Panasonic Inverter 1.6 cu. ft. Countertop Microwave

"I bought this oven based on power and capacity. The power is there; but the capacity is flat. I would have trouble heating a tall soup container in here because it would barely fit.



That said, it heats well and the sensor controls are convenient. However, they tend to heat things more than I want on a reheat cycle (I basically do not want to wait for reheated food to cool down).



Also, a quick half-minute button would have been a nice touch as this is the most common time I use.



The display is elaborate and a bit overkill; but the feature to remind me that heated food is still in the oven is a nice touch.



I took away one star for the fact that the oven is not tall enough to accommodate a lot of the containers I normally use to reheat food."

"I was an early adopter of microwave ovens. I bought an Amana Radarange back in the 1970s. It was noisy, big, heavy, and cost a month's salary, but I loved it. It controlled the cooking level by cycling the magnetron (the thing that generates the microwaves) on and off for a fraction of a second. For example, at 50% power, the mag would be on for a half second, then off for a half second. I could actually simmer foods at a low boil in the Radarange. I could defrost a frozen steak without having it cooked around the edges.

I didn't realize how valuable that feature was until I was forced to replace the Radarange a few years later. All microwave ovens I've had since then (until now) controlled the cooking level by cycling the magnetron on and off on a multiple-second cycle. For example, at 50% power, the mag might be on at full power for 5 seconds, then off for 5 seconds. It's like having a gas oven that controls its baking level by sending in bursts of 650-degree air for a few minutes, then shutting off for a few minutes -- it's better to be able to set the cooking temperature at a constant 325 degrees.

If all you do is make popcorn or heat instant coffee, that microwave design is fine. But if you want to cook something at a low simmer, or defrost frozen hamburger, it's all but useless. The food you want to simmer actually boils furiously during the seconds that the mag is on, then cools down while it's off. The food you want to defrost is cooked through on the outside before the inside is defrosted.

So I was excited to read the description of the "Turbo Inverter" feature of this Panasonic oven, and I bought it. It's even better than my old Amana Radarange! As I understand it, this oven doesn't control the cooking level by switching the mag on and off. Instead, the mag is on continuously while the oven is running, but its power output is modulated from 10% to 100%.

I'm happy. With my Panasonic Turbo Inverter I can once again simmer soups without having them boil over. I can once again defrost foods without cooking the outsides and losing juices.

If you use your microwave oven for actual cooking, you should get one of these."

"This microwave is a good buy, offers a lot of interior room, and power, and looks great. I did an 11-1/2lb. ham in it, which was really too big, and it barely fit, yet it sensor cooked it perfectly! The control panel allows for many special food & cooking settings, yet is simple to master. But it's greatest feature, in my opinion, is the "inverter technology" it uses for power levels below 100%. That makes for more consistently heated foods, and you don't get hot & cold spots when thawing frozen items, especially ground beef, like in other microwaves that simply cycle 100% of the power on & off. The only reason I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5, is because I only need to see how long of a life I get out of it, but it certainly performs at a 5 star level. I'm really happy with it so far. [...]"

"Previous microwave broke down so needed replacement. Counter size was important but wanted large capacity, features, and over my last wattage of 1000 watts. This Panasonic model was perfect. Has 1250 watts, plenty of features/options including Sensor Reheat, Sensor Cook, Inverted Turbo Defrost, Keep Warm, Quick Minute, Popcorn, More/Less, and a Function button to set child lock, daylight saving time, languaged, etc. Nice-sized turntable. Easy to clean.[...]"

"This oven is very easy to use; the owner's manual is easy to understand and gives simple instructions in how to use the oven. The biggest drawbacks to the oven itself are the popcorn and automatic sensor features. The popcorn setting leaves quite a few unpopped kernals; if you use the "More Time" button it tens to scorch, NOT burn, the popcorn. When heating leftovers using the "Sensor Reheat" mode, the food is sufficiently heated prior to the actual timing countdown begins; if used to completion of the cycle, the food would be burned. It is easier just to estimate the time and power setting and set them yourself. The same goes for the "Sensor Cook" setting. In spite of these, I still like the oven, and would purchase another if I needed it."

"Although it was very large in size and ran loud, I really liked this microwave. The defrost option worked great unless it was chicken. The chicken would spoil everytime. The 1,250 watts was really nice. This microwave wasn't even 3 years old when it went out. Last week I was baking a potatoe when I started hearing popping sounds and then the microwave shut itself off prematurely. When I walked over to it, I could smell a burnt odor. I tried turning it back on and it shut itself off again after about 3 seconds and I smelt more burning. I am not happy. I had a Kenmore that still worked after 13 years when I gave it away; it probably still works. urr"

"We had a Panasonic microwave for 28 yrs, just recently the turntable quit turning even though it still worked. When we bought this microwave it was very easy to use at a time when all other microwaves were so hard to operate, so naturally we looked at a Panasonic when looking to purchase another. We weren't disappointed, this new one has the inverter for defrosting and it performs exactly the way they claim, very nice looking, and guess what easy to use like our old one, kudos to Panasonic for the ease of use like our old one, if something ain't broken don't fix it!!!!"

"I always thought Panasonic products were of high quality and I am wrong.

After I received the shippment, I took it out of the box for immediate use. The appearance was attractive. After the initial preparation, I warmed up a cup of water. I worked. At firt I was impressed by its absolute quietness. It did not make any noise at all, absolutely no noise. Next, I cooked something else and set the cooking time for more than 2 miniutes. This unit shut itself off after 2 minutes no matter what I did to it. I called the repair service and they confirmed that it was a defective unit. Was the absolute quietness a result of a non-working fan? Boy, Boy, Boy, Panasonic sells defective products. I am sure I am not the only soul to get a defective item."

"I bought this unit as a replacement for an older model. I would and did buy it again.I love the inverter power control."

"I just purchased this microwave over the internet. If it was available in the store so that I could look at it, I probably would not have bougjht it.

When I took it out of the box I cut my fingers on the edges. They are sharp and not rounded or smoothed down.

I will have to be careful when using it. Since I just got it I can't give a cooking review.

Warning be careful when opening the door or cleaning the unit around the edges.

I also wish threre was a cookbook included."