Description
The GE PEM31SFSS is a compact stainless microwave from GE’s Profile line, and its selling point is appearance as much as function. GE records 800 watts, 120 volts, a listed weight of 29 pounds, dimensions of 24 by 12.8 by 12.2 inches and a first availability date of September 2013. The capacity field reads 1 cubic foot while the listing description elsewhere says 1.1 cubic feet. That is a contradiction in the source data rather than a rounding difference, and it is worth knowing before you plan a cabinet opening around it.
What it is and where it fits in a home
This model is aimed at a kitchen that wants the microwave to look integrated. GE’s listing does not state that a trim kit is included, and it does not name a compatible kit, so anyone planning to recess it needs to confirm the trim kit part number with GE before committing to a cabinet cut. On the counter it is a fairly wide but shallow box at 24 inches across and around 12.8 inches deep, which suits a run of counter under a wall cabinet where depth is tight but width is not. That is close to the opposite of the Panasonic NN-SN686S, which is narrower and deeper.
The natural home for it is a secondary kitchen, a butler’s pantry, an office kitchenette or a Profile kitchen that needs a matching finish. It is not the microwave for a household that reheats large casseroles.
Living with it day to day
An 800 watt rating is the practical headline here, and it is the lowest of the mainstream countertop models in this catalog. Reheating a plate takes longer than on a 1000 watt unit such as the Toshiba EM131A5C-BS, and packaged food instructions written for 1100 watt ovens will run short. That is not a fault, it is simply what an 800 watt oven does, and it is why the wattage matters more than the cubic feet for daily use.
On capacity, take the smaller of the two published figures as the planning number. One cubic foot handles a standard dinner plate and a 1.5 quart dish. A 9 by 13 pan will not go in. The listing does not publish a turntable diameter, so the largest plate that will actually rotate is not something to state on GE’s behalf.
Day to day attention is minimal. There is no filter, no water and no drain. The stainless exterior shows fingerprints unless GE’s fingerprint resistant coating is specified, and the listing does not say that it is. Interior cleaning is a wipe down and the turntable comes out.
Noise is an unknown here. GE publishes no decibel figure for the magnetron or the cooling fan, and lower wattage ovens are not automatically quieter, so nothing should be claimed either way. What can be said is that a countertop unit has no vent fan, which is the loudest component on an over the range design, so the only sound is the magnetron cycling and the internal cooling fan running on for a short period after a cycle ends.
Controls and what still works without an app
There is nothing connected on this model. No Wi-Fi, no app, no voice control, no scan to cook. The panel is the entire interface and it works with the power on and nothing else, which is the right answer for a kitchenette or a rental where nobody wants to pair an appliance. GE does not publish the control type on this listing, so whether the panel is membrane buttons or capacitive touch is not something to assert from the data available.
Anyone who wants a connected microwave in this catalog is looking at the over the range class, where the LG MVEL2125F publishes app features and cooktop sync. There is no compact countertop equivalent here with those features, and for a kitchenette that is arguably the right outcome rather than a gap.
The absence of published sensor cooking is the other thing to plan around. Every cycle on this oven is a time and power entry, so a household moving from a sensor equipped microwave will notice the change. Ten power levels are standard on GE panels of this era, though the listing does not confirm the number, so that is not a specification to state on the model’s behalf.
Running cost and upkeep
No consumables at all. No charcoal filter because it does not vent a range, no grease filter, no water filter, no descaling. The wear parts across several years are the turntable, roller ring, door switches and interior lamp, and GE’s parts network is one of the better ones for long term availability, which matters on a model that has been sold since 2013.
Electrically, GE publishes 120 volts and an 800 watt rating. It does not publish the amperage, the input wattage or a dedicated circuit requirement. An 800 watt oven draws less than the 1000 and 1200 watt models, which makes it a more forgiving guest on a shared kitchen circuit, but that is a general point about lower rated ovens rather than a GE specification, and the rating plate remains the source. If the plan is to recess it, the electrical outlet position inside the cabinet is a question for the installation instructions, not for guesswork.
Highlights
- Both voltage and wattage are published, which many listings in this category omit.
- A shallow 12.8 inch depth suits counters where wall cabinets crowd the front edge.
- Profile styling in stainless, so it matches other GE appliances in a planned kitchen.
- Lower 800 watt draw is easier on a shared kitchen circuit than a 1200 watt oven.
- A long running model, which usually means good service part availability.
Things To Consider
- Capacity is recorded two ways, 1 cubic foot in the spec field and 1.1 cubic feet in the description.
- 800 watts is the slowest of the mainstream countertop models here, and packaged food timings will run short.
- No trim kit is included or named, so built in installation needs confirming with GE first.
- No turntable diameter is published, so plate fit cannot be checked on paper.
- Nothing connected, and no sensor cooking is claimed.
Who it is not for
Households that reheat family sized dishes should skip this and go to a 2 cubic foot cavity such as the Sharp SMC2266KS. Anyone who wants speed will feel the 800 watt rating every day. Anyone who actually wants a genuine built in should confirm the trim kit before buying, or look at a unit sold as built in from the start, such as the GE PEB7227ANDD. And anyone shopping on connected features should be looking at the over the range category rather than here, because nothing on this model talks to a phone.
