Voice-controlled microwave fun but not a game changer

Probably the most useful feature of the AmazonBasics microwave is that you don’t have to reset the clock if your power fails or when you’re transitioning between standard and daylight saving time.

And, you can also use your voice to control the microwave which, if nothing else, keeps the device cleaner because you don’t have to touch it with messy fingers while cooking.

At $59.99, it’s about the same price as comparable not-so-smart microwaves.

By looking, you couldn’t tell that this microwave is anything special. The inside and outside look pretty much like any microwave. It’s smaller than some (17.3 x 10.1 x 14.1, in inches, on the outside and about 10.75 x 6.75 x 11.5 on the inside), which is either good or bad, depending on whether you value counter space or capacity. I rarely cook anything large in a microwave so it’s big enough for me. Actually, I rarely cook anything in a microwave. We mostly use ours for reheating.

And speaking of reheating, you can do that with your voice. Tell Alexa to “reheat a cup of coffee” and it will turn on for just over a minute to give you a steaming cup. If you just say “reheat coffee” it will ask you how many cups and adjust the time accordingly. You can also ask Alexa to reheat hot chocolate, soup, apple cider or noodle soup and it will set the timer accordingly.

The microwave is not quite a

stand-alone product. To take advantage of its voice recognition, you need an Amazon Echo, Echo Dot or compatible voiceactivated device that works with Alexa. The Dot normally sells for $49.99, but is often on sale. When I checked Amazon. com, just ahead of Black Friday, I found a refurbished Dot for $29.99 and a refurbished second-generation full-size Echo (with a better speaker) for $59.99.

As with other Alexa-enabled devices, you typically start the conversation by saying “Alexa,” but the microwave has a blue button that you can push and avoid having to say the wake-up word. You can also control the microwave the old-fashioned way by pressing the same type of buttons that are on regular microwave ovens.

Setup is relatively easy. Be sure you have the latest version of the Amazon Alexa app and a working Alexa-enabled device nearby. Select the device icon in the lower right corner of the app. Press the + icon followed by “add device.” Scroll down till you see “Microwave” and follow the instructions from there. Mine didn’t connect to the Echo the first time I tried it so I closed and reopened the app and it worked the second time. Once connected to the Echo, the device is also connected to Wi-Fi so the first thing I noticed was the correct time on the clock.

In addition to reheating liquids, you can also use voice commands to set time and power level. You can, for example, say, Alexa, microwave for 2 minutes” or “Alexa, microwave for 5 minutes on medium power” or “reheat eight ounces of rice” (or pasta, mashed potatoes or casserole). One of the handier features is the ability to use your voice to ask it to defrost foods. Using defrost and setting power levels is sometimes confusing. Alexa makes it simple. I asked Alexa to “defrost a chicken” and she asked