GE GCST10A1WSS Review: a compact microwave that tries to replace your air fryer and toaster oven

I’ve been using the GE GCST10A1WSS for a few weeks as my main microwave and backup oven, and I’ll be straight: I bought it because my old microwave died and I was tired of having a separate air fryer hogging counter space. This thing promised microwave + convection + air fry + broil in one box, and the footprint looked manageable for a small kitchen. So I figured, why not try to get rid of a couple of appliances at once.

Right away, it felt more like a mini oven than a basic microwave. You get racks, a crisper pan, and more buttons than I actually wanted to deal with on day one. There’s a bit of a learning curve, especially if you’ve only used simple microwaves with a big dial and a start button. I had to download the full manual to make any sense of the combination modes and presets, because the quick instructions in the box are pretty bare-bones.

In day-to-day use, I’ve run it through the usual stuff: reheating leftovers, frozen meals, defrosting meat, air frying frozen fries and nuggets, and using convection for pizza and small trays of veggies. I also paid attention to noise, heat output in the kitchen, and how annoying the interface is when you’re half awake in the morning. I’ve also kept in mind a few Amazon reviews I read beforehand, especially the ones complaining about noise over time and the door issues.

Overall, it’s not perfect and it’s not magic, but it does a lot for the price and size. The microwave part is pretty solid, the convection oven is genuinely useful, and the air fry mode is good enough for everyday stuff if you’re not super picky. But there are some real downsides: the controls not being backlit, some uneven cooking in certain cases, extra accessories to store, and a few worrying reports about long-term durability. If you want a straight answer: it’s a good all-in-one for smaller households, as long as you accept the quirks.

In terms of value, this GE sits in that middle zone: not a bargain-bin microwave, but not a high-end built-in either. For the price, you’re getting a 1050W microwave, a convection oven, an air fryer, and a broiler in one unit, plus racks and a crisper pan. If you were to buy a basic microwave, a separate air fryer, and a small toaster oven, you’d probably spend more overall and lose a lot more counter space. So if you genuinely plan to use multiple modes, it’s pretty good value for money.

Where the value gets a bit more "meh" is if you only care about one or two features. If you mostly just reheat coffee, leftovers, and frozen meals, this is overkill. A simpler, cheaper microwave will do the same job without the extra learning curve and accessories you have to store somewhere. The air fry and convection modes are what justify the price, so if you don’t see yourself using those regularly, you’re paying for features that will just sit there.

The Amazon rating of around 4/5 with over a thousand reviews lines up with how I feel: it’s a solid product with real benefits, but it’s not flawless. The lack of backlit buttons, some uneven cooking in certain scenarios, and the mixed durability reports prevent it from being an easy no-brainer. Still, considering it ranks fairly high among countertop microwaves and a lot of people seem genuinely happy with it, the value is there for the right user.

If you’re in a small kitchen, dorm, or office and want one appliance that can cover heating, light baking, and basic air frying, this makes sense. If you already have a good oven and a strong air fryer, and you just need a replacement microwave, I’d say you can probably save money with something simpler. For me, given the space savings and how much I actually use the convection and air fry modes, I’d rate the value as pretty solid overall.

Design-wise, this GE looks like a fairly standard stainless microwave from the outside, which I actually like. It’s not flashy, but it doesn’t look cheap either. The stainless front and the overall shape fit in fine with other appliances, and it doesn’t scream "multi-cooker gadget" like some bulky air fry ovens do. On the counter, it’s deep but not absurd, and the height is low enough to slide under cabinets in most kitchens.

The interior is where it stands out a bit more. It has a full stainless steel interior, not just some painted cavity. That gives it a more solid feel and, in my experience, it wipes down easier than those white painted interiors that stain and chip over time. You’ve got the glass turntable at the bottom, then you can insert one or both wire racks depending on what you’re cooking, plus the crisper pan for air fry. The layout makes sense, but you do end up with extra pieces that need a storage spot when they’re not in use.

The main design flaw for me is the control panel. The buttons are not backlit, and only the time display lights up. In a dim kitchen or at night, you basically have to turn on the room light or use your phone flashlight to see what you’re pressing. The labels are readable in normal light and the font is okay even for older eyes, but GE really should have added backlighting. It’s a small thing that becomes annoying when you use the microwave multiple times a day.

