Black+Decker EM720CB7 Review

Aside from its exceptional result at defrosting the one-pound brick of ground turkey, there was very little about this microwave's performance that made it stand out compared to the rest of the pack. Even then, other models still outperformed this model, making it difficult for us to find a reason to recommend this appliance above others.

Performance Comparison

Overall, we think this product performed a bit below average.

Credit: Laura Casner

Likes

As we said before, the main thing we like about the EM720CB7 is how well it did in our defrosting metric. For this test, we use a square of frozen ground turkey that we measured out to weigh one pound. We followed the directions for this product, which led to 12 ounces of the turkey being completely thawed at the conclusion of the cycle. None of the meat was cooked through and the remaining 4 ounces of turkey was easily broken apart — enough that we wouldn't think twice about tossing it all in a pan to start browning it.

This Black+Decker microwave did fully defrost 3/4 of the frozen ground turkey.

Credit: Laura Casner

The Black+Decker also did do decently well at reheating the canned soup — as did just about every model that we tested. It got the soup to the perfect serving temperature following the heating directions for this microwave's power rating. This product delivered average results in our heat map and speed tests as well. We used marshmallow cream spread out on parchment paper to make a map of heating intensity for this assessment, with this microwave evenly burning the center and middle rings. The outer ring was just getting toasted with a few completely uncooked spots.

For the speed test, we heated 125 mL of water for 45 seconds and measured the temperature increase to determine scores.

The EM720CB7 delivered middle-of-the-road results in our speed test.

Credit: Laura Casner

This microwave raised the temperature of the water by 73.4°F — fairly typical results. The Black+Decker EM720CB7 also did well quite well with the Hot Pocket, heating the left, right, and center areas within a few degrees of each other.

This model has many of the standard quick-start features.

Credit: Laura Casner

The Black+Decker EM720CB7 also has the standard convenience features, such as a +30 seconds button and some other quick-start features.

We did like that this model is decently easy to use.

Credit: Laura Casner

Dislikes

The EM720CB7, unfortunately, delivered poor results in our other two heating tests. Both the plate of leftovers and the pizza weren't warmed enough for serving and were heated very inconsistently.

This plate of leftovers definitely would have required more time in the microwave before serving in our minds.

Credit: Laura Casner

The EM720CB7 also failed to impress when it came to properly heat the frozen burrito and the lasagna. The miniature lasagna was far from the proper serving temperature after following the directions and had an average temperature difference of 29°F between zones. The burrito had a similar amount of variation between areas, with the middle failing to reach the recommended temperature.

We didn't like how easily this microwave slid around on smooth countertops when we opened or closed the door.

Credit: Laura Casner

We weren't thrilled with how much this product slides around during normal use and has so-so internal lighting. We also didn't find the presets to be super effective. We tried out the popcorn function, which left tons of kernels unpopped. We did appreciate that it didn't burn any though.

All in all, we generally think you could do better than this product.

Credit: Laura Casner

Value

This product usually has a lower than average price tag but pairs that with a below-average performance, so it isn't the best bargain buy in our mind — more of a "you get what you pay for kind of product"

Conclusion