Is it worth buying an expensive microwave oven?

Budget Panasonic Microwave

Many households have a microwave for the convenience that they offer, but by spending more you can buy a home appliance that does far more than just reheating leftovers. So, is it worth buying an expensive microwave oven?

Here, we look at three Panasonic microwave options at different price points to find out the answer.

Panasonic NN-E28JBMBPQ Microwave Oven

The Panasonic NN-E28JBMBPQ Microwave Oven is a bestseller when it comes to microwaves, and its simple design and great features make it easy to see why. Black in colour and compact enough for any kitchen countertop, this microwave measures 25.8 x 44.3 x 34cm in size and weighs just 11kg with a 1m cord length and a 20l capacity.

Panasonic Budget Microwave
Panasonic NN-E28JBMBPQ Microwave Oven
A best-seller with cracking reviews and just £99.99 from johnlewis.com

Despite its size, the Panasonic NN-E28JBMBPQ Microwave Oven packs a powerful punch with 800W of power at its disposal, and five different power levels to choose from.

With an enamel liner that makes it very easy to clean and maintain, and a child lock feature to prevent little ones from adjusting settings or getting their fingers trapped, this is the perfect option for a family home.

Some may find this microwave to be a little noisy when running, but with speedy cook times this is unlikely to cause an issue for most.

Budget microwave with lots of features
With nine autocode programs, the Panasonic NN-E28JBMBPQ Microwave Oven is able to cook, defrost, and reheat all of your favourite foods.

Its three auto cook programs include jacket potatoes, fish, and vegetables, the three auto defrost programs are for bread, meat, and meat joints, and you can choose auto reheat options for your curries, Chinese takeaway leftovers, and pizzas.

This microwave boasts a digital panel for easy operation, and offers more precision than a dial. You can set 30 seconds with one touch and can increase the time in 30 second increments for speedy use.

The Panasonic NN-E28JBMBPQ Microwave Oven is ideal for those looking for a microwave for a convenient addition to the kitchen rather than for trying to create culinary masterpieces, and certainly has everything needed for speeding up the cooking process when needed.

Panasonic NN-SD27HSBPQ Microwave

If you’re looking for a mid-range microwave with a few extra features, the Panasonic NN-SD27HSBPQ Microwave could be the one for you. Measuring 28 x 49 x 40cm in size and weighing 9.5kg, this home appliance has a 23l capacity which makes it ideal for cooking, reheating, or defrosting large family meals.

Stainless steel microwave
Panasonic NN-SD27HSBPQ Microwave
A mid-priced option with lots of features and the reassurance of 5-star reviews.
£169.99 From johnlewis.com

The Panasonic NN-SD27HSBPQ Microwave boasts 6 power settings with a top wattage of 1000, which means that you can choose between subtle or intense heating depending on what you’re cooking.

With an exterior of stainless steel, this microwave has a sleek and modern look which will look great in any kitchen, and an enamel interior which can be easily wiped down after use.

If easy maintenance is what you’re looking for, you’ll also love the Panasonic NN-SD27HSBPQ Microwave’s aqua clean feature. Simply put a cup of water and lemon juice into the appliance and press the aqua clean button for a steam cleaned microwave free of grime and unwanted odours.

Perhaps the best feature of the Panasonic NN-SD27HSBPQ Microwave is its inverter technology. This technology ensures that the microwave sticks to a constant heat level which ensures that all food is cooked through with no cold spots remaining.

Just add in the weight of the food using the microwave’s buttons and dial and leave it to do the rest! This provides peace of mind that all food will be ready to eat, and ensures that it retains all of its important nutrients, flavours, and vitamins.

Panasonic programs
The Panasonic NN-SD27HSBPQ Microwave has 10 ‘one touch’ programmes which makes it simple to use for all of your cooking needs, and its child safe design makes it suitable for a family home

This microwave is the best mid-range option for those seeking a helpful addition to their kitchen, as it will cook food evenly and quickly without losing any of your meal’s natural goodness.

Panasonic NN-CS894SBPQ Combination Steam Microwave Oven

For those after a microwave that does it all, look no further than the Panasonic NN-CS894SBPQ Combination Steam Microwave Oven. In fact, this microwave is so all-inclusive that it is also a convection oven, grill, and steamer.

4-in-1 microwave
Panasonic NN-DS596BBPQ Freestanding 4-in-1 Steam Combination Microwave Oven with Grill

Sitting at the top-end when it comes to microwaves, the Panasonic NN-CS894SBPQ Combination Steam Microwave Oven is worth its high price point due to the fact that it has so many features.

From roasting and baking food through convection heating to steaming vegetables so that they retain all of their flavour and goodness, this home appliance will also allow you to grill food to perfection using its 1300W quartz grill and reheat food from the inside out using the 1000W microwave function.

Microwave with grill
You can even combine the grill and microwave functions for extra speedy cooking with very tasty results, giving you all that it needed to make a wide range of meals.

The Panasonic NN-CS894SBPQ Combination Steam Microwave Oven is 39 x 49.4 x 43.8cm in size and boasts a 32l capacity, which is larger than the average family microwave. This will allow you to cook two meals simultaneously, making it the ideal option for larger households.

It is also easy to use thanks to its blue light screen which displays which setting you’re using and what the next steps are, and it will prompt you throughout the cooking process to ensure that you get the best out of your food.

This appliance has three operating methods too, which means you can swipe to move between large numbers, tap for precision, and press longer for sequential number changing.

To ensure that you can cook everything you want straightaway, the Panasonic NN-CS894SBPQ Combination Steam Microwave Oven comes with a glass dish, steaming trivet, wire shelf, enamel shelf, and drip tray, so you can get started as soon as you get this high-end appliance home.

So Budget, Mid-Price or Expensive – Which to go for?

When you consider the features on offer, the difference between the cheaper and mid-range microwaves is actually quite small, but spending more on a high-end option definitely gets you more for your money.

If you’re just looking for a convenient option that will enable you to reheat leftovers or quickly defrost something then a budget microwave will suit your fine, but if you want something that will truly transform the way that you cook you will find that splashing the cash could certainly be a good investment.

See Also
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