As for noise and general feel, the door has a decent, solid click when you open and close it, not flimsy, and the unit is fairly quiet compared to many microwaves. That said, some reviewers reported their unit going from quiet to very loud after a few months, which suggests quality control isn’t perfect. I haven’t hit that issue yet, but it’s something to keep in mind. Overall, the design is practical and pretty solid, with the main gripe being the unlit controls and the slight hassle of dealing with the racks and pan when you’re just trying to heat up coffee.

In terms of materials, this is better than a lot of budget microwaves. The outside is stainless steel, and more importantly, the inside is also stainless, not that glossy painted metal that chips and rusts. When you open the door, the whole interior looks and feels like a small oven. It gives a bit more confidence when you’re using convection or broil at higher temps, and it also just looks cleaner after a few messy meals. A quick wipe with a damp cloth usually takes care of splatters.

The accessories are decent too. The glass turntable is thick enough and sits firmly on the roller ring without wobbling. The wire racks feel sturdy, not flimsy wire that bends the first time you put a heavy dish on it. The stainless crisper pan has some weight to it and handles air fry and broil heat without warping. I’ve used it for frozen fries and nuggets several times and it still looks fine, just needs a good scrub now and then because grease tends to bake onto it.

Where I’m a bit less confident is long-term durability based on other users’ experiences. There are some reviews mentioning the door mechanism failing around the one-year mark, with one person saying the door got stuck shut with food inside. That’s the kind of failure that instantly kills an appliance, and it’s not something you can fix with a quick DIY tweak. I haven’t had any hardware issues yet, but I haven’t hit a full year of use either, so I can’t pretend it’s bulletproof.

Overall, the materials are better than the typical cheap microwave: stainless interior, solid-feeling racks, and a decent door. But GE’s quality control seems mixed based on user reports. If you want something that feels nicer than a $70 basic microwave, this fits. If you want a tank that lasts 10+ years no matter what, this might or might not get there. I’d call the build quality pretty solid for the price, with some risk on the long-term reliability side.

Durability is a bit tricky to judge because I haven’t had this unit for years, but I can combine my impressions with what other buyers are saying. Out of the box, it feels solid. The door closes firmly, the hinges don’t feel loose, and the stainless interior doesn’t flex or rattle. The turntable and racks haven’t warped, and there’s no weird vibration when it runs in any mode. After a few weeks of daily use, nothing has loosened up or started making odd noises.

However, some Amazon reviews raise real concerns. One person mentioned the microwave starting out very quiet and then, after 3–4 months, becoming "loud as hell" for no clear reason. That usually points to a fan or internal moving part wearing out or getting misaligned. Another review is more serious: the door apparently broke just after the one-year mark, trapping food inside because it wouldn’t open at all. That’s not a minor annoyance; that basically kills the whole unit and forces you to trash it, food and all. Those kinds of failures aren’t super common in the reviews, but they’re there, and they matter.

On the positive side, quite a few buyers say they use it multiple times a day and it’s held up well so far. One person even compared its build to an old Amana Radarange from decades ago, which is high praise for structure and feel, even if it’s maybe a bit nostalgic. The stainless interior should also help it age better than painted cavities that chip and rust. From what I’ve seen, cleaning it regularly and not slamming the door should keep it in good shape, but that’s true for most appliances.

If you’re expecting a microwave-oven combo that will last 10–15 years without any issues, I’d say temper expectations. It feels better made than the cheapest options, but the mix of positive and very negative durability reviews suggests quality control isn’t perfect. I’d consider a warranty or at least buy it somewhere with decent return/support options. For now, I’d call durability "pretty solid but not bulletproof," with some risk of annoying failures after the first year.

Performance is where this unit mostly earns its keep. As a straight microwave, the 1050W power does the job well. Reheating leftovers is quick and fairly even, and it actually feels a bit more consistent than my old basic microwave. Auto defrost works reasonably: I’ve defrosted chicken breasts and ground beef without ending up with a cooked edge and a frozen center, as long as I follow the weight guidelines. There is still some unevenness if you pack things too tightly, but that’s normal for most microwaves.

The convection mode is better than I expected for a combo unit. I’ve done frozen pizza, roasted mixed veggies, and reheated baked pasta on the rack. The browning is even, and the outside of the oven stays surprisingly cool compared to a full-size oven. It also doesn’t blast the kitchen with heat, which is nice in summer or in a small space. A couple of Amazon users mentioned using it for 12-inch pizzas and being happier with the result than their main oven, and I’d agree that it handles that kind of job well. It won’t replace a big oven for baking large trays of cookies, but for small batches it’s very workable.

