Description
The Farberware Classic sits one size class above the brand’s 0.7 cubic foot compact and is the more useful oven for most kitchens. Farberware lists it at 1.1 cubic feet with 1000 watts of output power, in a stainless steel finish, and the product description identifies it as the FM11BKBSS. That capacity and wattage pairing is the mainstream configuration for a countertop microwave, which matters practically rather than just on paper, because frozen food packaging is generally written for ovens in the 1000 to 1100 watt range.
Anyone who has used an underpowered microwave knows the tell: every package instruction is wrong and everything needs a second round. At 1000 watts that problem largely goes away. The tradeoff is footprint. The listing gives the exterior as 20.2 inches wide, 16.54 inches deep and 12.03 inches high, at 34.1 pounds, which is a genuine counter commitment rather than a shelf appliance.
Capacity, Footprint and Placement
A 1.1 cubic foot cavity will generally take a standard dinner plate and rotate it, which is the practical test that matters more than the cubic foot number itself. Farberware does not publish the interior cavity dimensions or the turntable diameter in this listing, only the exterior, so a buyer with an unusually wide serving dish is working without the figure they need. Where a listing does publish interior measurements, as the Toshiba EM131A5C-BS listing does, that is genuinely more useful information.
At 20.2 inches wide the oven needs a real stretch of counter, and it needs air. Countertop microwaves vent through the cabinet and require clearance at the rear, sides and top. Pushing one flush against a backsplash and under a wall cabinet is the most common installation mistake and the fastest route to a heat related fault. The listing does not state a clearance figure, so the printed manual is the authority here.
Power, Controls and Cooking Behavior
Ten power levels are listed with multi stage cooking, meaning a program can run at one power level and then step down to another without being restarted. Six one touch programs cover the usual packaged items including popcorn, potato and pizza. Express cooking runs from one to six minutes at full power on a single button press, and a 30 second add button extends a running cycle without stopping it. Defrost is offered by weight and by time.
The memory function stores a preferred time and power combination, which is the feature that pays back daily for anyone who reheats the same thing at the same setting. The LED display carries a clock and a countdown timer, and the interior is lit so food can be checked through the door. Controls are physical buttons rather than a touch panel, which is a durability advantage in a kitchen and a cleaning disadvantage around the seams.
Build, Finish and Safety
The exterior is stainless steel with a stainless handle, and the door uses a grip handle rather than a push button latch. A child safety lock is listed, which disables the keypad so the oven cannot be started accidentally. The listing gives the voltage in an unusual way, as “1.2E+2 Volts”, which is scientific notation for 120 volts. That is a data formatting artifact in the listing rather than anything unusual about the appliance, and it confirms the oven runs on a standard North American household outlet.
One more listing oddity is worth stating plainly. The “Item model number” field reads simply “Farberware” rather than a model code, even though the description names the FM11BKBSS. Anyone ordering a replacement turntable, roller ring or door part should read the model code off the label on the appliance rather than trusting the listing field.
Highlights
- 1.1 cubic foot capacity with 1000 watts of listed output power.
- Ten power levels with multi stage cooking.
- Six one touch cooking programs plus defrost by weight or by time.
- Express cooking from one to six minutes and a 30 second add button.
- Memory function that saves a preferred time and power setting.
- Child safety lock and LED interior lighting.
- Stainless steel front and handle, exterior listed at 20.2 by 16.54 by 12.03 inches, 34.1 pounds.
Things To Consider
This is a keypad microwave without sensor cooking. Every cycle is a time and power decision made by the user, not by a humidity sensor deciding when the food is done. That is fine for packaged food with printed instructions and less good for reheating leftovers of unknown moisture content. Buyers who want the oven to make that call should look at a sensor equipped model such as the GE JVM7195SKSS or a comparable countertop unit.
The listing carries very few customer ratings compared with Farberware’s compact model, so there is little accumulated feedback behind it. That is a caution about the evidence base, not a judgment about the appliance.
No amperage figure or circuit requirement is published. A 1000 watt microwave draws meaningfully more from the wall than 1000 watts, and sharing a kitchen circuit with another high draw appliance is a common cause of nuisance breaker trips. The listing also does not publish a noise rating, an interior cavity dimension or a turntable diameter.
At 34.1 pounds this is not an appliance to move around casually, and it is not a good candidate for a shelf that was not built for it. Anyone short on counter space should weigh the over the range microwave route instead, which trades an installation job for a completely clear counter.
Who It Suits and Who Should Look Elsewhere
This is a straightforward pick for a household that wants a mainstream microwave with enough power for package times to be roughly correct, a child lock, and no complicated menu system to learn. It suits family kitchens, shared houses and offices, and the stainless finish sits comfortably next to most other appliances.
It is not the right choice for anyone who wants sensor cooking, inverter power control, convection or air frying. For those, look at the wider countertop microwave oven selection, including the GE air fry convection countertop model. And anyone whose counter is already full should treat footprint, not features, as the deciding factor.
