Description
The Toshiba EM131A5C-BS is one of the longest running and most heavily reviewed countertop microwaves on the market, first listed in 2017 and still carrying tens of thousands of ratings. It is a 1.2 cubic foot oven with a humidity sensor, twelve auto menus, an eco mode and a mute function, finished in black stainless steel. What separates it from the mainstream keypad ovens around it is the sensor, which measures the moisture leaving the food and stops the cycle when the food is heated, rather than running a fixed time set by the user.
Toshiba publishes something most listings in this category do not: the interior dimensions. The cavity is given as 20.5 inches wide, 17.2 inches deep and 12.8 inches high, with a removable turntable measuring 12.4 inches across. That is the measurement that actually decides whether a casserole dish or a dinner plate will fit and rotate, and it is more useful than the cubic foot figure by itself.
A Contradiction in the Listing Worth Naming
The listing does not agree with itself about power. The product title and the specification table both give 1000 watts, and the feature bullets state “Power Wattage (Microwave): 1000W; Rated Voltage: 120V, 60Hz”. The written description, however, refers to an 1100 watt oven. A third figure appears in the bullets as “Rated Output Power: 100W”, which is almost certainly a typographical error rather than a real specification. The honest reading is that the specification table and title are the more reliable fields, so this should be treated as a 1000 watt oven, but the discrepancy is in the source data and is worth knowing before comparing it against another model on wattage alone.
The color description is similarly inconsistent. The title says “Black Color” while the specification table says “Black Stainless Steel”. Those are different finishes in practice, one painted and one a stainless coating, and the listing does not resolve which is being shipped.
Sensor Cooking and the Auto Menus
The core feature is the humidity sensor. Pre programmed sensor menus cover popular items such as pizza, potatoes and vegetables, and the oven adjusts its own run time by reading steam rather than by counting down a fixed timer. In practice this is the difference between reheating that works on the first press and reheating that needs a second guess. Toshiba lists twelve auto menus in total alongside ten selectable power levels for manual work.
An eco mode is listed, which cuts standby draw when the oven is idle. The keypad is described as a large digital display with an easy to read control panel. Toshiba includes a note in the listing that the keypad ships with a protective film that has to be peeled off before first use, which is a small thing but a frequent source of confusion.
The Mute Function
The mute function deserves its own mention because it is unusually rare and unusually useful. Holding the “8” button for three to five seconds switches the end of cycle buzzer off, confirmed by a single long beep. In an open plan home, a studio apartment, a nursery adjacent kitchen or an office, a microwave that does not announce itself is a genuinely different appliance to live with. Very few countertop ovens offer it at all, which is one reason this model keeps appearing on shortlists against otherwise similar units such as the Panasonic NN-SN686S.
Highlights
- 1.2 cubic foot capacity with published interior dimensions of 20.5 by 17.2 by 12.8 inches.
- 12.4 inch removable turntable, listed as fitting a 12 inch pizza.
- Humidity sensor with pre programmed sensor menus and twelve auto menus.
- Ten power levels for manual cooking.
- Mute function that silences the buzzer, plus an eco mode.
- Runs on 120 volts at 60 Hz, a standard household outlet.
- Exterior listed at 23.3 inches wide, 18.4 inches deep and 15 inches high, 34.6 pounds.
- One year warranty stated in the listing, with a note to keep the packaging for returns.
Things To Consider
The exterior is large. At 23.3 inches wide and 18.4 inches deep this takes more counter than most 1.2 cubic foot ovens, and the depth in particular is more than a standard 24 inch counter leaves comfortable once clearance behind the unit is allowed for. Anyone measuring should measure the depth first, not the width.
The listing does not publish a required clearance figure, an amperage draw or a circuit requirement. A microwave of this size draws well above its cooking wattage from the wall, and running it on a kitchen circuit that is already carrying a kettle or a toaster is a common cause of tripped breakers. Follow the printed manual for clearance rather than assuming.
The wattage and color contradictions described above are unresolved in the source listing. Anyone choosing between this and a competitor on the basis of a 1000 versus 1100 watt difference should treat that comparison as unreliable.
Toshiba states a one year warranty and asks buyers to keep the packaging in order to arrange service or a return. That is a meaningful practical condition, since most people flatten and discard microwave cartons within a week.
There is also no convection or air fry function here. This is a microwave, and a well specified one, but a household that wants a single countertop appliance to microwave, bake and crisp should compare the Panasonic HomeChef four in one or the GE air fry convection countertop model instead.
Who It Suits and Who Should Look Elsewhere
This is a strong fit for a household that wants sensor cooking without stepping up to a premium brand, that reheats a lot of leftovers, and that has the counter depth to take it. The mute function makes it particularly suited to open plan homes, apartments and offices. The published interior dimensions make it one of the easier ovens in this category to size correctly before buying.
It is the wrong pick for a tight counter, where a smaller unit such as the Farberware 0.7 cubic foot compact makes more sense, and it is the wrong pick for anyone who wants convection or air frying built in. Buyers who would rather give the counter back entirely should compare it against the over the range microwave options, which combine the oven with cooktop ventilation but require an installation job. The rest of the range sits in the countertop microwave oven category.
