LG LMC2075ST 2.0 cu. ft. NeoChef Countertop Microwave review

These days, there are plenty of the best microwaves festooning shelves from Costco to the corner drugstore. It’s an embarrassment of riches in some ways: no matter your counter size, color preference, or feature request, there’s a microwave out there for you. 

Regarding workhorse microwaves, the LG LMC2075ST NeoChef countertop microwave gets the job done. At two cubic feet, it’s big enough to reheat a casserole in one go but too big for any limited counter space. It’s easy to clean and powerful, but it offers limited sensor cook and reheat settings. The buttons can also be fidgety and presets aren’t always intuitive.

Overall, the LMC2075ST is a perfectly fine microwave if you’re just looking for a workhorse to get the job done, but if you’re looking for something next level, you might want to go elsewhere.

LG LMC2075ST: Price & availability

The NeoChef LMC2075ST retails for $279 on the LG site. Looking at other microwaves on the Best Buy site, that appears to be just about the median price for ovens that measure 2 cubic feet or more, with prices ranging from $166.79 for a Galanz ExpressWave to $1049 for a stainless steel Viking microwave. Most brands that are comparable to LG are pricing their ovens around $250, and many of the features seem to be fairly similar. 

You can buy the NeoChef LMC2075ST at any number of online retailers, including Best Buy, Home Depot, Macy’s, and Amazon. 

LG LMC2075ST: Setup

The NeoChef comes packed tightly into a fairly large cardboard box, weighing around 44 pounds. You’ll need a buddy to help you get it out of the box, and even then, it can be a challenge: We eventually just had to cut down one of the sides of the box to get ours out, even with the help of a spouse. 

The setup is fairly easy. The microwave’s glass tray is set at the top of the box, and once you have the unit out and plugged in, you can just open it, throw down the turntable base and tray, and you’re good to go. Most packaging material seems recyclable. Save the plastic bag holding the microwave’s manual.

LG LMC2075ST: Design

From the instant the LG LMC2075ST NeoChef comes out of the box, it has a presence. At two cubic feet, it’s a seemingly enormous microwave and one that, when purchased in all black, can suck the light out of any airy counter space. It comes across as a sort of appliance monolith with a flat black face and sides. Luckily, the microwave does come in multiple color options, so buyers can choose from black, white, stainless steel, and black stainless steel, meaning you can customize your choice to some degree. 

The microwave’s button panel is flat and seems fairly straightforward. There are buttons for setting the clock and cook duration, as well as “sensor reheat,” “sensor cook,” “popcorn,” and “defrost” buttons. The on-off buttons are clearly labeled, and the microwave’s door opens when you push the button below the keypad.

That button, however, can be a bit iffy. To get the door quickly, you have to hit the button in the right spot—on the left side, ideally—lest the button slightly compress and then bounce back. It can be annoying, especially if you’re zooming around your kitchen doing other things and then have to stop and make a concerted effort to get into your microwave.

The LG LMC2075ST NeoChef comes with fairly standard microwave options, and while it’s great that microwaves these days have a “popcorn” button, we were left wanting a bit more. The “sensor cook” button has just six presets—bacon, fresh vegetables, frozen entree, frozen vegetable, oatmeal, potato, and rice—while the “sensor reheat” mode offers just five: beverage, casserole, dinner plate, pie, and pizza. (Honest question: Who reheats pie that much? And what kind of pie? Apple? Are there other kinds of pies you’d want to reheat quickly? But we digress). 

The NeoChef has a couple of cool inclusions, though, including a hexagonal turntable base, which is easy to install and less prone to tilt than a traditional triangle base. We also liked the oven’s EasyClean interior, which was wiped right off with a slightly damp paper towel swipe. Full disclosure: We didn’t test out how the EasyClean would do versus months and months and months of baked-on “college apartment” style grime, but as long as you stay on top of your grease and spills, you should be okay.

LG LMC2075ST: Performance

In general, the NeoChef is a fairly powerful microwave, even compared to other units with similar wattage. We’re not sure why—1200 watts should be the same across units—but when we put in a bowl of soup to cook for two minutes on the NeoChef, it came out absolutely scalding and even baked onto the sides of the bowl at points. 

It’s a great attribute to have if you’re always running behind or have hungry kids—we’d reheat our kid's leftovers for about a minute and always found them perfectly done and ready for little mouths—but it can take a bit to get used to, especially if you’re coming from a less powerful unit. The unit’s defrost setting is similarly powerful, meaning you should probably keep an eye on whatever you’re un-freezing, lest you begin to cook it instead.

