Panasonic Inverter Microwave Oven NN-T774 - Design looks great but lacks durability!
Written: Jan 30 '05
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: sleek styling, lots of features, nice menu
Cons: Cheaply made, door broke in under a month!
The Bottom Line: Looks great but doesn't hold up to minimal use!
|
|
|
| marytara's Full Review: |
Last fall when we moved our Sharp Full Size Microwave Oven R-510EK was one of the items that managed to "not make it". Well, it made it to our new home but somehow the menu display had completely bombed out on it. Seeing as it was a few years old, had been used hard, and was a bit too big we decided it was time for a replacement. So, one of the things I asked for Christmas for was a new microwave. So it was no surprise when I received this Panasonic Inverter Microwave Oven NN-T774 as a holiday gift.
My microwave needs I think are pretty "standard". I am a mom to a 4 year old little boy so I do need to make the staple kid food - EZ Mac N Cheese, Hot Dogs, individual pizzas at least once a week or so. My husband and I use the microwave for single mugs of hot cocoa, chai, water for tea, etc on just about a daily basis. Our microwave is also used for popping popcorn, reheating leftovers, and defrosting frozen foods. Pretty usual stuff, right? At least I think so.
Some specifics on the Panasonic Inverter Microwave Oven NN-T774
The Panasonic Inverter Microwave Oven NN-T774 looked like it surely would suit my fairly simple microwave needs and was very attractively styled. I was really excited to have a working microwave again! And, while I would have preferred our microwave to be black to match the rest of our appliances. I did actually really like the Stainless Finish that ours was and how great it looked on the counter top - very modern and space-age looking. I think my mother in law actually by accident purchased me the stainless one instead of black, but that wasn't a deal breaker for me. This model does come in black, white or stainless. I received mine as a gift, but I believe it sells for around $150.
This microwave has 1200W cooking power. It can be used on a countertop of a special trim kit can be purchased so it can be mounted underneath cabinetry. As far as size goes, its smaller than our previous microwave but was still quite roomy. On the outside its dimensions are approximately 12"X22"X20" and inside its 9"X17"X19". I really liked that this microwave didn't take up as much space as my previous Sharp model, but at the same time it could still fit a large casserole dish inside for reheating purposes.
The keypad Panasonic Inverter Microwave Oven NN-T774 have what I'd consider the standard buttons these days but was not the most intuitive to learn how to operate. I'm one of those people who doesn't always read the manual but for this one I did have to! The display reads out in green lettering that scrolls horizontally.
Features on the keypad/display include:
A Clock & a Timer
Power Level (up to 10 levels)
Numbers 0-9
Function Key
More/Less
Quick Minute
Popcorn button
Sensor Reheat
Inverter Turbo Defrost
Sensor Cook: Breakfast, Lunch/Snack, Side Dish, Dinner, Beverages
Keep Warm
Stop/Reset
Start
Some of the Functions include:
-Language Choice (English [default], French, Spanish)
-Measurement Choice (lbs [default] or kgs)
-Display Word Speed (Quick, Medium [default], Slow)
-Menu Action Prompts (the menu will give you directions on how to program things, the default is ON)
-Child Lock (on/off [default])
-Beep (On [default], Off) & Reminder Beep (On [default], Off)
-Clock (On [default], Off) with daylight saving time (On [default], Off)
Our experience with the Panasonic Inverter Microwave Oven NN-T774
This microwave performed well for our basic needs of preparing kid cuisine, reheating leftovers, popping popcorn, defrosting, and preparing hot drinks. In particular I was very impressed with the defrost speed and power that this microwave had. My understanding is that this is one of the famed manufacturer claims of "inverter technology", and I can say that it did impress me. I'm the queen of last minute taking something out of the freezer (chicken, chops, etc) and so the quick defrosting did come in quite handy.
Also very "handy" but what I would consider pretty standard are the beverage button which heats up a 2 cup mug drink and the popcorn button. I do like being able to just hit one button instead of guessing on how many minutes or seconds something might take.
Unfortunately my relationship with our Panasonic Inverter Microwave Oven NN-T774 was pretty short lived. Not even a month later I used the microwave to make some microwave popcorn for the family, and all was well. A few minutes later I went to heat something up for my son and the display was telling me to "close the door". Except, the door was already closed. I asked my husband to take a look at it and we agreed it was broken. Of course, I felt bad that it was broken except I was completely baffled in that I hadn't done anything rough with it. And, the reality was that we really had not used it all too much over the month it was in place! At least no more than what I would consider fairly standard for a family of our size (2 adults, 1 kid, 1 on the way). So, in the end... we returned the Panasonic Inverter Microwave Oven NN-T774 and instead of opting for another identical one I went with a different Sharp microwave since we got a good 5+ years of use out of the Sharp model previously on our kitchen countertop. I feel I should mention that the warranty on this panasonic microwave is for 1 year (5 years for the tube) - but we felt that since it broke in such short time it was better to exchange it for a different model all together.
Happy cooking!
Recommended:
No
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
marytara
|
 in Education, Kids & Family |
 - Top 50 |
|
Member: MT
Location: Jersey Shore
Reviews written: 896
Trusted by: 622 members
About Me:
email to suggest a product for Kids & Family/Education
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.