We are testing another modern Lex device – a microwave oven, small, not burdened with convection and grill functions, but elegant and powerful enough, with the necessary adjustments and automatic programs.
Since not everything is clear on the market of modern microwave ovens, the price is often not at all equal to the quality, and well-known brands are periodically inferior to Chinese nonames, we will look at what this model is capable of, located at the lower border of the middle price segment.
Characteristics
| Manufacturer | Lex |
|---|---|
| Model | FSMO D.01-BL |
| Type | microwave |
| Country of Origin | China |
| Warranty | 12 months |
| Service life * | 3 years |
| Power | 700 W output, 1150 consumed |
| microwave frequency | 2450 MHz |
| type of instalation | freestanding |
| Control | push-button, rotary-tact |
| Chamber volume | 20 l |
| Number of power levels | 5 |
| auto modes | eight |
| Display | LED |
| Timer | Yes |
| Delayed start | Yes |
| Camera inner lining | enamel |
| The weight | 10.2 kg |
| Dimensions (W×H×D) | 258×451×348 mm |
| Network cable length | 0.85 m |
| Retail offers |
* Contrary to common misconception, this is not the period after which the device will definitely break. However, after this period, the manufacturer ceases to bear any responsibility for its performance and has the right to refuse to repair it, even for a fee.
Equipment
The device arrived for testing in a cardboard box with slotted handles on the sides. Since the weight of the microwave is quite small, the box is easy to carry and rearrange. The color scheme of the packaging is black and red, with a photo of the device and technical specifications on the sides.
Opening the box, inside we found:
- microwave oven;
- turntable;
- user manual, warranty card.
The device is fixed inside with foam inserts.
At first sight
We frankly liked the appearance of the Lex FSMO D.01-BL microwave oven. You can see the work of designers – everything seems to be normal, no decorations and non-standard lines, but the general feeling of completeness, conciseness and even elegance of the device is present.
The main color of the surfaces is black, and the instrument panel with buttons and a stainless steel rotary knob. The rounded corners also leave a pleasant impression.
The door opens with the push of the big bottom button on the dashboard, but it opens at such a speed that it can knock everything in its path. Perhaps such a spring is only on our sample, but just in case, you should hold the door when opening it.
The inner chamber is made of stainless steel, ordinary, small with a rotating tray. Inside there are no elements that make it difficult to clean the camera.
Air vents on the side of the device. During intensive cooking, the walls become hot, so it is recommended to install the appliance at a distance of 5 cm from walls and other surfaces on the side, 10 cm at the back and 20 cm at the top for optimal cooling.
The outlet for the power cord is located on the back of the appliance. The cord is of sufficient section, the plug also looks reliable.
Specifications sticker and serial number are on the back.
From the bottom of the microwave are numerous technical and ventilation holes. The device stands on two rubberized legs and two metal stampings.
Instruction
The instruction manual fits into an A5 book on 30 pages of black and white text. As usual with Lex, everything is written clearly, concisely and without unnecessary details. The manual contains a description of the device, tips on cleaning, maintenance and storage, information on operation and safety, technical characteristics of the device.
Despite the fact that the device is quite simple, we would recommend reading the instructions before using it, since the control is not organized clearly, and there are no hints on the use of automatic programs or setting the time on the case. Therefore, the only way to understand the controls and settings, and not run some delayed program by accident, is to follow the instructions.
Control
As we wrote above, you will have to get used to managing the device. However, the time during which the tests were carried out was quite enough for us, so after a month a regular user will simply stop paying attention to this. The panel consists of 6 buttons and a rotary button – the “more / less” regulator from below. On top of the LED display, quite bright and accurate, showing the time, program or power and extra. symbols of the current program.
The start button is the lower right one, and not the central large one in the middle, as is usual in such devices, and this takes some getting used to. The bottom center is the cancel button. The lower left is the auto cooking button, that is, it is used to set one of the 8 automatic programs. Top row, from left to right – power, express and clock / timer / defrost.
“Power” sets the microwave power level for a certain time, which is selected and set using the large rotary knob. Next, to start the device, you need to press start.
