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

My main reason for purchasing this was because of the air fryer option. Not too long ago I purchased the Instant Pot Vortex Air Frier, it was my first air fryer and I was so excited to use it only to be disappointed. It was expensive, yet very cheaply made and required constant cleaning! Since my current microwave was old I though 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 absolutely LOVE this microwave!!! I am still learning all the different features but after a couple weeks of trying different functions out here are my thoughts:First off, it is very pleasing to the eye! It has a nice sleek look and the inside is nice looking too. It shipped in a huge box and I thought “oh no this is too big for my space” but after unpackaging it I found it fit perfectly. Although I purchased this for the air fryer option, I have to say my favorite feature is the automatic reheat food function. You don’t have to set a time, just pop your food in and press the start button and it reheats your food to perfection!!! No having to constantly take your food out and mix it and put it back in over and over and have some parts over cooked!For testing out the cooking functions I used recipes from the Drop App (which is very handy by the way!) I started out with the easiest one I could find, the Udon Noodle Bowl that uses the microwave function. Everything in the dish was fresh (except the pre-cook Udon noodles) and in 5 mins it was done! Next I wanted to use the air fryer option, so I made the Teriyaki Glazed Salmon. It was really easy to make and turned out great. However, the salmon was a little funny looking when I turned it over due to it laying on top of the broccoli. I also used the Combo 2 feature to make baked potatoes to go with the salmon and they turned out just like they were cooked in the oven! I was also amazed at the fact the microwave was still clean after cooking/air frying and required nothing more than a little wipe with a cloth. My Vortex would have required a complete clean down!Now that I was feeling more comfortable with the unit, I decided to try something a little more challenging. I made the Plant Based Meat Lasagna, but I used regular ground beef since I am not a fan of plant based. This recipe uses the Combo 1, Microwave, and Convection bake functions. It sounds like a lot, but It was surprising easy. It would have turned out perfect if I had not of accidentally put my mozzarella cheese on before I was supposed to, but aside from my over cooked cheese on top it was delicious! I also air fried some chicken tenderloins and brussel sprouts.All in all, I am very impressed. It goes beautifully with all my other stainless steel appliances and so far has been fairly easy to use. Some of the cons I have is that after every use the fan still runs for a little (I am assuming to cool it back down) which can be a little noisy and like all other stainless steel appliances you have to constantly remove finger prints from it. The air fryer basket is very large and holds a lot, but it is not the easiest to clean. I also find it a little difficult to use the air fryer for things outside the recipes in the drop app, the owner’s manual gives time guides for a handful of items like frozen foods and meats but not for vegetables. Googling air fryer times the temperature are different and this doesn’t allow you to choose air fryer temperature so I did have to play around with the timing a bit. I have provide some images of the unit and things that I have cooked. I would definitely recommend this and it would be a great unit for a college student who lives in a dorm!

I've had this oven for almost 6 months. At first I was a bit annoyed with it, but it was mostly used at error. I am now very happy that I purchased it. I have a 36 inch main oven and it always seemed ridiculous putting two potatoes or two portobello mushrooms in it, the convection bake works perfectly for those types of things. The microwave works just as one would hope. And once you get used to the fact that a you always have to press the unlock button and be even after using the microwaving, it still has to cool, it's actually a great product.

