This Panasonic Combination Microwave Can Steam, Grill and Bake Too!

For the past few months I had been toying with the idea of getting a microwave. I cook quite a lot of food and always have plenty of leftovers. Some end up in lunchboxes, others as the next meal. And because some foods are just difficult to reheat well (I’m thinking of lasagnas, quiches etc…) getting a microwave sounds like the perfect solution, to save time and to avoid burning leftover dishes.

As part of my collaboration with Panasonic on their #ExperienceFresh campaign I recently received their Combination Microwave NN-DS596B. I quickly realised that microwave technology had moved on since we last had one over ten years ago. While my first task was to heat up some lunch for the kids’ packed lunches, here was an appliance that could also steam, grill, bake or even multi-task with any of these functions. Let the fun begin!

The Panasonic Combination Microwave is a countertop oven available in a sleek black design. At 27 litres, it is generously sized, and includes a 1,000W inverter microwave plus 1,200W quartz grill. It is accessorised with a square non-stick Panacrunch pan which cleverly absorbs the microwaves and transfers them into heat.

Over the past few weeks this microwave has proved to be invaluable. From heating up leftovers, defrosting, steaming vegetables and baking desserts to even roasting a chicken.

1. MICROWAVE FUNCTION
   The Panasonic Combination Microwave NN-DS596B offers 6 different power levels from 100W to 1,000W so you can use it to defrost, simmer, warm up or get your food piping hot. The instruction manual contains some detailed charts to help defrost a wide range of food.
   
2. STEAM FUNCTION
   This is probably my favourite function of this Panasonic Combination Microwave as it lets you steam fresh and frozen vegetables, potatoes, fish, meat and rice. It works simply by injecting steam at the top of the oven. You simply lay the food on the Panacrunch tray and  the Turbo Steam will cook the food to perfection, preserving vitamins and minerals as well as flavour and moisture. This is ideal if you prefer cooking low fat options.
   
   
   To make things easier, the Panasonic Combination Microwave has numerous pre-programmed options. The instruction manual is very straightforward and after you enter the weight of what you want to cook, the oven automatically calculates the cooking time.
   
   I tried a combination of vegetables such as broccoli, carrot, cauliflower, asparagus etc.. and everything came out with the perfect taste and crunch.
   
   
   
   All you have to do is fill up the water tank at the bottom.
   
   
3. GRILLING
   With three different grill settings Low, Medium or High you can use this oven to  cook meat, fish, pizzas or even toasts! The Panacrunch pan conducts heat to the food and is perfect for grilling or browning as well as giving crusts, quiches and pies an extra crunch. No more soggy heated up pizzas!
   
   
4. OVEN
   The oven mode uses top and bottom heat with a temperature range of 40ºC to 220ºC. The lowest setting is great to prove bread or pizza dough while the highest enables you to roast potatoes or bake pizzas. I used the oven to roast a chicken as well as baking quiches and desserts. Conveniently, you can use normal metal baking tins in this cooking mode.

Designed for convenience, you can use a combination of the functions above. For example grill and microwave are perfect together for dishes such as lasagnas, gratins, meats or potatoes. The Panasonic Combination Microwave NN-DS596B also allows for multi-stage cooking so you can program it to defrost and cook, or grill and cook etc… The possibilities are endless.

The instructions manual has a selection of recipes which is ideal to help you get to know this microwave oven.

I really enjoyed testing out the  Panasonic Combination Microwave NN-DS596B and created this healthy recipe for low carb Asian sweet potato noodles using the turbo steam function. Served in a peanut butter, sesame and lime dressing, this recipe makes a good alternative to a heavy carb pasta salad.

FULL SPECIFICATIONS

Overall I was extremely impressed by the versatility and performance of the Panasonic Combination Microwave NN-DS596B. This a great appliance that you can have as your main oven or as a secondary one. If used as a main oven, it is worth keeping in mind that it might be difficult to cook several dishes at once. This is however a high end appliance that will come handy for everyday cooking. While it is not necessarily cheap, I feel it is still very good value for money. Available from Panasonic at £349.99.

This is a commissioned post and recipe for Panasonic. All views and opinions are my own.

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