensive one among the three types of microwave ovens.
• Although you can cook an entire meal using the convection microwave oven, you can only cook one meal at a time. This is a common disadvantage for all microwave ovens.
• They are larger in size with more weight that make them difficult to shift.
• Microwave ovens do not have a large range of capacities.
• Though you can bake cakes in a convection microwave oven, it is not ideal for that purpose.

Uses of microwave oven

• It can be used to grill, bake, and roast food. Users can even use it for making the food browner and crispier.
• Basic microwave operations like reheating and defrosting of food can be done using this type of microwave oven.
• Metal utensils can be used for the cooking process along with the microwave-proof ones.

The functions and uses of a microwave oven determine the usability of the machine. There are quite a lot of brands but which product will be the best one to buy?

Popular user feedback deems the target="_blank">LG 32 L Convection Microwave Oven that makes it ideal for most of your cooking. You can also use it for baking, grilling, reheating, and defrosting. Also, a touch-keypad is provided with 301 auto cook menu options.

Both the time and temperature of the cooking are controllable along with a child-lock system. A 1-year warranty is provided on the product along with a 3-year warranty on the cavity.

Related: Air Fryer vs Microwave oven

Differences between Microwave and OTG Ovens

Here we will compare the pros and cons of microwave ovens and OTG ovens to find out which is more worthy for our kitchens.

OTG vs. Microwave Oven: Heating Methods

Different ovens (OTG, convection oven, microwave oven) use different approaches to cook food. An OTG uses electrical energy and converts it into heat energy. Heat energy is radiated by the coils present at the bottom and top area of the oven that cooks the food. In addition to the heating coils, most OTGs also have a heat-dispersing fan. It ensures the even distribution of heat throughout the oven. 

On the other hand, microwave ovens utilize a far advanced approach to cooking food from the inside out. The interior of a microwave oven is covered with metal to deflect the microwaves emitted by the magnetron. These microwaves penetrate deep inside the food, making the food particles vibrate in random motion, generating heat. However, microwaves can’t penetrate deep into dense foods such as a big loaf of raw meat, chicken, etc. In that case, an OTG is preferred over microwave ovens. 

Which is better in size and weight?

The size and weight of an oven determine whether the oven is suited for domestic use or not. Also, a bigger size allows higher capacity, which is always a pro when cooking large meals. 

Since OTGs are used both for commercial and domestic cooking purposes (for example, in a bakery), they come in different sizes. An OTG (Oven Toaster Griller) comes in various sizes depending on the capacity.

On the other hand, microwave ovens mostly arrive in small sizes as they’re mainly utilized for domestic uses exclusively. However, if similar-sized OTGs and microwave ovens are compared, the OTG will weigh less than the microwave oven. That’s because of the difference in components that both these ovens use.

While OTGs use far more straightforward and less expensive components, microwave ovens utilize advanced components like the electron tube (magnetron) to make things work. Meanwhile, it also has thick sheets of metal covering all sides of the microwave oven to deflect the microwaves emitted by the magnetron. This also increases the weight of microwave ovens dramatically. 

Let us consider Pigeon Oven Toaster Griller (OTG) and IFB Convection Microwave Oven with the same capacity of 20 liters.

Point of Difference	Pigeon Oven Toaster Griller	IFB Convection Microwave Oven
Capacity	20 L	20 L
Size	309 mm x 250 mm x 246 mm	445 mm x 390 mm x 532 mm
Weight	4.38 Kg	14.3 Kg

From the above comparison table, it is clear that for the same capacity, OTGs have less size and weight, making them easily portable. At the same time, convection microwave ovens are much larger with a weight of more than 3 times the weight of an OTG. Thus if you have a smaller kitchen you can either buy a bigger OTG oven or a smaller microwave oven.

Winner: OTG Oven

OTG or Microwave Oven: Which has the Largest Capacity Range?

The capacity of an oven is crucial when it comes to cooking large meals; a small-sized oven might not be able to cut. That’s why ovens have a capacity range to satisfy users with different needs and requirements.

However, OTGs dwarfs microwave ovens when it comes to capacity. While OTGs can have a volume of more than 62 liters, most microwave ovens max out at a mere 35 liters of volume. This is mainly to justify the fact that microwave ovens are suitable for domestic uses only. 

