Custard, cake, beef patties, potatoes, frozen broccoli, and frozen chicken pot pie were cooked or heated at 100% (High), 70% (Medium High) or 50% (Medium) power in a transformer microwave oven or an inverter microwave oven. Separate batches of each food were prepared for instrumental and sensory evaluation.

Cooking at 50% (Medium) power produced less smooth custards and broccoli woodier in texture than at other power levels. More moist potatoes, harder in texture, and beef patties more tender at center resulted from cooking at 70% (Medium High) power. Cooking at 100% (High) power produced less set custards and less consistent temperature in pot pie, along with more tender cakes, juicier beef patties, and potatoes whiter in color.

Within particular foods, there were also significant differences by oven type. In the inverter oven, at 50% (Medium) power, custards were more set and less tender, while broccoli had a fresher flavor and potatoes a softer texture than the same foods cooked in a transformer microwave. At 70% (Medium High) power, the transformer microwave produced a potato less white than that cooked in the inverter oven. High (100%) power inverter-microwaved custard was less creamy than its transformer-cooked counterpart; broccoli and cake cooked in the inverter microwave at this power level had a fresher flavor and a weaker chocolate flavor, respectively.

There were not overall differences in quality in foods cooked at different power levels in the two oven types. However, for certain foods, there were advantages for the selected cooking conditions.