Elenberg microwaves: how to choose, user reviews

The Elenberg microwave oven is a brand product represented by the Eldorado chain. These are budget household appliances that do not claim leadership in their segment. The low price is a serious plus, but a one-year warranty is clearly not enough for such an acquisition. Learn more in the review.

About the brand

It will not be possible to find the official sites of the described brand. Buyers are usually aware that behind a beautiful price lies an ordinary technique, ranked by experts in the category of “disposable”. The Elenberg brand, registered in the UK at the end of the 90s, was included in the list of the most popular among undemanding consumers in Eastern Europe. Microwaves of this brand scatter in Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan.

Elenberg does not skimp on modifications: there is a consistently large number of microwave ovens on the market that differ in appearance, functionality and characteristics. Each is accompanied by multi-page instructions. Some are successful, others are not of interest to consumers. Consider below some of the most popular versions.

Made in China

It is believed that under the Elenberg brand, which is found mainly only in Eldorado supermarkets, Chinese goods produced by small firms are masked. The cheapness of Chinese products allows Russian businessmen to set a markup of hundreds of percent, and still this equipment remains cheaper than many.

How a microwave oven works

The first microwave ovens were distinguished by weightiness – not every housewife could rearrange her expensive purchase from place to place. First, such stoves appeared in military units, they were used to quickly heat food in canteens. The capabilities of the new technology just met the requirements of army everyday life.

Today’s microwave ovens bear little resemblance to their progenitors: they are functional, they are easy to lift – 10-12 kg, compact, outwardly beautiful.

The principle of rapid cooking in microwave ovens is the ability of water molecules to line up in a certain way under the influence of electromagnetic fields. When the parameters of the fields change, the molecules also change their position. Making oscillatory movements, affecting each other and randomly colliding, they release energy sufficient to heat the products. Since they all contain water, this principle allows you to heat and defrost almost any food.

Operating modes of microwave ovens “Elenberg”

The owners of most Elenberg brand microwaves have access to a variety of “tools” that open up opportunities for the implementation of complex culinary tasks:

• defrosting. The choice of speeds is supposed – express and standard. The more powerful the radiation, the shorter the processing time. Standard defrosting is done without any complaints – the stove works fine. There are problems with the high-speed mode – intense radiation quickly warms up the upper layers; cutting through the “warmed up” product, the user discovers: inside it is not warmed up, it is completely solid.
• Auto cook and auto reheat obviously not designed for products traditional for Russian consumers. Meat and fish dishes often burn on top, but inside are damp. When attempting to cook potatoes, baked brown slices are obtained, hard as a brick. It takes at least 8 minutes to warm up a bowl of soup. A more acceptable result is observed in manual mode.
• Auto defrost. To make defrosting as efficient as possible, the user specifies the approximate weight and type of the product to be placed – meat, seafood, etc. They evenly warm up, after prompt defrosting they can be processed – cut, fry, boil.

Care requirements

Kitchen appliances need periodic cleaning. Microwaves distributed by the Eldorado network have a special enamel coating that must not be cleaned with aggressive and abrasive products. You can also not use metal washcloths for cleaning. To remove soot and greasy deposits, water and a gel-like detergent are enough.

To prevent splashing and settling of fat on the walls of the chamber, it is recommended to heat liquid dishes in containers with tightly closed lids. Vegetables and other products loaded into the chamber as a whole are recommended to be pierced in different places before cooking.

Solo stove

The home appliance market offers a lot of types, types and subspecies of microwaves. The most affordable version is the mechanically controlled solo. The main task is warming up. You can also cook food, but you have to control the process.

There is also a solo with electronic control – more functional and more expensive than mechanical ones. Usually there is a defrost function, taking into account the weight of the product being laid.

Grill oven

The grill expands the capabilities of the microwave device. They usually provide several heating modes:

• microwave;
• grill;
• their combination.

Can be controlled mechanically or electronically. The former are comparable in cost to “electronic” solos. Mechanical versions always have fewer features, and their price is always lower. The most budget ones do not have combined heating modes at all. The type of grill affects the cost, it can be:

• quartz;
• from ceramics;
• TENovy type.

Consumers are often interested in: which option is preferable? It’s hard to say. It is certain that the quartz version is usually installed in cheap furnaces. Expensive ones are often equipped with two or even three different types of grills. The location of the heating elements depends on the specific model.

Combined

Modifications equipped with both a grill and convection are the most expensive and functional. It also provides ventilation airflow, therefore – additional cooking modes. Microwave cooking is like boiling food in water. The grill replaces frying in a pan, and the use of convection allows you to bake food.

It is clear that it is the combined models that are the best purchase for the hostess. Convection allows you to achieve a crisp on the meat. When choosing such an apparatus, you need to understand: with a chamber volume of 23-30 liters, it will not work to cook, for example, a whole bird – there is not enough space. But you can bake chopped chicken.

