Panasonic - 2.2-Cu. Ft. Built-In/Countertop Cyclonic Wave Microwave Oven with Inverter Technology - Stainless Steel

I bought this Panasonic microwave to replace an older model because it is the same size as our old one and I did not need to buy a new frame and mounting kit. The control panel is very different from the old one, but we have adjusted to it fairly well. I do miss not having a number pad for setting the run time. The +/- symbols run very quickly and it is hard to get the exact time you need on the first try. I think Panasonic was trying to correct a problem that did not exist! Overall it is a very good unit and it works well

This Panasonic microwave fit nicely into the built in area above my range. The trim kit was a bit of a pain to install and required carpentry skills which Best Buy took care of. Despite having no numerical keypad, and a bunch of unusual symbols, the microwave works well.

My last microwave oven lasted more than 20 years. This unit is far superior to many of the microwave units I have researched.

I'm a terrible cook so I pretty much eat food cooked in a microwave all the time. I previously had a smaller, low power microwave. It did the trick but wasn't the greatest due to it's small size and low power. It was a 0.7 cubic foot, 900 watt microwave. Needless to say, this one is significantly larger and more powerful. Just from this alone, it took a bit getting used to. Normally, with my older microwave, if I was cooking something that said to cook it for 3 minutes, I'd have to cook it for 5 in my older microwave. This habit is kind of hard to break. This Panasonic Prestige Plus is pretty much the last (hopefully) microwave I'll ever need. It's powerful and I can put much larger leftover bowls. Cooking time is much less now since this is a 1250 watt microwave. This thing cooks quite evenly which my older microwave did not. Cooking soup or TV dinners, the food is evenly cooked however I noticed the bowl gets much hotter than before. I managed to defrost some steaks as well which went pretty smoothly. My older microwave couldn't even do this. To be honest, this thing has so many features that I haven't even been able to use them all. It's quite robust in that respect so this is more than just a microwave in my opinion. One of the drawbacks to this the touch panel. Most microwaves I've seen usually have some text on the buttons so you know what it does. This one does not. I had to read the instruction manual to figure out what the buttons do so, over time, I'll get the hang of it. Other thing to keep in mind is that this microwave is pretty big. It's almost twice the size of my older one so you'll need to have a large space to put this thing in. Fortunately, i have a stand alone cabinet which just happened to be big enough to place this thing on to. While this isn't for most peoples needs, I think it;s a great appliance to have. For those people, like me, that use microwaves religiously, having a top end microwave really helps out in the long run.

My previous microwave sensors broke down to the point I was unable to use any of its features except manual time entries. I was in the market for a reliable microwave that has good sensors to reheat my food. I have been very impressed with the Panasonic microwave on re-heating up food along with the features. However there is a small learning curve trying to navigate through their touch panel. Pros: Price per Features (ex:"3 Stage Cooking", "Keep Warm", "Inverter Turbo Defrost") Uses Inverter Technology Sensors Large Capacity Includes "Microwave Shortcuts" and "Cooking Techniques" Cons: Touch Panel Learning Curve ::Installation:: The installation was very easy and arrived in good packaging. When installing remember to remove the film that is protecting the surface from scratches. There is a little paper marker to notate however if in a hurry you could miss it as the film blends in very well. The manual that comes with it is like a book. There are so many features and how to navigate through the touch panel that I wished Panasonic created a "Cheat Sheet" chart. ::Cooking / Reheating:: This microwave uses Inverter Technology which basically means the power level adjusts per heating heating load. It uses a power motor instead of a magnetic coil which is suppose to be more energy efficient. I am unable to speak towards the energy efficiency as I have not noticed a difference however the Inverter heating method has been very impressive. This technology allows for things like defrosting / cooking food alot faster with less nutrient reduction. I really am impressed with how large the capacity is within, you can pretty much fit a small turkey in it. ::Owners Manual:: The manual is so huge that I actually had to create a separate section just to talk about it. It is packed with so much useful information that I strongly recommend to read through it. I know many discard manuals however it would be a huge loss if you discard this one. First section is installation / safety features, however past that is where the true value comes in. They have a nice "Cookware Guide" to assist with the container you are placing inside to warm up. They then have a large dedicated section for the input panel functions and icon descriptions. I wish they had ability to input digits instead of using a +/- bar for timer. The next section of the manual they go into some of the unique features. For example the "3 Stage Cooking", "Keep Warm", "Coffee/Milk Feature", "Popcorn Feature", "Sensor Reheat / Sensor Cook Feature" and "Inverter Turbo Defrost Feature". The next section includes the Defrost Tips and Sensor Cooking Chart which I recommend reading through to get the most out of your sensor cooking. I was very impressed on how you can take advantage of the sensor cooking on this microwave. After that section there is a random "Microwave Recipes", I call it random because it is placed between the sensor cooking and cook timer features. It would have been better to move that to its own section so its not missed. I have tried the Mac n Cheese recipe and it turned out really good! My favorite section of the manual is towards the end (pg. 24-27) the "Microwave Shortcuts" and "Cooking Techniques" I wish they had this as a separate book or at front of manual. The information is extremely valuable as cooking with an Inverter is different versus a magnetic. Overall I would recommend this microwave for anyone in the market for an upgrade or replacement. The features, inverter cooking method and sensory are very impressive along with not having to worry about using a magnetic heating element.