Panasonic HomeChef 4-in-1 Microwave Oven with Air Fryer, Convection Bake, FlashXpress Broiler, Inverter Microwave Technology, 1000W, 1.2 cu ft with Easy Clean Interior - NN-CD87KS (Stainless Steel)

I replaced a 35 year old Panasonic microwave that was still working. The transition to the microwave function was easy, including defrosting. I read that there was a big learning curve for this 4 in 1 combo. I practiced by twice making cheesy potatoes with the straight convection and then the combo 1 to compare results. I also have learned to use the broiler. I plan on learning each function as I need to use it, including the air fryer. It has been a godsend this week when my traditional oven igniter stopped working. So far, after over a month, I am very pleased with this appliance, including appearance, function, and versatility. The learning curve is true, but not overwhelming. It is a bit noisier because the cooling fan continues after the cooking is done, but it is not an annoyance to me. I would definitely recommend this product.

I had been using a Sharp Carousel microwave (with a power rating of 1100 W) for over 20 years. The Panasonic differs in 3 respect: it uses the newer “inversion” technology, the microwave is rated at only 1000 W, and it has a grilling element on top. It’s taken me a while to adapt (and I’m still modifying my old recipes) but I’ve reached some conclusions. First, the inversion technology really does heat the food more evenly, and makes the device much more useful. I was often reluctant to defrost food with my older machine because the surface 1-2 inches would get too warm while deeper food remained icy. And for the same reason, I rarely cooked any food in it (even homogeneous items like a hamburger). With inversion technology the food heats more evenly and I’ve started to use it for simple meals. At only 1000 W, it takes a little longer to cook food than I would like, but I assume that they reduced the power of the microwave to divert power to to grilling elements. It used to take me 1 min 20 sec to heat water for instant coffee - now it takes 1 min 40 sec; and I could make one potato in 7 minutes while now it takes 7 min 30 sec. This is not a big deal, but I would have preferred a 1100 - 1200 W microwave. Finally, the grilling element is a really nice feature. Previously (in my old microwave), frozen fish fillets came out watery. If made in my toaster oven it took 22 minutes (as specified on the fish carton). With the Panasonic, using combined grilling and microwaving, the fillets cook in 4-1/2 minutes and come out fully cooked and crisp!I’ve noticed many complaints about the machine’s power - especially with the grill. It’s not really discussed in the user manual (but a it was discussed in the manual fro another Panasonic device and it appears to apply to this model as well) - when one selects “combined microwave + grill” the microwave power is reduced to 40% and only one of the 2 grilling elements glow. I assume that this was done to prevent too much power from being used, and possibly to slow the cooking rate down - but it does reduce the power. I have found that for some foods it’s better to use the microwave and grill sequentially rather than simultaneously (For example, I cook frozen french fries using the microwave at power 8 and then brown them with the grill on high power). But for some foods it’s simpler just to use the combination. It takes a bit of experimentation to figure out the best settings for each meal - but having the grill available really does help. It’s simpler than using 2 appliances and foods come out evenly cooked and crispy.On the down-side, the keyboard is poorly thought out. I am used to a numeric keyboard. If I want to cook a thing Power 3 I would press “Power” and the number “3”. With this machine you have to press the Power button repeatedly as it counts down from 10 to 3 with each push. And there are 3 buttons to set the time - one for units of 10 min, one for units of 1 min, and one for units of 10 seconds. (You can’t heat something for 8 seconds or 15 seconds - you can only enter time in 10 second intervals!) Again, it would be so much simpler to press “Time” and then 1-4-0 (for 1 min 40 sec) than to press the 1 min button once and the 10 second button 4 times. I have a few other minor issues with the keyboard, but they are less important. Also as noted, the interior light is too small.All in all, I think this microwave has proven to be more useful than my older machine and I am very happy with the purchase. But due to the reduced microwave power and it’s complicated keyboard system, it gets only 4 out of 5 stars.

This is the best oven I've ever used. This is the best microwave I've ever used. It is a great air fryer and decent broiler. However, this 4 in 1 device does have an extremely high learning curve, which is why I think some people got frustrated and gave it lower ratings. Let's put it this way, after a while of experimentation and following the instructions extremely closely, we're able to perfectly roast a 5lb chicken in 1.5 hours crispy like KFC, bake pumpkin pie with cream brulee like crust, warm up nachos that stay crispy in a couple minutes, and BBQ skewers or cook bacon wrapped hot dogs in 30 minutes. The point is once you dial in your recipes, they are perfect each time! You can also program different microwave power and different time intervals like for warming up a bowl of soup where I warm up at 500 Watts for 5 minutes and 1000 Watts for 1 minute so that it doesn't just leave the edges hot with cold soup in the middle.There are a few downsides: There is a huge learning curve because the interface isn't very intuitive and it takes time to learn how to use each accessory for the food you usually cook, so it takes time reading the manual and experimenting with different recipes. It can be difficult to clean if you wait a long time between cleanings, but there are good instructions on how to steam clean and wipe down everything. The rack did start to change color over time, especially with bacon, but the manufacture was able to reimburse us for a replacement and now we just use foil on the rack to protect it. It is a slower broiler than a toaster oven because there is only 1 heating element at the top so things like toast and skewers only get toasted on one side, but doubling the broiling time and flipping the food solves this issue. Also, we did accidently have butter explode while trying to warm up butter, so now we just microwave on low 300 Watts for a couple minutes to melt perfectly.Despite these downsides, after the learning curve is over with, the food that comes out of this machine is perfect each time like restaurant style so it more than makes up for any inconvenience! The results are so good that I don't even use my full sized oven or dedicated microwave anymore unless there are times where I have to bake or microwave two things at once, but that is very rare. Stick with this machine and after a little experimentation, you won't be disappointed.