Models overview

Elenberg MS-2010D

• Parameters (width x height x depth) – 45x26x32 cm.
• Weight -10 kg. Compared to the products of the 90s, it is 4 times lighter.
• Capacity – 20 liters.
• Design. Beautiful appearance, white enamel coating. Beautiful, but not practical: white enamel gets dirty, does not contribute to ease of care.
• The microwave generating magnetron has a fixed power of 700 watts.
• Management – touch keyboard. There are 8 buttons with which you can change the operating modes. Here is the key to open the door. A red-green display is provided, reminiscent of an old calculator. The screen displays the information required by the user.

The advantage of MS-2010D is a variety of modes. There are also cons:

• no upper and lower grill;
• no convection cooking system;
• not equipped with a system for creating your own recipes.

If you evaluate the model on a five-point system, you can put a solid four. This microwave oven does its job well when manual mode is selected. The fact that it does not have a convector, as well as an LCD touch screen, is a plus for equipment of this level. It’s safer without them.

Elenberg MG 2050 M

A stove for quick heating of dishes, rush and busyness should not deprive people of hot food. The MG 2050 M saves time for its owners by reheating and defrosting quickly. The modification provides all the important features that are usually expected from inexpensive microwaves:

• thawing food taken out of the freezer;
• heating ready meals;
• baking.

Features:

• Power – 0,7 kW.
• Grill – 0,1 kW.
• Capacity – 20 liters.

Pros:

• when the door is opened, the chamber is illuminated;
• comfortable control: convenient switch and ergonomic controls;
• two automatic programs.

MS-1400m

A model that has earned a lot of positive reviews on the Internet. She is quite weighty – 12 kg. Pros: Attractive design and good feature set.

• Capacity – 14 liters.
• Power – 0,6 kW.
• The inner surface of the chamber is enamel.

Includes detailed instructions and a special plate to heat food. If a plate is lost, it is easy to make up for the loss by ordering it, as well as any other spare parts, on the Internet.

MG-2025m

A worthy replacement for the above modification – it has more features and better characteristics:

• There is a grill 0,8 kW.
• Furnace power – 0,7 kW.
• Capacity – 20 liters.

The main difference from less functional models is the presence of a grill, which opens up wide opportunities for culinary creativity for the owners of this microwave oven. Like any household appliance of a low price segment, this modification is not perfect.

In the event of a breakdown, self-repair is possible: only spare parts and minimal technical skills are needed. One of the most common reasons for contacting service centers is a broken control knob. This element, daily and repeatedly set in motion, often cannot cope with the loads.

MS-2010D

It is considered almost the best budget model of this brand. Holds 20 l; 0,7 kW. There is a timer. Enamel coating inside the chamber. The door opens with the push of a button. Minus – no auto-defrost.

Pros and Features:

• compactness, acceptable cost – within 4 rubles;
• the device will help save time in the kitchen – quickly heat up a semi-finished product or a finished dish;
• metal case;
• a good combination of dimensions and power indicators;
• the model has a practical and attractive design – the stove will easily and harmoniously fit into any kitchen;
• White color;
• there is a display to notify the user about the start and the cooking process;
• an audible signal is provided to notify the owner of the end of defrosting or reheating;
• mechanical opening of the door after pressing the button;
• There is a warming plate with a diameter of 24,5 cm.

Like most modifications of this brand, MS-2010D has an enamel coating inside the chamber – this makes it easier to clean from splashes and grease stains. The standard warranty is 1 year. It is possible to change the power manually or automatically. Auto-defrosting is performed according to a special program that calculates the time required to defrost products of different weights, and the optimal power level is selected. The user only has to choose the type: vegetables, meat, fish.

Another useful feature is that auto-cooking will offer the owner a list of dishes included in the smart stove program. To activate the program, you just need to select a variety: cereals, soups, vegetable mixes, and more.

Reviews

Vitaly Ts., Perm

The MG-2550D saves a lot of time. Many useful functions – in addition to heating and defrosting, there is a grill. It is convenient that there is a timer that is set to the nearest second. I liked one more feature – the device remembers the heating time, which is convenient if you heat food at the same time every day. I like the spaciousness – you can put a whole chicken in the chamber.

Diana P., Vorkuta

Bought MG 2050 six months ago. For the price, this is a very good microwave. Quality build. There are no foreign smells. Doesn’t make noise. Beautiful in appearance. Heats up food quickly. Just manage. Warms, however, not as fast as more expensive and functional ones. It takes 4 minutes to heat up a bowl of soup, not 3 like the competition. Apples can be baked in ten minutes.

Elenberg microwave ovens are inexpensive, but functional household appliances that satisfy all the basic requirements of a modern kitchen. The brand presents models of different capacities, each family can choose an option according to their needs.