TOSHIBA EM131A5C-SS Review: a quiet, no-nonsense microwave that actually heats food properly

I’ve been using the TOSHIBA EM131A5C-SS 1.2 cu ft microwave for a while now, and I’ll be straight: it’s not some futuristic gadget, it’s just a pretty solid, normal microwave that does its job without annoying me. For a countertop unit in this price range, that’s honestly all I wanted. I replaced an older, half-broken unit that took forever to heat anything and sounded like it was about to take off.

The first thing I noticed is the power difference. Stuff that used to need 2–3 minutes in my old microwave now comes out hot in closer to 1–1.5 minutes. It’s rated at 1000W output, and in day-to-day use, that feels accurate. I’m not sitting around waiting for leftovers to warm up anymore, and when I reheat coffee, it actually comes out hot, not lukewarm.

What surprised me most is how quiet it is. It’s not silent, obviously, but compared to the older clunky ones I’ve had, this one is definitely more discreet. You can talk over it without raising your voice. On top of that, the mute function is handy. If you hate beeps or live with a baby / light sleeper, being able to kill the beeping is a nice touch.

It’s not perfect though. The control layout is a bit weird in places, and there are more functions than I realistically use. You can tell Toshiba tried to cram in a bunch of features, but in real life I mostly use a handful: time cook, sensor reheat, and defrost. Still, as a daily appliance, it’s reliable, reasonably fast, and simple enough once you get used to the buttons.

In terms of value, I’d put this Toshiba in the “good but not mind-blowing” category. It’s usually priced in the mid-range for countertop microwaves – not the cheapest small units, but nowhere near the high-end built-ins or fancy smart models. For that price, you’re getting 1000W of power, a decent 1.2 cu ft capacity, sensor cooking, mute, ECO mode, and a fairly clean design. That’s a pretty solid feature set for what you pay.

If you compare it to cheaper 0.7–0.9 cu ft microwaves, you’re paying a bit more, but you get faster heating, more even results, and more interior space. If you actually cook or reheat more than once or twice a week, that difference in power and size is noticeable. On the flip side, if you only nuke the occasional cup of soup, you could probably save money and buy something smaller and be fine.

The fact that it’s been around for several years, has a big number of reviews, and still holds a 4.4/5 average is a good sign that people generally feel they got their money’s worth. You’re not paying for trendy smart-home integration or a touch screen. You’re mostly paying for decent power, a sensor that actually works reasonably well, and a build that doesn’t feel like total junk.

Overall, I’d say the price-to-performance ratio is good. There are fancier microwaves out there if you want built-in trim kits or convection options, and there are cheaper ones if you just need the bare minimum. This sits comfortably in the middle: not flashy, but a fair deal for a reliable everyday microwave that you don’t have to baby or constantly fiddle with.

From a distance, the design is clean and pretty neutral. The stainless/silver finish blends in fine with other appliances, and it doesn’t scream “budget microwave” the way some plasticky models do. It’s not fancy, but it doesn’t look cheap either. If you’ve got a mix of stainless and black in your kitchen, it fits in without drawing attention. The door has a big dark glass window with a simple handle instead of a push button, which I actually prefer – less chance of the latch wearing out.

The handle itself is easy to grip and opens smoothly. A few people online mentioned having to press and lift slightly, but in practice it’s not complicated. You pull, it opens, done. No fighting with a stiff latch or slamming the door. This matters more than you think when you’re opening and closing it ten times a day.

Where the design slips a bit is the keypad layout. The power level and custom time cycle buttons are small and tucked down near the start/stop buttons. They almost blend in, and if you use power level changes often, that gets annoying. Instead of being clearly separated at the top, they’re kind of hidden in the lower cluster. Once you memorize where they are, it’s fine, but at the beginning you’ll probably poke the wrong thing a few times.