With the same button, you can program up to four cooking stages with different power levels. To do this, you need to set the power, then the time, then, without pressing start, again the required power and time, and again the power and time. After pressing the start button, the program will start.
How to set the clock and timer correctly is described in detail in the instructions. By simply pressing the clock/timer/defrost button, a defrost mode is set, for which one of three programs (for meat, poultry or fish) is set by pressing the same button, and the weight is set using the rotary control. To start the program, press the OK button. During the defrosting process, the appliance beeps when the food needs to be turned over.
Automatic programs are selected with the “auto cooking” button, for each program you need to select the appropriate weight of the product. Since there are no symbols, pictograms, or a table with programs for auto cooking and defrosting anywhere on the device, it is advisable to keep instructions next to the device, since remembering all the program numbers at once is unrealistic.
In general, you can get used to the controls pretty quickly if you use the device regularly. The program table can be written on a piece of paper and glued or kept near the microwave.
Exploitation
during the entire period of operation, except for a strange control algorithm and a very strong spring on the door, there were no questions to the device. Everything works correctly, tests for uniformity and cooked dishes show fairly even heating within the entire rotating dish, and not just in the center.
The power of the device is also quite sufficient for everyday tasks.
The backlight, although not very bright, allows you to see what is happening with the product inside during operation. We observed that the cake did not run away from the mold during baking. It was quite possible to distinguish the top of a dark cupcake.
In general, the functionality of the device is enough not only for heating, but also for cooking. The Lex FSMO D.01-BL microwave oven did an excellent job with baking, although it is not equipped with a convection function. Beetroot, cauliflower and potatoes cook much faster than standard stovetop cooking.
In addition, the device does not take up much space, does not require complex connections and has a pleasant appearance.
Care
The glass tray can be washed in the dishwasher. The inner surface of the chamber must be regularly cleaned of dirt with wet wipes or a towel. Do not use abrasives, get water into the ventilation holes, or get the control panel wet. To remove odors, you can heat water with lemon in the microwave for 10 minutes, and then wipe the walls of the appliance with a soft cloth.
Our measurements
Table of the rate of heating water in a standard half-liter jar in the maximum microwave power mode. The initial temperature of the water in the jar is 20 °C, the heating time is 5 minutes.
| Time | Temperature, °C |
|---|---|
| 30 seconds | 25.2 |
| 1 minute | 30.3 |
| 2 minutes | 40.5 |
| 3 minutes | 50.3 |
| 4 minutes | 59.3 |
| 5 minutes | 67.9 |
In idle, the oven consumes 0.6 watts. The maximum power consumption recorded by the wattmeter was 1094 watts.
This time, during practical testing, we did not use recipes that show good heating uniformity, so we conducted an additional test in order to check this feature of the stove. Following a fairly common test for uniformity of heating, we placed 5 glasses on the microwave tray (in our case, identical 0.25 ml glass jars). (We did not test the operation of the microwave without a drip tray by simply placing glasses in the chamber, as we are guided by the fact that the user of the device, according to the instructions, will place food exclusively on the rotating tray.) 125 ml of water at a temperature of 16 ° C was poured into each jar . Banks occupied the entire pallet. The microwave was turned on for 2 minutes at maximum power, after which the temperature in each jar was quickly measured. The water temperature was 31.8; 30.8; 30.9; 31.3; 31.4°C. The average temperature increment is 15.2 °C, the total is 76.2 °C. The maximum deviation from the average temperature is 0.6 °C, the total is 1.6 °C. Uniformity coefficient (1−1.6:76.2) = 0.98. The industry standard OST 11 0367-83 allows a coefficient above 0.7. Thus, it can be argued that the heating uniformity of Lex FSMO D.01-BL is close to ideal.
practice tests
Defrosting minced meat
We took 0.7 kg of ground beef, gathered it into a ball and froze at -18 ° C for a day.
Minced meat for defrosting was placed on a plate, removed from the bag. We set the program for defrosting meat (D.1) and the weight is 0.7 kg. The program suggested a time of 9:13. during this time, a beep sounded twice about the need to turn the meat.
After the end of the program, we took out the minced meat, but it was still hard inside the piece.
