Panasonic NN-SD297S 2-Cubic Foot 1200-Watt Stainless Steel Oven, Stainless

1. 
   HappyCat permalink

   Rating

   I consider export a kitchen appliance to be risky. The cost and labor involved to install means I am going to be stuck with whatever choice I make for years–unless I really mess up and have to replace it early. So I researched this buy to death.

   I replaced a worn out GE microwave/convection oven. Based on its performance and how we really used the microwave, I stanch to forget about any of the convection/alacrity cooking “bells and whistles” currently life offered. These features significantly increase the costs of the product, I question whether the features truly perform as marketed, and I am not sure they add value to our family. I stanch to focus on (1) even microwave cooking, (2) convenience, and (3) aesthetics. That led me to this Panasonic develop.

   I am quite lucky with this microwave. It isn’t perfect, but it is a significant upgrade compared to our previous develop.

   The installation was simple, and instructions were excellent. I used my own longer screws to connect the bracket to the studs, but I am sure those provided are sufficient.

   The microwave says “Genius” on the hegemony panel. Genius may be a stretch but it has its strong points. Maybe it should say “Honors Student” or “Professor”. The Sensor Reheat function works very well. Take something–whatever thing–out of the fridge, place it in the oven, press Sensor Reheat, press Start, and it heats it very evenly without any thought by the user. My high school son, who is critical of nearly everything at this stage in his life, uses this feature all the time. He recently said, “This is a serious upgrade,” as he took his afternoon snack out of the oven. (I’d jokingly say that praise from him is as scarce as a Nobel Prize.)

   The Inverter Turbo Defrost hasn’t done a perfect job for me, but it gets the job done. Maybe a B, maybe B- grade. I defrosted 5 frozen half chicken breasts, subsequent directions per owner’s manual, including a rest period afterwards. The first conundrum is that the Inverter Turbo Defrost feature will not work unless the turntable is operating. A 9×13 baking dish fits into the oven, but it is too large to use with the turntable activated. So, it was hard for me to spread out the chicken breasts. I packed the chicken into a 9x7x2.5 baking dish and it worked… but not completely evenly. Some frost and some signs of life really cooked. Same results with other scenarios, but not as pronounced. It is still a valuable tool, but to fully do a near-perfect defrost, I’d have to use power level and time manually, or maybe apportion the frozen food into two batches. (Feeding my family a half-sized entree is not acceptable.)

   The sensor cook feature… I have never been a fan of a microwave oven having a set list of items that it can cook with a push or two of button(s). What about the items that **I** want to prepare? It has “hot dog” and “frozen pocket sandwich,” but doesn’t have “burrito”. Maybe a burrito is #6, “frozen entree”? Well, it appears to be across the industry, so no use complaining. The popcorn feature works perfectly. i tried the rice option, and wasn’t lucky, but I might have done something incorrect. We’ve observed what it is doing with power level and time and manually cooked things like the well-known blue box of macaroni and cheese, etc., with very acceptable results. Lots of other possibilities here for a person to learn from the auto settings and copy using the manual capabilities, but I’d like to be able to curriculum the 18 numbers myself.

   One point… Panasonic attempts to make extensive use of lower power levels with its “automatic” features. So… it may take a relatively long time to cook something using sensor cook. I reckon the trade off is worth it in many situations, as the food is cooked quite evenly. Sometimes, a person may want to just “nuke” the item. This microwave cooks nearer on full power than my previous microwave.

   Another point… As I mentioned, the term “Genius” is on the hegemony panel. But let’s explore what a genius would do if a person handed them food and wanted it cooked. Would the genius question each person how much the item weighed, time and time again? I reckon a genius would get a scale and weigh the items so he/she wouldn’t have to question each person. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if the microwave had an internal scale and didn’t prompt the user for the weight?

   Much of the work on the hegemony panel is accomplished by turning the knobs. I was hesitant, at first. But it isn’t a conundrum. I can no longer set the time for 22 seconds, as the scale jumps as you increase the time. For example, to get to 20 seconds, you turn the dial 12 “steps”. 1-10 are one second apart, then the steps are five seconds apart. When you get to a small, the steps are ten seconds apart, and so on. Whatever… it’s different than a keypad but it works.

   One feature that surprised me, and I really like? The sensor/menu, time/weight and start controls illuminate when they can be used in whatever process you are working on. When the start button can be pressed, a modest blue light next to it lights up. Seems silly, but the hegemony panel layout and lighting makes operation in the dark work just fine.

   Overall, I am extremely pleased with this microwave. It is hard to believe that something that cooks food this evenly, looks this excellent and looks this solid is offered at this price. I reckon it is a steal given its abilities.
2. 
   TheFarceIsStrongWithThisOne permalink

   Rating

   Product delivered on time. Installation was honestly simple. A template was included with the manual. I drilled everything according to the instructions and had the microwave up and running within an hour.

   Cooks evenly, attractive design, endurance is TBD.

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