The display is large enough and easy to read. It doubles as a clock and cooking timer. When you leave time on the display and forget about it, the microwave clears it automatically after a while, which is a small but nice detail – you don’t constantly see “0:02” stuck on the screen for hours. Overall, the design is practical and low-key. No touchscreens, no gimmicks, just a slightly cluttered but usable keypad and a regular handle-door setup that works.

From a user comfort point of view, this microwave is mostly straightforward. The door opens easily with the handle, no stiff push-button, and the interior is at a height that’s comfortable for most counters. The display is bright and easy to read, so you’re not squinting to see the time or remaining seconds. The one-touch start for 1–6 minutes is handy: you just hit the number and it starts at full power, which is great for quick reheats when you don’t feel like messing with settings.

That said, the control panel layout isn’t perfect. Some functions that you might reasonably use often, like power level adjustments, are in small buttons near the bottom and not very clearly separated. If you’re used to always cooking at full power, you won’t care. But if you like to run things at 50% or 70% sometimes, you’ll be hunting for that button until muscle memory kicks in. There are also more preset and sensor functions than most people will ever touch, which makes the panel look a bit busy.

The mute function is a nice quality-of-life perk. Holding the right button turns off the beeping completely, which is great at night or in a shared space where noise is a problem. There’s also an ECO mode that lowers standby energy use – you activate it with a button, and the display turns off when not in use. It’s not life-changing, but it’s a nice option if you care about not having another glowing clock on the counter.

Cleaning is pretty easy. The interior is smooth and the glass turntable lifts out, so wiping up spills or exploded sauce is quick. No weird corners or deep grooves where food gets stuck. Overall, I’d say it’s comfortable to live with, with a slight learning curve on the buttons, but nothing that makes you regret buying it.

On the build quality side, the Toshiba EM131A5C-SS feels reasonably solid for its price and category. It weighs around 34–35 pounds, so it’s not flimsy or ultra-light. The door doesn’t feel loose, and the handle doesn’t feel like it’s going to snap off if you tug it a bit harder than usual. The hinges feel stable, and when the door closes, it has a firm, clean click instead of a hollow rattle.

The outer shell is stainless-look metal, not thin plastic, which helps with the overall impression of sturdiness. Inside, the cavity walls are smooth and seem resistant to everyday splashes and steam. I haven’t seen any peeling or weird discoloration so far. The turntable and roller ring are pretty standard glass and plastic, nothing fancy, but they sit securely and don’t skip or jump around when rotating.

Reliability-wise, it’s a bit mixed if you read through a lot of user reviews. Most people seem to have units that run fine for years, while a few had early failures or a dead-on-arrival situation. One reviewer mentioned their first unit showed up mostly dead, but the replacement worked great. That’s not ideal, but it’s also pretty common with mass-produced appliances. Mine has been stable so far: no weird smells, no random shutdowns, no flickering display.

Given that this model has been on the market since 2017 and still sits high in the sales rankings with a 4.4/5 rating and a big pile of reviews, it’s safe to say most units hold up decently over time. Is it built like a commercial microwave? No. But for normal home use – a few to several times a day – it feels sturdy enough that I’m not worried it’s going to fall apart in a year.

In terms of raw heating performance, this Toshiba does what it’s supposed to do: it heats food quickly and, for the most part, evenly. Compared to older or cheaper 700–900W units, you can feel the difference. Leftovers that used to need 2.5 minutes are usually good in around 1.5–2 minutes. Reheating a mug of coffee for one minute actually gives you a hot drink, not something that’s just barely warm. One user even mentioned their water was boiling after a minute, which matches my experience – it has enough punch.

The sensor functions are better than I expected. Sensor reheat for plates of leftovers usually gets it in the right ballpark without you having to guess a time. It’s not magic, but it does a decent job of avoiding stone-cold centers. The popcorn button, which I normally avoid on most microwaves, actually worked reasonably well here. Using the sensor/popcorn setting on a 3 oz bag gave a mostly popped bag with minimal burning, which is more than I can say for a lot of older models that either burn half the bag or leave tons of unpopped kernels.