Air fry mode is where opinions will be split. For frozen fries, nuggets, and small snacks, it does fine. You get a decent crisp, and it’s more convenient than dragging out a separate air fryer. One reviewer said wings came out tasty but a bit lighter in color than in a stand-alone air fryer, and that matches what I’ve seen: texture is good, but you don’t always get that deep, dark crunch unless you push time and temperature. On the flip side, there are some harsh reviews saying it took forever to cook pigs in a blanket and even smoked heavily. I didn’t get that extreme, but air fry here is slower and less intense than a dedicated basket-style air fryer.

The main weak spot in performance is some uneven cooking at lower power levels. For example, cooking breakfast sausage at half power can leave a few pieces less done unless you stop and rearrange halfway through. One user called this out specifically, and I’ve seen the same thing on certain foods. You learn which items need a stir or flip, but it’s not completely "set it and forget it". Still, for daily tasks—reheat, quick cook, small convection jobs, and basic air fry—it gets the job done well enough that I don’t feel like I need multiple separate appliances on the counter.

On paper, the GE GCST10A1WSS is a 1.0 cu ft, 1050W countertop microwave that also does convection, air fry, and broil. In practice, that means you’re getting a medium-sized microwave that can also behave like a small oven. It comes with a glass turntable, a roller ring, two wire racks, and a stainless crisper pan. So you’re not just nuking food on a plate; you can raise stuff up on racks for convection and use the pan for air frying or crisping.

The size is kind of the sweet spot: 16.6"D x 20.6"W x 11.88"H. It’s not tiny like a dorm-only microwave, but it’s not a monster either. I can fit a 12-inch frozen pizza diagonally on the rack in convection mode, and standard dinner plates fit easily with room around them. For comparison, it feels bigger inside than most cheap compact microwaves, but the outer size still works on a normal countertop without taking over the whole thing.

You get a bunch of preset controls: specific buttons for fries, nuggets, etc., plus auto defrost and express cook options. There’s also a "combi" style approach where you combine convection and microwave, which is handy for things like mixed veggies or frozen casseroles where you want both heat and browning. But you do need to spend a bit of time learning what button does what. If you’re used to just punching in time and power, you can still do that, but you’ll miss half of what this unit can do.

Important point: this is still a 120V countertop appliance, not a full oven replacement. It can’t handle giant turkeys or full-size cookie sheets. It’s more realistic to think of it as a microwave that can handle small pizzas, a few chicken wings, a tray of veggies, and quick broiling tasks. For a couple or a small household, or as a second oven, that makes sense. For a big family that cooks large batches every day, it will feel cramped pretty quickly.

Day-to-day effectiveness is where you really see whether an all-in-one like this is worth it. In my case, I’ve basically retired my separate air fryer and only use my main oven for big meals. For quick stuff—heating leftovers, crisping frozen snacks, roasting a small tray of veggies—this GE handles almost everything without much fuss. The presets like "Fries" and "Nuggets" are handy if you’re not picky and don’t want to think about times and temps, and they’ve given me decent results straight out of the box.

One of the things I actually like a lot is the "combi" style cooking, where you mix microwave and convection. For example, doing raw cut-up root vegetables with a bit of oil and seasoning, then adding frozen veggies partway through. The microwave part gets things heated faster, and the convection finishes them off with some browning. It’s not fancy, but it’s efficient and saves time compared to using a full oven. For someone who cooks a lot of small portions, that combo is genuinely useful.

Noise and usability are mostly positive, with a few caveats. When new, the unit is very quiet—quieter than most microwaves I’ve owned. You can easily talk over it without raising your voice. The beep when it finishes or when the oven is hot is clear but not screechy, and it stops as soon as you hit cancel, which I appreciate. The big issue is still the non-backlit controls: in practice, that means you almost always need decent lighting to use it properly. If your microwave sits in a darker corner, you’ll notice this every single day.

As for the extra modes like broil and air fry, they’re effective for small jobs but not miracles. Broil can handle finishing off a dish with some color or melting cheese nicely, but you still need to keep an eye on it. Air fry is good enough for snacks and small batches, but if you’re used to a powerful basket air fryer that blasts hot air, this will feel a bit slower and milder. Overall, it’s effective as an all-rounder: it replaces a basic microwave and a small toaster/air fryer combo fairly well, as long as your expectations are realistic and you don’t mind babysitting certain foods.