Panasonic Microwave with Inverter Technology review: The top microwave we tested

This Panasonic microwave heats well, is easy to use, and has a useful sensor reheating setting. Here's why it won the top spot in our guide.

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If you thought cooking food in the microwave couldn't get any easier, the best microwaves now come with tons of presets and features. When it comes to picking out the best microwave for your household, you want something that heats food well and is dead simple to use. 

After many hours of research, interviewing experts, and testing five microwaves from reputable brands, I found the Panasonic Microwave Oven with Inverter Technology to be one of the best on the market. This microwave has everything that sets a great microwave apart from an average one: even heating, useful preset buttons, and high power output. Here's why the Panasonic microwave earned a top spot in our guide.

Design and specs

The first thing I noticed about the Panasonic microwave is that at 1,200 watts, it cooked food faster than any other model I tested. The buttons themselves are easy to press, and the microwave chimes loudly when it's done cooking. At first glance, this microwave has everything and anything you would need in a standard microwave.

Our microwave testing

With all the microwaves I tested for our guide, I experimented with the marshmallow test — an actual industry-standard experiment to check for hot and cold spots by heating marshmallows for a set period of time. I noticed they all expanded evenly in the Panasonic, and at the end of two minutes, there was only a bit of burning in the very center of the marshmallows. 

How the Panasonic cooks

The microwave's power levels start at P10, the highest cooking level and the default setting, and go down to P0, the Keep Warm level. I tested the Keep Warm level with a small bowl of stir fry sauce that I left in the microwave on P0 for 20 minutes, and it kept the sauce warm without changing its consistency. You can even set up to three stages of cooking, a great feature if you want to cook food and then automatically keep it warm for a few minutes, or if you are defrosting food and then want to cook it immediately after. 

If you want to make popcorn, this microwave makes it super easy. The Popcorn button features three levels based on the amount of corn you're popping. I tested this with a 3.2-ounce bag of popcorn. None of the popcorn burned and only 23 kernels were left unpopped, so I was pretty pleased with this preset feature. 

Sensor reheating 

Aside from cooking food, the microwave also has a Sensor Reheat feature that works well for reheating leftovers. A chart in the manual tells you what sensor level to select for different types of foods, and I tried it with oatmeal, which is Category 2. I selected the corresponding sensor level and started the microwave. Once cooking, it detects the humidity level of the food inside and starts counting down the cooking time. The oatmeal was perfectly warmed and didn't burn or spill over.

The microwave also comes with a Coffee/Milk preset that reheated my cup of coffee perfectly. As someone who despises when my coffee gets cold, I am constantly reheating it, but nothing is worse than the burnt taste it gets after nuking it in the microwave. I was really pleased to find this preset warmed my coffee up to the perfect temperature while keeping its original flavor.

Cons to consider

I was less impressed with the Frozen Food preset that categorizes food groups into numbers, much like Sensor Reheat. I used this when making frozen mac and cheese and found that the microwave grossly overestimated the amount of time needed to cook it. By the time the microwave chimed, the mac and cheese was overcooked and burned at the edges, so I'd stick to package instructions when cooking frozen foods in this microwave. 

I also found the light inside to be too dim, so it was difficult to monitor food while it was cooking. Another minor downside is the noticeable fingerprint smudges on the control panel. If you're someone who is vigilant about keeping your appliances smudge-free, you may find yourself wiping this microwave down frequently.

What are your alternatives?

The Panasonic microwave is a good option for most families. However, if you're specifically looking for something with a larger capacity than standard, we tested and like the Panasonic NN-SD975S Microwave. If you want a microwave that can also cook foods like an oven, the Toshiba Microwave Oven (EC042A5C-SS) is our top choice. For other countertop cookers, check out our guides to the best air fryers and the best toaster ovens. 

The bottom line

The Panasonic Microwave with Inverter Technology is a great option because it has more preset features than your average microwave, and it heats food the best out of the microwaves we've tested. It's a great option for your household, even if you have small children (thanks to the child-safety lock), and will fit most, if not all, your needs.