The GE JES1145SHSS packs powerful performance into its small size, making it one of the best compact microwaves you can buy in our eyes. It's been on the market long enough that we've tested it twice, and it was still great on the second go-around; the only major downside here would be the price; for a more budget-friendly option, check out the Farberware FMO07ABTBKA.
A contracted writer for TTR, Angie has covered all kinds of devices from countertop appliances and other home goods to vacuum cleaners and mold testing kits for more than eight years. Her spare time often goes to planning improvements for her quirky 103-year-old home or hiking in the gorgeous Utah mountains. In her past role, she was a newspaper journalist and she has a bachelor's degree in Technical Writing.
GE JES1145SHSS: Features
This GE compact microwave, like most microwaves today, includes popcorn, pizza, and potato buttons. However, it is missing a sensor reheat button, so you have to guess at the time your leftovers need and monitor your food to make sure it doesn't overcook.
In addition to these standard presets the GE includes buttons for a beverage, a dinner plate, and a frozen vegetable. This gives you a good variety, though some other microwaves include even more food settings, such as ones for fresh vegetables and frozen entrees.
Although the GE microwave is smaller than the two roomiest microwaves in our lineup, it can still fit a big mixing bowl, a tall glass, or a standard dinner plate with no problem.
This GE compact microwave only has a standard warranty of one year to protect your purchase. If you find that your microwave has any defective parts, including the magnetron, you can send it back to GE for a free repair or replacement; other units offered more coverage.
The price seems high, especially considering the small size and low wattage, but the GE JES1145SHSS outperformed some of its bigger and more powerful competitors in some tests. Although it's missing the convenience of sensor reheating and some presets, it includes enough buttons to help you cook efficiently and other features to place it among the best compact microwaves.
GE JES1145SHSS: Cooking performance
As for the actual cooking experience, we felt the GE performed well in every test. It cooks food completely and quickly. It even tied for the best score on popcorn, preparing every kernel to perfection.
Like the other top-rated countertop microwaves on our list, the GE aced the first test with its ability to quickly and thoroughly cook a frozen macaroni and cheese meal. We followed the directions on the back of the box and cooked it for a total of 3:30 minutes. The temperature of the meal, when it finished cooking, was 171 Fahrenheit, which is above the recommended minimum temperature of 165 Fahrenheit.
We also cooked a kids' frozen meal with mini corn dogs and other compartments of food. After following the instructions on the box, we recorded the temperature of each corn dog. One near the center only registered at 145 F, so we cooked the meal for another 30 seconds, which was plenty of time to bump the temperature of the colder corn dog up to 175 F.
We also cooked a potato in this microwave for six minutes, which is the average time it takes to cook a standard-sized russet potato in a microwave. It had a few raw spots, but it was still good overall. So, overall, this compact microwave performed better than most of the others we tested.
