The idea of cooking a burger in a microwave and getting something that looks like it came off a grill sounds a little strange. That’s what got me interested in the Rocket Chef Turbo Grill. Its advertisements show everything from burgers and chicken to bacon, grilled cheese and pizza coming out browned and crispy, rather than soft and soggy like food usually does in a microwave.
I wanted to know how it managed that, especially since Rocket Chef makes it sound like you can turn an ordinary microwave into a grill without buying another electrical appliance. I haven’t personally cooked with the Rocket Chef, so I looked into how it works, checked the product’s limitations and read customer reviews to see whether the results matched the advertising. The cooking technology is real, but there are a few things I’d want to know before spending money on one.
Quick Take
- What it is: A compact microwave browning and crisping pan that uses a heated cooking surface.
- Cooking performance: It can brown food and produce grill-style marks, but it doesn’t replicate an outdoor barbecue.
- Size: Better suited to small portions than cooking several meals at once.
- Customer feedback: Mixed, with buyers praising its convenience but complaining about the size and crisping speed.
- Price: The advertised direct-order price is $39.99, excluding shipping and handling.
- My verdict: A useful idea for small meals and leftovers, but I’d compare it with a regular grill pan or air fryer before buying.
Table of Contents
- Quick Take
- What I Found Out About the Rocket Chef Turbo Grill
- Cooking Performance and Food Texture
- The Cooking Area Is Smaller Than Some Buyers Expected
- How Well Does It Crisp Food?
- Where Rocket Chef Could Actually Be Useful
- What Real Customers Are Saying
- Price, Shipping and Ordering Complaints
- Rocket Chef vs an Air Fryer or Grill Pan
- Before Buying the Rocket Chef Turbo Grill
- My Verdict on Rocket Chef Turbo Grill
What I Found Out About the Rocket Chef Turbo Grill
The first thing I wanted to establish was whether Rocket Chef could actually brown food inside a microwave. Ordinary microwave cooking doesn’t usually produce the same surface browning you’d get from a hot frying pan, which is why reheated pizza can turn soft and burgers often look pale. Rocket Chef gets around that by using a ceramic cooking surface designed to become very hot when exposed to microwave energy. The food then cooks against that heated surface while the microwave also heats it. That explains how the device can produce some browning and grill-style marks. It isn’t a completely new invention, either. Microwave browning cookware has existed for years, although Rocket Chef markets its version as Turbo Grill Technology. The basic idea makes sense, and I wouldn’t dismiss the product simply because its advertisements look exaggerated.
Cooking Performance and Food Texture
What interests me most is the difference between browning food and actually grilling it. Rocket Chef can create direct contact heat, which is useful for foods such as grilled cheese sandwiches, burgers and pizza. But the results will depend on how much of the food touches the hot plate. A sandwich has a fairly flat surface, so it should make better contact than an irregularly shaped piece of chicken. Thicker foods may also need turning to cook and brown evenly. I wouldn’t expect the same results as an outdoor grill because there’s no charcoal, flame or smoke contributing flavour. It’s closer to cooking on a small hot griddle inside a microwave. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it does mean the word grill needs to be understood in the right context.
The Cooking Area Is Smaller Than Some Buyers Expected
One thing I noticed while researching Rocket Chef was how often its size came up in customer feedback. The advertisements show several kinds of meals being prepared, which can make the cooker seem more spacious than it actually is. A verified Walmart buyer described it as small and suggested it would probably suit one person. I also found a Better Business Bureau complaint from someone who said the unit they received was much smaller than expected and could only hold one burger. That would make a difference if you’re buying it to prepare dinner for a family. You’d have to cook in batches, which could take away some of the convenience. For a single sandwich, a burger or a small portion of leftovers, however, the compact size might be perfectly adequate. I’d check the actual cooking dimensions before ordering rather than judging its capacity from the commercial.
How Well Does It Crisp Food?
Rocket Chef’s advertisements also put a lot of emphasis on crisping, but I found a customer review that made me question how quickly it achieves those results. One verified Walmart buyer said the cooker didn’t crisp food as fast as expected, although they otherwise liked it. I think the type of food matters here. A hot plate can help firm up the bottom of a pizza slice or brown the outside of a sandwich, but it doesn’t circulate hot air around food the way an air fryer does. That means you shouldn’t expect fries, chicken or other irregularly shaped foods to become evenly crispy on every side without some attention. I’d be more interested in using Rocket Chef for foods that benefit from contact with a hot surface than expecting it to reproduce everything an air fryer can do.