Capacity Range of OTG Ovens	17, 19, 20, 21, 23, 25, 27, 28, 30, 35 Litres
Capacity Range of Microwave Ovens	10, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 28, 30, 36, 38, 40, 42, 45, 48, 60, 62 Litres

Winner: OTG Oven

Which Oven has a Faster preheating Time?

The preheating time is crucial to know for the oven to cook properly. In that case, an OTG requires about 15 minutes of preheating.

Why is that?

Since an OTG uses coils to heat the oven, this heat mainly reaches the parts of the oven through a process called thermal radiation. This transfer of heat using radiation is relatively slower. As a result, an OTG may require up to 15 minutes of preheating. 

Microwave ovens follow an entirely different approach to cooking food. As a result, these ovens don’t require much preheating as it’s the microwaves emitted by the magnetron that do the job. Preheating of just about 5 minutes is enough for a microwave oven to work. Also, the cooking times are relatively lower in a microwave oven. 

Winner: Microwave Oven

Microwave Oven vs. OTG – Which one Cooks Faster?

The cooking time of an oven is the average time that the oven requires to cook food. It mostly is a function of what type of food you’re cooking in the oven. In any case, an OTG can take up to 30-45 minutes to cook. That’s because the radiated heat from the coils takes time to penetrate deeper into the food. OTGs also utilize fans to distribute the heat throughout the oven evenly. The average cooking time in an OTG is roughly around 45 minutes. 

Microwave ovens, as mentioned above, use microwaves that penetrate deep into the food and cause the water molecules present in the food to oscillate. This fast and random oscillation induces heat and thus cooks the food from inside. This approach is far superior to the conventional one in terms of efficiency. No wonder why microwave ovens cook 2.5-3 times faster than an OTG.

Winner: Microwave Oven

Which Oven has a Better Baking Facility ?

No matter how efficient a microwave oven is, it simply can’t bake food (unless it’s a convection microwave oven). OTGs, on the other hand, are primarily used for baking purposes, and they’re pretty good at it.

However, modern microwave ovens are keeping pace with advanced modes. For example, some microwave ovens come with a different method to act as a conventional convection oven. While operating as a convection oven, you can easily bake food using a microwave oven. 

Winner: OTG Oven

OTG or Microwave Oven – Which is Most Suitable for Reheating?

Reheating food can be more complicated than you may think. Getting the food heated evenly from all directions as if it was freshly cooked is quite tricky. At least, it was before introducing microwave ovens to the world. OTGs aren’t that effective when it comes to reheating or de-freezing food.

Microwave ovens work wonders in reheating or de-freezing food. The microwaves penetrating through the food heats the food from inside out. So, uneven distribution of heat is out of the question regarding reheating in a microwave oven. The same cannot be said for Oven Toaster Grillers (OTGs). An OTG reheats the food, but the efficiency will be far lesser than microwave ovens. 

Winner: Microwave Oven

Which Oven has Auto Cooking function?

Auto cooking comes in handy when you cook different meals at the same time. It’s a feature that most microwave ovens have. To enable auto cooking, just set a timer and your microwave oven is smart enough to do the rest.

OTGs, on the other hand, are far outdated in terms of technology. They don’t possess any auto cooking functionality that can ease your work. If you want to cook your food in an OTG, going manual is your only option. Moreover, OTGs require special handling while in use. 

Winner: Microwave Oven

Compatible Cookware for OTG and Microwave Ovens

You can’t simply use any cookware inside an oven. Let’s take OTG; for instance, the extreme heat produced by the oven can’t let you use vessels made entirely of plastic and wood. You can’t also use cookware with wooden or plastic handles inside an OTG. This is because materials like plastic and wood are highly susceptible to heat; they can melt or burn when exposed to extreme temperatures. Cookware made of metals like aluminum or cast iron is suitable for use in an OTG. Ceramic can also be used to some extent. 

As for microwave ovens, cookware compatibility is just the opposite. You should avoid using metal cookware at all costs. Metal cookware will deflect the microwaves shot by the electron tube, causing the system to go haywire. 

OTG vs Microwave Oven – Power Consumption

It’s the energy that an oven consumes while running. If an OTG and a microwave oven with the same capacities are compared, the OTG will consume more energy than the microwave oven. OTGs use a conventional heating method that’s less efficient if power consumption is concerned.