We tested the microwave’s sensor reheat setting a few times and always found it perfectly serviceable, if a bit strong. When we put a container of leftover lasagna in and hit the “dinner plate” option, it sizzled and bubbled within about 60 seconds. We pulled it at 90 and found it good to eat, but we’ll note that if we hadn’t been there, the sensor would have kept cooking the leftovers for an additional 90 seconds.

If you like reheating large platters, you’re in luck. The LG LMC2075ST NeoChef is huge. We could put at least four full coffee pots inside on the turntable, though we didn’t test whether reheating them would be as impressive.

There were a couple other things about the LMC2075ST that we weren’t too sold on. First, The door’s opening and closing sounds deafening. It’s fine if you close it softly, but if you have a kid who likes to slam appliance doors closed and walk away, you’ll be shocked by how noisy the NeoChef can be. Perhaps it’s the largeness of the inside creating a sort of sonic echo chamber, but it’s loud.

Also, this is a nitpick, but we wish that the number buttons could correspond to heating times, i.e., hitting the ‘2’ would make the microwave cook for two minutes. Instead, you’ll have to manually type in whatever time you want, which is fine but just takes a few more button pushes. The “start” button does have the 30-second option, which is nice, just in case you’re looking to give something a short blast or want to take that plate of leftovers over the top, heat-wise.

LG LMC2075ST: Care & maintenance

As previously mentioned, the LG LMC2075ST NeoChef is a snap to clean. Its EasyClean surfaces wipe right off, and because the microwave’s front button panel is all one piece, too, you don’t have to worry about digging crud out of little insets. 

The microwave manual also includes cleaning instructions detailing how to clean the interior, exterior, control panel, and accessories. Abrasive cleaners, steel wool, gritty washcloths, and some paper towels should be avoided lest they harm the oven’s surfaces.

LG LMC2075ST: User reviews

Users online seem to think the LG LMC2075ST NeoChef is a solid buy. Amazon users give it 4.2 stars out of 5 with over 160 reviews, and Best Buy customers give it a 4.5-star rating with over 5,000 reviews.

One five-star Amazon reviewer hailed the NeoChef’s alarm tune, which sounds when your cooking cycle is over. As they explain, “It is a little tune but quieter than a loud BEEP BEEP BEEP." Other reviewers agree that the microwave is powerful, with one five-star Best Buy customer writing, “Heated up several items, ramen soup, pulled pork, soup, potatoes, and each one was heated thru evenly. Zero cold spots…My son cooked ramen soup. As with our old microwave, he set the cooking time to 3 minutes. He noticed it was boiling at the 2-minute mark and removed the bowl. He said they were done.” 

Some reviewers also say the NeoChef can be a cheaper alternative to a built-in microwave, citing how the unit fits with some trim kits. We can’t vouch for this, given the manual’s stated guidelines for how much clearance you’d need on the top and sides of the oven lest you start a fire, but if you can give it the room, maybe it could work.

LG LMC2075ST: Expert advice

Sandy Cook, a salesperson at Pasadena Kitchens in Southern California, says that larger-scale microwaves like this one are mainly meant for people who aim to do a lot of cooking in their small appliances. Cook said the perks of the NeoChef LMC2075ST include the hexagonal ring, which she says allows you to put heavier and taller items on the turntable, as well as the microwave’s interior LED lighting, which she says makes the inside much easier to see at night or in the dark. 

These days, Cook says, buyers should expect a good microwave to last “at least ten years.” That’s assuming buyers clean their ovens, use them gently, and give them proper clearance. “Everything is built to last at least ten years,” says Cook, “but sometimes that doesn’t happen.” 

Would I buy the LG LMC2075ST?

If your old microwave broke and you’re in the market for something for all your most basic microwave needs, the LG LMC2075ST NeoChef is a solid choice. If you’re looking to upgrade your microwave game, though, or want a unit that does more than just reheat food and zap oatmeal, then you might want to consider upgrading to a combination microwave/air fryer/convection oven, which does seem like it could be the kitchen wave of the future. 

Overall, we found the NeoChef to be a perfectly adequate microwave. We liked its size and how easy it was to clean, but we were irked by little details, like the loud door, the wonky button, and the lack of quick-cooking buttons.