Panasonic was founded in 1918 by Konsuke Matsushita and is one of the oldest and largest electronics companies in the world. Headquartered in Japan, the company expanded its operations into North America in the early 1960s.
The Appliances Company was founded in 2003 and is the division that focuses on home appliances, and where you’ll find their range of microwave ovens.
Their microwave ovens come in countertop, over-the-range, commercial, and steam-plus series styles and offer many special features, like their inverter technology, which delivers a seamless stream of cooking power, a keep warm setting, and Advanced Inverter Turbo Defrost, which is designed to shorten defrost time.
Inverter technology is the standout feature of the Panasonic microwave oven line, and what, at first glance, makes these microwaves stand out above the rest. Poach, braise, and steam are all things you’d expect to need a stovetop and a set of pots and pans to do. However, with inverter technology, which is unique to the Panasonic line and only one other brand, you can do these things on your countertop.
By actually cooking the food at the appropriate wattage, rather than relying on running in cycles of full power then no power to cook the food over the desired period of time, the result is said to be food that’s cooked evenly all the way through without the dreaded cooked-outside-raw-inside result that you get with many microwave cooked foods.
There are over 100 reviews of their Genius Countertop Microwaves on the company’s Web site. With star ratings ranging from 2 to 5 on their models, you can get a pretty balanced view of what the products offer. On cnet.com, bestbuy.com, and amazon.com, the models reviewed all have a 4-star or slightly higher rating.
Goodhousekeeping.com gave the genius countertop model NN-T664SF a C+. The wide countertop model NN-SF550M scored a slightly higher B-. Panasonic microwave ovens also boast the Good Housekeeping seal, which means they’ve passed certain tests and quality controls.
Warranty information is available on the company’s Web site. A Limited 5-year warranty for the magnetron tube and a limited 1-year warranty on all other parts comes with the purchase of a microwave.
A Panasonic microwave oven will cost you from $85 to a little over $300. You can find less expensive options by shopping around some of the major retailers. Many of their models fall in the $100-$150 price range, which is pretty good compared to similar models with similar features. Many consumers feel like the inverter technology qualifies as an extra bang for their buck.
With consistently high reviews compared to many other big-name brands, a Panasonic microwave oven may be just what your kitchen needs. If you’re looking for an option that cooks food thoroughly and offers the standard features we’ve come to take for granted in a microwave, one of these Japanese genius models might be for you.