Defrost performance is okay to good. Using defrost by weight on a 1 lb block of ground beef, it softened it enough to cook without completely cooking the edges, though the outer parts do get a bit warm. That’s pretty standard for microwaves. It’s much better than my old unit that either left the center frozen solid or half-cooked the meat. For everyday stuff like frozen chicken breasts, bread, or leftovers, the defrost setting is usable and saves some time.

Noise-wise, the microwave is quiet for what it is. The fan and turntable make a soft hum, but nothing dramatic. The beeps are a normal volume, and if they annoy you, you can mute them entirely, which is honestly one of the more useful features. Overall, on performance I’d say it’s not perfect but reliably strong and fast. If you’re coming from an old, underpowered or half-broken microwave, this will feel like a noticeable upgrade in day-to-day speed and consistency.

On paper, the TOSHIBA EM131A5C-SS is a 1.2 cubic foot, 1000W countertop microwave with a 12.4" glass turntable, smart humidity sensor, 10 power levels, and a bunch of preset menus. In real life, that translates to: it’s big enough for normal plates, large bowls, and standard frozen meals, but not so huge that it eats your entire counter. The exterior dimensions are about 20.6" wide, 16" deep, and 11.8" high, so it fits under most upper cabinets without drama.

Inside, the cooking cavity is roughly 13.1" wide, 12.4" deep, and 8.3" high. That means full-size dinner plates fit fine, and you can stand up most leftovers containers and tall mugs without hitting the ceiling. If you’re used to a tiny dorm-style microwave, this feels like a decent upgrade in usable space. The 12.4" turntable is removable and sits on a roller ring, which is included in the box – nothing fancy there, but it’s stable and doesn’t wobble.

The feature list sounds more high-tech than it feels day to day. You get:

• Sensor reheat and sensor cook options (for things like veggies and some common foods)
• 6 preset menus (pizza, veggies, sensor reheat, etc.)
• Defrost by weight or time
• ECO mode to cut standby power
• Mute function to shut off the beeps

In everyday use, I’d say the sensor reheat and weight defrost are the two that actually matter. The rest is nice, but you’re probably still going to punch in your own time most of the time. Overall, the presentation is: a straightforward, mid-size microwave with a couple of smarter features, but it’s still very much a normal kitchen appliance, not some smart-home toy.

In practice, most of what I do with this microwave is boring stuff: reheating leftovers, making popcorn, defrosting meat, and warming drinks. On all of those, it performs well enough that I don’t think about it much, which is kind of the ideal scenario for an appliance like this. The sensor reheat actually saves a bit of guesswork. You toss in a plate of food, hit the button, and it figures out a decent time based on humidity. It’s not perfect every single time, but it’s usually close enough that you’re not constantly restarting another 30 seconds.

For frozen meals and quick snacks, it does a solid job. Follow the package instructions for a 1000W microwave and you’ll usually be fine. I’ve had a few dishes where the edges got a bit crisp or drier than the center, but that’s pretty normal for microwaves in general. Stirring halfway through fixes most of that. The turntable rotation helps avoid cold spots, and I don’t notice any major dead zones in the cavity where food stays cold.

Defrost by weight is probably the feature I use the most after plain time cook. For a 1 lb block of ground beef or a couple of chicken breasts, it takes the guesswork out. The meat does warm a bit at the edges, but it’s still easier to manage than hacking at a rock-solid block or accidentally cooking half of it. If you’re expecting perfect, fridge-level defrosting, that’s not going to happen, but for getting food to a workable state, it’s more than decent.

Day to day, the thing I like is that it’s consistent. I don’t feel like I’m rolling the dice every time I press start. Popcorn works, leftovers heat through, drinks get hot, and I’m not constantly opening the door to check if it’s actually doing anything. For a basic home or small office kitchen, it gets the job done without drama, which is really what matters.