However, OTGs take much longer to cook food which results in more power consumption. On the other hand, the power consumption of microwave ovens is relatively lower and cooks way faster than OTGs. 

Let us again consider the example of the Pigeon OTG oven and IFB convection microwave oven with 20 L of capacity. The rated power consumption of these two products are-

Point of Comparison	Pigeon 20 L OTG Oven	IFB 20 L Convection Microwave Oven
Rated Power	1380 Watts	800 Watts
Avg Cooking Time/Day	20 Minutes	5 Minutes
Power Consumption/Day	0.46 kWh	0.07 kWh
Monthly Energy Consumption	13.8 kWh	2 kWh
Monthly Electricity Bill @ Rs 6/unit	Rs 83	Rs 12

From the above table, it is clear that convection microwave ovens consume almost half of the electricity consumed by an OTG oven with the same capacity. As power consumption equals the product of wattage and run time and cooking time of an OTG oven is higher, it leads to more consumption of energy. When we compare the monthly electricity bills, we can see that the cost of electricity consumed by an OTG is almost 7 times higher than that of a microwave oven.

Winner: Microwave Oven

Ease of using the two ovens

You can simply set a timer on your microwave oven, and it will automatically turn off when the timer stops. As compared to OTGs, microwave ovens are far easier to operate. OTGs require better handling, and they do not have any automatic cooking mode as microwave ovens. 

Winner: Microwave Oven

Maintenance requirements for Microwave and OTG ovens

Ovens require frequent maintenance checks and cleaning to function ideally. Minute particles produced from spills or splashes can stick to the oven walls that may cause fire or other nasty problems for you upon heating. To counter that, modern microwave ovens come with a “vapor clean” feature that can blow these particles away with the push of a button.

An OTG has no such feature, which increases their cleaning and maintenance requirement dramatically. You can only go with manual cleaning in the case of OTGs. 

Winner: Microwave Oven

OTG Oven vs. Microwave Oven: Cost

The price is the upfront cost of an oven. You may get an OTG of 42 liters capacity at a far lesser price than a microwave oven with just 30 liters capacity. Manufacturers are also responsible for price variations amongst different ovens because of the components and the technology involved.

However, in the long run, microwave ovens will cost less when compared with OTGs. Microwave ovens cook food faster than OTGs, which makes them highly efficient in the long run. 

To understand it more clearly, let us take the previous example of the Pigeon OTG and IFB microwave ovens.

Point of Difference	Pigeon 20 L OTG Oven	IFB 20 L Convection Microwave Oven
MRP	Rs 4995	Rs 13490
Avg. Online Price	Rs 3800 – Rs4200	Rs 10100 – Rs 10500
Recurring Electricity Cost*	Rs 83/ month	Rs 12/month

*For daily use of the OTG for 20 minutes and microwave oven for 5 minutes.

So, from the above table, it is quite clear that microwave ovens cost approximately 3 times more than an OTG oven. However, as the recurring cost is significantly low, microwave ovens are a worthy investment.

Winner: OTG Oven

What are Microwave Ovens and OTGs Best for? 

Both the ovens were created with a different purpose in mind. While OTGs work wonders when baking, grilling, and broiling food, microwave ovens excel in reheating and de-freezing food. Modern microwave ovens even come with a convection mode for baking purposes to keep up with inferior OTGs. Overall, OTGs are suitable for commercial uses as they come in variable sizes. Microwave ovens (solo), on the other hand, are more suitable for domestic uses. 

So, which is better- Microwave Oven or OTG?

So, finally, concluding the long comparison, you may be wondering about which one can suit you the most. It absolutely depends on the needs of the user. If you want to use these ovens only for baking, toasting, and grilling operations an OTG would be ideal for you. For more advanced operations, a microwave oven can suit you better.

However, if possible, you may like to have an OTG in your kitchen along with a convection microwave oven. This will give your cooking a lot of versatility while ensuring good quality. 

You can even go for other products apart from the recommended ones if you find the features matching your needs. Just remember to do a proper analysis of all aspects of the product before the purchase.

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Also Read:

• The Best Built-in Ovens in India
• Top-Quality Electric Barbecue Grill in India
• OTG vs Air Fryer Comparison

Last update on 2024-04-25 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API