REASONS TO BUY
Runner-up at the best frozen burrito
REASONS TO AVOID
Uneven heating of leftovers
Overall unremarkable performance
LG LCS1112ST Review
A pricey model that delivered a mediocre performance
The LG LCS1112ST.
Credit: LG
By David Wise ⋅ Senior Review Editor ⋅ April 3, 2017
Contributions From: Austin Palmer
RELATED: The Best Microwaves of 2025
Our Verdict
The LG LCS1112ST finished in the back half of the pack and has an exceptionally high list price. This model didn't particularly impress us, we didn't hate it, but it is a little rough on the pocketbook.
Our Analysis and Test Results
The LG didn't particularly excel in any suite of tests, though it did heat very evenly. This is an average microwave that seems to cost disproportionately high to its performance.
The LG LCS1112ST.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
The LG did a good job at evenly heating the serving of lasagna.
Credit: Austin Palmer
Heating
The LG did well at heating a frozen burrito, though not as well as the Sharp or the Kenmore. All sections of the burrito hit the necessary temperature, and there were only 11.1°F average temperature variation between the sections, much better than the 45.7°F of the Westinghouse
This model did about the same at heating up a small portion of lasagna, with all areas hitting the necessary temperature of 160°F, and an average difference of 6.9°F. This put it at the third-best of the entire group. Performance dropped considerably when we reheated the plate of leftovers. The LG did a terrible job — the worst of the group — using the setting for a plate of food, two servings. The mashed potatoes were on average 40°F cooler than the green beans and chicken tenders.
The leftovers were heated extremely unevenly.
Credit: Austin Palmer
The LG made up some points in the chicken pot pie test, doing the second-best out of the group. The average temperature difference of 6.8°F was relatively small, and all areas were above the minimum temperature stated by the package directions.
The LG was the runner-up in the chicken pot pie test.
Credit: Austin Palmer
It did slightly above average in our Hot Pocket test, scoring in the middle of the pack. It had about 6.5°F average temperature variation, a little more than the 1.9°F of the best model. All regions of the Hot Pocket did hit the minimum temperature though.
The LG heated the Hot Pocket above the minimum temperature but had some more temperature variation than other models.
Credit: Austin Palmer
The LG finished out the Heating metric with an excellent performance in the chocolate heat map test.
The LG evenly melted the chocolate, leaving no solid areas or burnt sections.
Credit: Austin Palmer
We heated the cooled disc for one minute and evaluated the results. The chocolate was evenly melted throughout, with no solid or burnt spots.
The LG would slide on a smooth counter every time we opened or closed the door.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Ease of Use
You can see inside the LG when it is running, and it does have a light that will turn on when the door opens, but we found the light to be a little subpar. The keypad was pretty standard, with no major complaints on our part.
The LG had a very typical keypad.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
The only quick button on this model is a “+30 Seconds” button, which automatically starts the machine when pressed. Finally, we examined the effectiveness of the preset buttons, specifically the “Popcorn” and “Potato” buttons. The LG did better popping popcorn than baking a potato. We ranked the popcorn produced as being third in our taste test, with no trace of a burnt taste. It also didn't leave too many kernels unpopped — about 30 by our count.
The potato was about average, mainly due to the fact that there was no notification and pause to flip it. The bottom and left side were a little overcooked, but the average temperature variation was small, about 6°F. The potato quality would be drastically improved by manually stopping and flipping it at the halfway point, but that would somewhat defeat the purpose of an automatic potato preset.
The LG did an adequate job at defrosting by weight.
Credit: Austin Palmer
Defrosting
The LG did about average at defrosting the roll of ground turkey, estimating that it would take 6:40 to adequately defrost based on the weight. It notifies you to stop and flip the roll at the halfway point as well. After being heated, about 9.1 ounces were completely defrosted, easily scraping off the slightly frozen center. This semi-frozen center took a little bit of effort to break apart, but it was still doable. This model didn't cook any of the pieces, though it was on the verge, with some very warm pieces.
This portion remained semi-frozen after defrosting.
Credit: Austin Palmer
We used the meat Auto-Defrost function for 4 ounces to defrost the muffin, as it most closely matched up. The top of the muffin was a little cooler than the rest, but the chocolate chips were just slightly melted. The inside of the muffin was warm throughout.
This model lacks a timed defrost, but it does have a Quick Defrost function that is automatically set to two minutes. The weight defrost gives you the choice between ground meat, poultry, or steak/chops.
The LG wasn't the fastest, scoring about average in our speed test.
Credit: Austin Palmer
Speed
The LG did about average, increasing the temperature by 33°F in the 30-second speed test.
Value
The LG is not a particularly good value, as it performs in the lower half of the pack and costs in the upper third.
Conclusion
While the LG did well at making a frozen burrito — a task that stumped many other models — it was still surpassed by the Sharp for burrito expertise. This was canceled out by its poor performance at heating up a plate of leftovers and was otherwise an unremarkable microwave. This model does cost less than the top scorer by about a hundred bucks but was over 50% more expensive than our Best Buy award winners, which both scored better.
—David Wise and Austin Palmer
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