Therefore, we removed the already thawed minced meat, and sent the solid part back, setting the same program. After a couple of minutes, we turned the piece over, and after another 2 minutes it was completely defrosted.
Thus, it took us about 14 minutes to fully defrost. It should be noted that a small inclusion of half-finished minced meat nevertheless appeared in the piece, it can be seen on the right on the plate.
Perhaps, to get the perfect result, it was worth turning the minced meat more often, but we were satisfied with this result, since the minced meat was immediately sent for cooking meatballs with vegetables.
Result: good.
Autocook, potatoes
We decided to test the auto-cook programs. We chose potatoes. Following the instructions, they took about 0.6 kg of peeled tubers, cut them into pieces with a side of 5 cm, put them on a dish, sprinkled a little with oil and salt, covered with a film (food bag).
Exposed program A.5, weight 0.65. At the end of the program, they took it out, checked it, the potatoes remained firm. Put it back, run the program again.
After the second cycle, the potatoes cooked perfectly, evenly, did not burn, became crumbly, although a little moist due to the package. To dry it, you can put it in the microwave for another minute or two on normal mode.
Result: excellent.
Oat bran porridge
In order to cook healthy, low-calorie tasty porridge for breakfast, it is not necessary to rumble pots on the stove in the morning. It is enough to take a glass of milk, pour bran into it and put it in the microwave for a few minutes at maximum power. Which is what we did.
In the process of cooking, after boiling the milk, we opened the device a couple of times and stirred the porridge with a spoon for a more uniform boil. After 7-8 minutes, the porridge was ready right in the plate, all that was left was to eat it.
Result: excellent.
boiled shrimp
To speed up the process of cooking shrimp, we decided to use the microwave. We took half a pack of frozen large shrimp, washed it under running water. Lemon, soy sauce, rosemary, black pepper and bay leaf were added to the shrimp. Mix thoroughly and put in a thick plastic bag.
Exposed 3 minutes at maximum power. They took it out, mixed it in the bag again, put it for another one and a half minutes.
Got it, brought it to the table. The shrimp turned out well, had a fairly rich taste. However, they did not cook evenly enough: some were clearly overcooked and were rubbery, while others cooked perfectly.
This method is not bad, but the recipe needs to be adjusted for weight and size.
Result: good.
Carrot spicy cupcakes, vanilla and chocolate
As usual, we check the microwave for the possibility of quick baking. To do this, we decided to make a quick carrot cake recipe.
We took carrots, an egg, flour, sugar, vegetable and butter, a mixture of spices for gingerbread, cocoa powder, soda and lemon.
The carrots were rubbed on a fine grater, an egg, flour, sugar, vegetable oil and a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, star anise and vanilla were added. We poured a little zest and lemon juice, poured half a spoon of soda. They poured the dough into two containers, put vanilla in one, cocoa powder in the other.
The first portion was put in the microwave for 9 minutes at maximum power.
They took it out, checked it: the cake was damp. We reduced the power to 60% and cooked for another 10 minutes. The top crust seemed damp, but this is most likely due to excessive moisture in the chamber. The inside of the cake baked perfectly.
Since we didn’t grease the pans with oil, we couldn’t get the cake intact, but we made sure that everything was baked very evenly.
Thanks to the loose, moist pulp, we managed to assemble the brick back, it remains only to decorate the top with whipped cream.
We put the second portion with cocoa at once on 60% power for 20 minutes and got an excellent result. They took it out carefully, so a decorated cupcake with cream and cocoa on top may well decorate the table – both with its festive look and excellent spicy taste with a delicate texture.
Result: excellent.
findings
The Lex FSMO D.01-BL microwave oven is a fairly simple, but reliable, well-designed powerful device that can cope not only with heating food, but also with its full cooking. The appearance of the stove is modern and elegant, the 20-liter chamber can accommodate 4-5 servings for heating. Tests showed excellent warm-up uniformity and good power output.
The disadvantages include an unobvious control algorithm and an overly strong door spring. But both can change over time for the better – the spring will weaken, and the control will become familiar. Therefore, we can safely recommend this device for purchase.
Pros :
- heating uniformity
- power
- design
- automatic programs
Cons :
- door spring too strong
- non-obvious control algorithm
