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

The main reason I bought this appliance was the ability to use a deep fryer. I bought an Instant Pot Vortex Air Frier not long ago, it was my first air fryer and I was so excited to use it only to be disappointed. It was expensive but very cheaply made and required constant cleaning! As my current microwave was old I figured this would be the perfect replacement and would allow me to also get rid of the space my Vortex was taking up on my countertop! I LOVE this microwave! I'm still learning the different features, but after trying different features for a few weeks, here are my thoughts: First, it's very pleasing to the eye! It has a nice sleek look and looks good on the inside too. It was sent in a huge box and I thought "oh no, it's too big for my space" but after unboxing I found it fit perfectly. Although I bought this for the deep fryer option, I have to say my favorite feature is the auto food reheat function. You don't need to set the time, just put the food in it and press the start button, and it will heat up your food perfectly! No need to constantly take out food, mix and match and put back again and again and digest parts too! To test the cooking features, I used recipes from the Drop app (very handy btw!), starting with the simplest I could find, a bowl of udon noodles that uses the microwave function. Everything in the dish was fresh (except the pre-cooked udon noodles) and everything was ready in 5 minutes! Then I wanted to use the deep fryer, so I made Teriyaki Glazed Salmon. It was really easy to make and turned out great. However, the salmon looked a little weird when I turned it over because it was on top of the broccoli. I also used the combo 2 feature to cook baked salmon potatoes and they came out like they were oven cooked! I was also blown away by the fact that the microwave stayed clean after air cooking/frying and only needed a little wiping with a cloth. My vortex needs a complete clean! Now that I was more comfortable with the device, I decided to try something more complex. I made a plant-based meat lasagna, but I used regular ground beef since I'm not a fan of plant-based. This recipe uses the Combo 1, Microwave, and Convection features. Sounds like a lot, but it was surprisingly easy. Everything would have been perfect if I hadn't accidentally spread the mozzarella cheese earlier than necessary, but other than my overcooked cheese on top, it was amazing! I also air fried some chicken fillets and Brussels sprouts. All in all I am very impressed. It pairs beautifully with all my other stainless steel appliances and has been pretty easy to use so far. Some of the downsides I have are that the fan keeps running for a bit after each use (I think to cool it down) which can be a bit noisy and like all other stainless steel devices you have to permanently remove fingerprints from it. . The air fryer basket is very large and can hold a lot, but it is not easy to clean. I also find it a bit difficult to use the air fryer for things beyond the recipes on the Drop app. The instruction manual lists time limits for some items, like frozen foods and meats, but not for vegetables. If you google the fryer time the temp is different and you can't select the fryer temp so I had to play around with the time a bit. I have provided some pictures of the device and things I have prepared. I would definitely recommend it and it would be a great device for a student living in a dorm!