REASONS TO BUY
Excellent with packaged frozen foods
Compact
Very easy to use
REASONS TO AVOID
So-so with mixed leftovers
Kenmore 70919 Review
For those with limited kitchen space, this is the best compact model we tested
By David Wise ⋅ Senior Review Editor ⋅ January 13, 2022
Contributions From: Austin Palmer
RELATED: The Best Microwaves of 2025
Our Verdict
Earning one of the best scores out of the entire group, we highly recommend the Kenmore 70919. This microwave very evenly and consistently heated up frozen foods, with a very intuitive and easy-to-use interface and controls. It delivered some of the best testing results we have seen to date, all in a fairly compact package. If you are searching for the best of the best in new kitchen appliances, this should be one of your first choices.
Our Analysis and Test Results
On top of the Kenmore's overall excellent performance in most of our tests, this product also is priced lower than some other top-ranked microwaves, adding to the appeal.
This appliance delivered one of the top overall performances.
Credit: Laura Casner
Heating
Heat Map Test
The Kenmore did quite well in our heat map test, heating the marshmallow fluff without showing any noticeable hot spots. The outer ring is a little more cooked and darker than the center and inner ring, but none of it burned.
Heating Speed Test
This microwave performed decently in our speed test, raising the temperature of the 125 mL water by 82.5°F after 45 seconds.
Leftover Heating
The Kenmore 70919 did about average with our mixed plate of leftovers. The sausage came out the warmest, followed by the potatoes, and then the green beans, which were a little cooler than we would have liked. All three types of food finished within about a 25°F spread.
We liked that all three types of food came out fairly close in temperature with the Kenmore 70919.
Credit: Laura Casner
Soup Heating
The Kenmore did very well with the canned soup, heating it to the perfect serving temperature after following the instructions.
Pizza Heating
Unfortunately, the Kenmore left one of our pizza slices with a few cold spots present after heating.
Our pizza had a few cool spots after heating up both slices.
Credit: Laura Casner
Frozen Foods
This microwave got off to a fantastic start in our Hot Pocket test, with the left, right, and center areas only differing by 1°F. It performed almost as well with the frozen burrito, with the average differences between the regions only being about 10°F and all three exceeding the minimum temperature of 161°F.
It was amazing how consistently the Kenmore heated up certain types of food, like this burrito.
Credit: Laura Casner
Performance dropped a bit with the frozen mini-lasagna. The average temperature difference between the six zones we measured was still quite small — again, only around 10°F — but the entire lasagna came out a little cooler than we would have hoped and failed to hit the recommended temperature of 165°F after following the directions.
This product does decently well at defrosting things.
Credit: Laura Casner
Defrosting
The Kenmore 70919 completely defrosted 10.75 ounces of the turkey, and the remaining parts broke apart very easily — to the point where we felt comfortable transferring all of it directly to a pan for cooking. The corners got a bit warm but were far from being cooked.
The Kenmore defrosted the majority of the ground turkey in our test.
Credit: Laura Casner
This microwave notifies you partially through defrosting to flip the item, aiding its success greatly.
This microwave has a handful of convenience features that contribute to its ease of use.
Credit: Laura Casner
Ease of Use
We like that this model has quick-start buttons and a “+30 seconds” button that automatically starts after a single press. It can also act as a standalone kitchen timer. It's well-lit while in use, allowing you to see your food as it heats up. However, the light turns off once you open the door. We noticed that this model occasionally slid around a bit on slick surfaces when opening and closing the door.
The popcorn preset turned out decently well, though it left a handful of unpopped kernels. However, it didn't burn any, which we view as quite a plus.
The Kenmore has a push-button opening in lieu of a handle.
Credit: Laura Casner
Should You Buy the Kenmore 70919?
If you are looking for one of the best microwaves you can get, then we would seriously recommend the Kenmore 70919. It's compact and performs very well, making it hard to beat — especially if you are limited on countertop space. It's not a bargain option, but we still consider it a great value considering its high marks in our testing.
What Other Microwaves Should You Consider?
If you're looking for a bit more capacity, check out the Toshiba EM131A5C, which scores high in the defrosting metric and also does well in ease of use, thanks to its intuitive interface. The Panasonic NN-SN67KS is another great large capacity model to consider if you cook lots of packaged frozen foods. It excelled at heating food evenly, something many of these appliances struggle with.
For those with less kitchen real estate who are seeking a budget model, the Amazon Basics 0.7 is a good bet. This affordable appliance did exceptionally well with frozen burritos and had a strong all-around showing for its size class.
—David Wise and Austin Palmer
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