Description
The Farberware FM11BKBSS is a plain countertop microwave, and that is the whole proposition. The listing records a 1.1 cubic foot cavity, a 1000 watt rating, a stainless steel exterior, a turntable in the box, and a controller type of Button rather than a touch panel. There is no Wi-Fi radio, no app, no barcode scanning and no sensor humidity control. For a second microwave, a rental kitchen or a household that wants the thing to still work in ten years without a firmware update, that short feature list is not a weakness.
What it is and where it fits in a home
Farberware gives the footprint as 20.2 inches wide, 16.54 inches deep and 12.03 inches tall. That is a mid size countertop unit: it will occupy most of the run between a backsplash and the front edge of a standard 25 inch counter, and it wants clearance behind and above for its cooling vents. It suits a kitchen that has counter to spare and no cabinet cutout, a basement kitchenette, or a garage second appliance corner. It is not a built in and the listing does not mention a trim kit, so anyone who wants the microwave off the counter should look at a wall unit such as the GE PEB7227ANDD built in microwave instead, or at the drawer format.
One inconsistency is worth naming rather than smoothing over. The model code carries the BKBSS suffix, which normally signals a black stainless finish, while the color field on the listing reads Stainless Steel and the material field reads the same. The listing gives the finish two different ways, so confirm it from the product images before ordering if the kitchen has to match.
Living with it day to day
In everyday terms, 1.1 cubic feet takes a dinner plate on the turntable with room to rotate, a 2 quart covered casserole, or a pair of soup bowls side by side if they are small. A full 12 inch pizza is at the edge of what this class of cavity handles, and the listing does not publish a turntable diameter, so that is not a claim to make on its behalf. Households that regularly reheat large platters are better served by a 2.2 cubic foot cavity such as the 2.2 cubic foot Sharp SMC2266KS.
The 1000 watt figure is the output rating Farberware publishes. That puts it in the middle of the countertop field, above the 700 watt compact models and below the 1200 watt units. Because there is no humidity sensor, every cycle is a time and power level entry rather than a one button guess, so reheating leftovers is a habit you build rather than something the appliance decides. Farberware does not publish a decibel rating for the magnetron or the cooling fan, so there is no noise number to report.
Attention it needs is low and regular: the turntable and its roller ring come out for washing, and the cavity wants a wipe before splatters bake on. There is no filter, no water line and no drain.
Controls and what still works without an app
The controller type on the listing is Button, and the described features are a timer, defrost, a memory function for storing a customized setting, six one touch cooking programs for common foods, and a child safety lock. Everything on that list runs from the front panel. There is nothing to connect, no account to create and no companion app that can be discontinued later, which is a genuine advantage over connected over the range units such as the LG MVEL2125F where several convenience features live behind a phone.
The tradeoff is that the one touch programs are fixed time and power sequences rather than sensor driven cycles. If sensor cooking matters, the Toshiba EM131A5C-BS publishes a humidity sensor, and the inverter approach in the Panasonic NN-SN686S changes how power is delivered at reduced settings. Neither of those is a feature this Farberware claims.
Running cost and upkeep
There are no consumables. No charcoal or grease filter, because a countertop microwave does not vent a cooktop. No descaling, no water softener salt, nothing to replace on a schedule. The realistic wear items over several years are the turntable glass, the roller ring underneath it, the door latch and the interior lamp, all of which are ordinary service parts on a unit at this level.
On the electrical side, the listing states 1000 watts and nothing else. It does not state the voltage, the input wattage, the amperage or whether the manufacturer asks for a dedicated circuit. That gap should not be filled by assumption. Check the rating plate on the back of the cabinet and match it against the outlet before plugging it in, and treat the shared kitchen circuit question the same way, because microwaves at this output draw enough that sharing a circuit with a toaster or kettle can trip a breaker.
Highlights
- 1.1 cubic feet and 1000 watts is a practical middle of the road pairing for reheating and defrosting.
- Keypad controls, a memory setting and six one touch programs, all operable from the panel with nothing to pair.
- A child safety lock is listed, which is not universal at this level.
- No filters, no water line and no consumables, so upkeep is washing the turntable and wiping the cavity.
- Stainless steel body and a turntable included rather than sold separately.
Things To Consider
- The listing gives the finish two different ways, with a BKBSS model suffix against a Stainless Steel color field.
- No voltage, amperage or circuit requirement is published, so the rating plate is the only reliable source.
- No humidity sensor, so reheating is manual time and power entry every cycle.
- No decibel rating is published, so noise cannot be compared against rivals on paper.
- At 20.2 inches wide it is not a small footprint, and it is a countertop unit only.
Who it is not for
Anyone who wants the microwave to disappear into cabinetry should not start here, because nothing in the listing supports built in installation. Anyone who cooks rather than reheats will find the absence of convection and air fry limiting, and a convection plus air fry model covers that ground properly. Households that want sensor cooking, scan to cook or app control should look at the connected models in our countertop microwave oven coverage. And anyone with less than about 22 inches of clear counter run, allowing for rear clearance, will find this a poor physical fit whatever its other merits.
