Verdict
A flatbed, compact microwave for just over £100? The CASO Design MG 20 Ecostyle Ceramic Microwave is excellent value, and its design means that it can take larger dishes with ease.
Its simple controls make it easy to operate and it cooks well, although the grill is quite intense. This microwave is a little basic for those who want more advanced features, but if you want straightforward cooking and great value, it’s a great choice.
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Great value
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Flatbed design makes it easier to use all of the internal space
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Cooks well on the microwave
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Grill is a little small
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Manual could be better
Key Features
Introduction
Flatbed microwaves typically come at a premium, but the Caso Design MG 20 Ecostyle Ceramic Microwave & Grill bucks the trend, costing just a little over £100.
It’s 20-litre capacity makes it a smaller, more counter-top friendly model than many, but its flatbed design means that it can take larger dishes than a microwave with a turntable
Design and Features
- Simple controls
- Flatbed design
- Wire shelf for use with the grill
If you’re tight on space in your kitchen and want a microwave that won’t take up much space, the Caso Design MG 20 Ecostyle Ceramic Microwave & Grill could well be for you.
Thanks to its flatbed design, which is incredible for the price, there’s no turntable, so you can fit square dishes the full size of the internal caddy and easily add large dinner plates. Not to mention that flatbed microwaves are easier to clean, as the inside is completely flat.
In effect, you get a small microwave but with the space inside to hold items that would only fit in a larger microwave that has a turntable.
Not only is this a flatbed microwave, but it also has a grill function, via the element fitted flush into the microwave’s roof. There’s a handy wire shelf that comes with the microwave for grilling dishes, adding to the versatility.
Controls are very simple on this model, with a dial on top that let me select the mode. For microwaving there are five options: gentle defrost, defrost (260W), 410W, 570W and 700W. There are then options for Grill (no temperature selection), and three combination modes that use the microwave and grill together.
These modes are explained in the manual: the first mode uses the microwave for 30% of the cooking time, and the grill for 70%; the second mode is 49% microwave and 51% grill; and the final option is 67% microwave and 33% grill.
It would be nice if the manual were to give some advice as to when each mode should be used, as it leaves the settings a little more to guesswork and trial and error.
There are no automated modes on this microwave, such as a potato setting, which you get on the larger and more expensive Caso MCG 25 Ceramic Chef Microwave.
Once a cooking mode is selected, there’s a simple dial used to select the cooking time between one and 30 minutes.
Performance
- Effective and even microwave cooking
- Powerful combination cooking
- Grill is very powerful
I started by testing the Caso Design MG 20 Ecostyle Ceramic Microwave in its defrost mode. As there’s a flat base, I could add four slices of bread at once; with a turntable microwave, I’d only be able to lay out two slices of bread.
After 1m 30s, the bread was still quite frozen in places, so I rearranged and turned the slices, and added another minute of cooking time. This time, the bread was well defrosted, with only a little patch of cold on the bottom-left slice; nothing that toasting or waiting a minute or so wouldn’t fix.
I then grilled the toast using the top rack. This only has space for two slices of toast, and the grill is quite intense. After 1m 30s of cooking, the bread was quite burnt in the middle, but the grill doesn’t stretch out to the sides. I recommend using caution when grilling, and rearranging food halfway through to get the best, even results.
I then cooked rice on the maximum setting. This time, the Caso Design MG 20 Ecostyle Ceramic Microwave handled the job well, with evenly heated rice right through.
I finished by cooking a potato, using the combination programme, and sprinkling the potato with salt and rubbing it in oil. I used the option with 67% microwave, 33% grill for most of the cooking, but finished off with the 30% microwave/70% grill setting to crisp up the potato.
The end result was a nice fluffy potato on the inside and a crisped up skin. While the results weren’t quite as good as with the integrated Neff N90 C29MY7MY0 Microwave Oven (a vastly more expensive choice), the combination of microwave and grill produced a much better result than a microwave only cooking session.
Should you buy it?
You want a small, flatbed microwave
Able to handle larger dishes thanks to its flatbed design, this microwave covers all the basics and is great value.
You want automated cooking options
If you want a microwave that has automated cooking options and/or a convection oven setting, look elsewhere.
Final Thoughts
The Caso Design MG 20 Ecostyle Ceramic Microwave is simply brilliant value. It’s a little basic in terms of its manual and options, but all of the options you need are there and this microwave is straightforward and simple to use.
Spend more on one of my best microwave choices and you’ll find options with automatic cooking programmes, but you’ll have to spend a lot more for these features. If you want a straightforward, well-priced, flatbed microwave that doesn’t take up much space, this is it. If you want something larger or with automatic cooking programmes, check out the guide to the best microwaves.
How We Test
We test every microwave we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
- Used as our main microwave for the review period
- We use a thermal camera to see how well the microwave can defrost frozen bread, using the defrost setting and any automatic programmes.
- We cook a baked potato using just the microwave setting and, if available, another using the combi setting.
- If there’s a grill option, we toast bread to see how evenly it cooks.
FAQs
Yes, there are three options to do this, depending on the split you want: more grill, more microwave or a similar amount of both.
Test Data
| Caso Design MG 20 Ecostyle Ceramic Microwave & Grill |
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Full Specs
| Caso Design MG 20 Ecostyle Ceramic Microwave & Grill Review | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | – |
| Size (Dimensions) | 465 x 400 x 275 MM |
| Weight | 12 KG |
| Release Date | 2025 |
| First Reviewed Date | 03/03/2026 |
| Model Number | CASO Design MG 20 Ecostyle Ceramic Microwave & Grill |
| Stated Power | 1000 W |
| Special features | Grill, combi mode |
| Oven type | Combi |
| Appliance type | Freestanding |
| Number of ovens | 1 |
| Oven description | Microwave and grill |
| Oven grill | Yes |
| Oven microwave | Yes |
| Microwave bed type | Flat |
| Microwave max power | 700 W |
| Oven capcity | 20 litres |