Where Rocket Chef Could Actually Be Useful
I can see Rocket Chef being convenient for someone who regularly reheats leftovers or prepares small meals. Pizza is a good example. When you put a slice directly into a microwave, the crust often becomes soft, even though the toppings heat up properly. A hot cooking surface could help improve that texture without needing to heat a full oven. The same idea applies to toasted sandwiches and other foods that lose their crispness during reheating. It could also be useful in a dorm room, office kitchen, RV or small apartment where there’s a microwave but limited cooking equipment. The appeal is being able to get some surface browning without buying or storing another powered appliance. For someone who already has a good frying pan, sandwich press and air fryer, though, I think Rocket Chef would be harder to justify.
What Real Customers Are Saying
I looked for independent customer feedback rather than relying on the testimonials in Rocket Chef’s advertisements. The Walmart listing had only a small number of reviews when the original research was carried out, so there wasn’t enough feedback to establish how the product performs for most owners. The experiences I found were mixed. One verified buyer gave it five stars and described it as a good little microwave cooker. Another rated it three stars because of its small size, while a third gave it the same rating and complained that crisping took longer than expected. Those reviews suggest that the product can be useful, but expectations about cooking speed and capacity matter. I also found complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau about ordering and delivery. Those aren’t cooking-performance reviews, but they’re relevant if you’re thinking about purchasing directly from the advertised website.
Price, Shipping and Ordering Complaints
The Rocket Chef offer I examined advertised one unit for $39.99 plus shipping and handling, with an additional offer to purchase a second unit at a discount. I think the final checkout amount deserves attention because direct-response websites sometimes make the headline price more prominent than the total cost. One BBB complainant said their order ended up costing considerably more than expected, while another reported an attempted charge after requesting cancellation. These are individual complaints, and they don’t establish that everyone ordering from Rocket Chef will have the same experience. Still, I’d check the quantity, shipping charges and any additional offers before paying. I’d also compare the total with prices from established retailers. A $40 cooking accessory might be worth considering, but extra charges can make the purchase less attractive.
Rocket Chef vs an Air Fryer or Grill Pan
I wouldn’t treat Rocket Chef as a direct replacement for either appliance. An air fryer uses circulating hot air, which makes it better suited to crisping different surfaces of food. A stovetop grill pan provides direct heat and gives you more control over temperature and cooking time, although it requires a stove and some cleanup afterward. Rocket Chef’s advantage is that it works inside a microwave you already own. That makes it more convenient in certain situations, particularly when you’re preparing one portion and don’t want to use several cooking tools. But if your main goal is to cook steaks, chicken or several burgers with consistent browning, I’d be more inclined to use a proper pan or grill. Rocket Chef makes more sense as a specialized convenience accessory than an all-purpose cooking replacement.
Before Buying the Rocket Chef Turbo Grill
There are a few practical things I’d check before ordering. First, I’d make sure the cooking surface is large enough for the meals I usually prepare. I’d also consider whether I already have an appliance that can do the same job without taking up more cupboard space. The type of food matters too. If I mostly wanted to reheat pizza or make toasted sandwiches, Rocket Chef would be more appealing than if I expected it to handle complete family dinners. I’d also check the manufacturer’s instructions for preheating, cooking times, handling the hot plate and cleaning it safely. Finally, I’d look at the complete purchase price rather than just the amount shown in the advertisement. Those details would tell me much more about whether the product fits my kitchen than a video of a perfectly browned burger.
My Verdict on Rocket Chef Turbo Grill
I think Rocket Chef is a legitimate cooking product with a practical use, but the advertising makes it sound more versatile than I’d expect from a compact microwave browning pan. The technology behind it is established, and I can understand why someone cooking for one person might appreciate the convenience. My reservations are mainly about the small cooking area, the limits of contact-based crisping and the complaints surrounding some direct orders. I wouldn’t buy it expecting outdoor-grill results or a replacement for an air fryer. If I had limited kitchen space and regularly wanted crispier microwave meals, however, I could see a reason to consider it.
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