First, this is a great appliance. Had a Panasonic microwave for years 10+ years that worked flawlessly and would still have it except that the door opening button/mechanism broke. That’s how I ended up in the market for a new one, and Panasonic was my default first choice.We also had an old, beat up toaster oven that lived in our pantry and we would have to drag it out and set it up on the counter to use it. It was the right tool for many jobs where a microwave just wouldn’t do the food justice: reheating pizza, poultry or fish with the skin, or pretty much anything that should be crispy. It made a super useful small oven for when I wanted to cook or heat something too small to warrant heating up the whole over (and house). As convenient as this item was, it didn’t get as much use as it would have if we had the counter space to keep it out and ready to go all the time (we don’t). So, when I saw Panasonic was making combination units like these… it was a natural fit!When I saw this particular unit, it checked all the boxes. A microwave AND a toaster oven? Having a second mini oven just sitting out on my counter is super awesome. We use this thing all the time to roast and reheat and even do some baking. Not only is this a “toaster oven”, it’s a CONVECTION oven. This thing makes awesome chicken wings and does a great job crisping up things.But it’s got more. It’s got a broil option and an AIRFRY option. What?The broil is really just “toast”, but it gets the job done. Well. Some jobs. It can make toast and does “broil”, but the element is under-powered. I’ve tried broiling steaks, pork chops, etc… it never really works out how I imagine it will. I’ve had no luck getting a decent crust to form, or even anything remotely resembling a sear. This might be because the bottom plate still spins on the broil setting and this is probably because the heating element is only proving direct heat on about half space. Whatever the reasons, the result is that long before you will get good browning, the meat will be cooked through. This is disappointing to say the least. It’s actually, I would say, inferior to a standard toaster over or convection toaster oven in these use cases.The next let down, and it is more of a mixed bag here, is the air fry function. Now, a thinking human might ask a basic question here: “what exactly is ‘airfrying’”? And the answer from what I can tell appears to be: marketing. See, if you’re unfamiliar with the concept, there no such thing as frying something with air. Frying requires fat. Now, the idea is that you can emulate/simulate/mimic the results of deep frying a food in fat by instead coating it in a thin layer of far (coat it with some oil by tossing in a bowl or use a spray) and then subjecting it to dry heat where the air is moving very fast. If that sounds a lot like convection, that’s because it is. Most air fryers have much smaller compartments that the spacious interior of this unit. That helps allow the fryer to get all the air on the inside moving quickly enough and maintain the temperature of that air even at higher temps.On this Panasonic, the only difference that I can tell of the Air Fry mode is 2 fold: 1) supposedly the unit runs the convection fan at a higher speed/more consistently, and 2) there’s no temperature control at all. That second part is quite odd to me. I’ve not seen any other air fryer on the market without a temperature control. I guess on this unit the temperature is cranked all the way up for the Air Fry setting? It’s hard to know, you see, because neither the manual, nor the marketing materials are clear on just exactly what it’s doing differently in this mode. But, I can tell you this: it’s not a particularly effective “air frier” compared to other options out there. I don’t have first-hand experience here, I’m just going based on the many Air Frier recipes and videos I’ve tried to follow and gotten nothing close to the results promised, and in some cases the results I clearly observed in the videos (of the recipe creator who is of course using a uni-tasker air frier).This is not to say that the air fry function on the unit doesn’t sometimes prove useful and offer good results for me—just that calling this an air frier and expecting it to stand up to dedicated air frier appliances is a bit of an overstatement. For me, this is a let down, but not a deal breaker by any means.To summarize: f you’re looking at this because you primarily want an air frier and are intrigued that this might also eliminate your need for a separate microwave on your counter, stop now and reconsider. Or try one out first before you commit to the admittedly high price tag here. Be prepared to be disappointed and end up returning it. If, on the other hand, you are looking primarily for a great microwave and you think having the other features would be nice, then definitely consider this. Just be aware that you may still end up wanting/needing to buy a dedicated air frier if that is something that’s important to you.This same point should be taken with the broil/toaster function. If you’re looking for something to sear cuts of meats, or if you toast bread a lot, this might not be the droid you’re looking for. If those features are just nice to haves that you think would be handy in some niche kitchen scenarios, then by all means consider this.I hope Panasonic improves on this design and concept, because it really is a nice overall appliance. It’s great microwave (though lower power than my last Panasonic—something which I’m occasionally reminded of when reheating large items). And it’s also a great convection oven, although preheat times are slow and heat loss when you open the door to put your food in is a big issue (it’s a problem with any oven really, but the small size here makes it a bigger problem, I think). But the notion of a single appliance on your counter that can microwave, bake, roast, broil, air fry, and everything else is an awesome one. I haven’t seen any competitor bring a unit to market with a broad a set of features. The combo cook modes are especially compelling (for example it can microwave and then automatically broil to crisp something up… something it does better in theory than reality, but does work well for some kinds of things like casseroles). I could see this being especially handy in an RV, cabin, or dorm room situation. This and an Instant Pot would be all you’d need! This is welcome addition to my kitchen as is, but a 2nd gen option needs to increase the wattage on the microwave, GREATLY increase the power of the broiler, and improve the air fry feature to better serve in that role and compete with actual air friers out there.Last note is that this thing comes with 3 accessories required for its use: a metal plate that the manual insists is required when using any of the non-microwave cook settings without ever explaining WHY this would be (it doesn’t SEEM like it should be… but I don’t know if I want to risk it to find out), a metal rack that puts the food more in the center of the oven, and a metal basket that the manual insists MUST be used when air frying and MUST NOT be used when baking/broiling etc. Again, without explaining why. What? I mean, that makes no sense. It would be really helpful, Panasonic (if you are listening), to explain to your customers the reasoning behind the instructions in cases where it’s not at all obvious. I mean, is this just a recommendation? Because it’s written as a requirement and even as a recommendation, I don’t see the rationale. I’ve used my basket in convection mode and nothing has exploded and I’ve used air fry mode with just the metal rack and it was fine… so…This does add a bit of complexity. The controls are also somewhat non-intuitive and you’ll have to actually read the manual if you actually plan to use the many features of this thing. The different rules for which things you need to use when cooking on which modes and which things not to use on which modes seems more cumbersome than it would be if it was explained why and increases the learning curve a bit.One last word of caution: if you are someone who uses a microwave lid (you know, those plastic covers that keep the food you’re heating from splattering inside the microwave), get rid of that. Eventually, sooner or later, you will leave that in the oven and forget it’s in there and preheat the convection oven only to find it’s melted (or worse). Since microwaves are things we have historically not had to worry about melting/combusting things, having one that is also an actual oven does require a slight shift of mindset and alertness when it comes to old habits. No one would ever leave a plastic lid in a real oven, but with a microwave one might do so without a second thought. So, yeah, just something worth consciously noting in your brain right from the get go, rather than waiting until you melt or ignite something. I, personally, am above such errors and mistakes, of course. This is in no way rooted in my own shameful “teachable moment”. Of course not.

I reviewed and tested various brands of similar price and decided to go with this. It has been two years and absolutely love it. I bought it initially to save counter space instead of having separate microwave and a air fryer. It has a decent capacity and user friendly. You do have to remember not to confuse some of accessories that came with it are made with metal material and do not use them in microwave mode.