Induction cooking is usually faster and more precise than gas or electric cooking, but there is no way to bake with a countertop induction cooker. However, Panasonic has managed to develop a countertop induction oven. Is it hot or what?
Panasonic Countertop Induction Oven: Overview
The Panasonic NU-HX100S is a unique kitchen gadget that combines induction technology and infrared heating into a small countertop induction oven. It has an aluminum grill pan that contains a magnetic metal in the center where it makes contact with the induction plate. The heat radiates outward from this central point to heat up the whole grill pan. You cannot use the oven without the grill pan.
Remember to clean the inside of the oven after every use. Be careful when wiping clean the infrared bulbs. Don’t break them! The grill pan is dishwasher-safe. The pan is about 13 or 14 inches wide and might not fit into all dishwasher machines.
This Panasonic countertop induction oven can cook, grill, broil or bake food. Its control panel is relatively easy to use, with a display window and a selection dial. However, keep the product manual close to clarify cooking times and safety precautions. This induction oven is not as user-friendly as you might think. It has an initial learning curve. Refer often to the manual and apply some common sense and cooking experience for the best results.
The 1400-watt induction heating plate seems to have three settings ranging from 320F to 445F. Two infrared heating bulbs broil the food from above. The oven can consume up to 1710 watts when baking food.
You can choose how you want the countertop induction oven to cook the food. Choose the grilling mode to sear and cook meat. Use the broil mode for grilling bacon. There are also three combination modes for cooking vegetables or seafood. The baking mode can bake pizza, bread or cookies. The automatic cooking function is suitable for one-pan meals.
You may also choose one of six automatic programs in order to cook specific dishes:
- Poultry and vegetables
- Fish and vegetables
- Fish
- Frozen pizza
- Toast
- Bagel
This countertop induction oven is shipped with a cookbook that contains recipes created by professional chefs. How these recipes will work for ordinary folks at home is anyone’s guess. We suspect you will have to improvise and create your own recipes that reflect your family’s favorite dishes and your monthly budget more accurately.
The Panasonic NU-HX100S countertop induction oven is a novel idea that might need some refinement in the future. Its oven space is too small for baking a whole chicken, but you can still cook other one-pan meals in its large grill pan. However, it might be too expensive for most people.
How does it cook food?
The induction cooking plate itself does not become hot. Heat is generated in the pot itself via electromagnetism. An electric current passes through the electromagnetic coil of the plate, etc. Look, we are not in the mood to explain the physics of induction heating. You can read more about induction cook tops here.
How long to grill beef steak?
The grill pan needs at least 10 minutes to heat up to the correct temperature. The beef steak requires at least another five minutes to grill.
How long to cook a one-pan meal?
A one-pan meal that consists of meat and vegetables will need at least 25 minutes on the autocook mode from start to finish. No preheating is required. This is definitely quicker than cooking it in a normal oven, which might take up to 60 minutes or more.
Can it bake pizza?
The Panasonic NU-HX100S induction oven can bake a frozen pizza. A 12-inch pizza is the biggest size you can fit inside the oven.
Can it make toast?
You can use the combo function to grill up to four slices of toast from the bottom and the top. However, the oven will take much longer to toast bread slices when compared to an ordinary electric toaster. This induction oven is not recommended for toasting bread quickly, but it will still get the job done.
Countertop Induction Oven vs. Toaster Oven
Let us compare the Panasonic NU-HX100S countertop induction oven to the popular Panasonic FlashXpress toaster oven (I reviewed it here).
First, we should get the price tags out of the way. The induction oven has a higher retail price, while the toaster oven is much more affordable.
Second, both these ovens can bake, broil and toast. They can reheat food and cook frozen pizza. Still, the induction oven can also grill meat and cook one-pan meals.
Third, the toaster oven is smaller and lighter than the induction oven. It takes up less countertop space and is easier to move around.
We hope that the Panasonic countertop induction oven becomes cheaper in the future. The Panasonic FlashXpress toaster oven is certainly a more affordable option which many people might purchase instead.
Conclusion
The Panasonic NU-HX100S countertop induction oven is a very interesting kitchen gadget that combines the most common cooking methods into a single appliance. However, we wish the oven was slightly bigger so that it could bake and broil a whole chicken (available cooking height is only about 3 inches). However, if the oven was bigger, it would take up more countertop space. Still, you could improvise and use chicken pieces instead of a whole chicken.
One of the selling points of this Panasonic countertop induction oven is supposed to be its cooking speed when compared to gas or electric ovens. However, in practice, the time savings are not that noticeable. The oven performs the best with one-pan meals, but it really takes too long to prepare toast. It is also not as good at baking things like pies or bagels when compared to an ordinary oven or toaster oven.
This brings us to the price point. Six hundred dollars? You could buy four countertop toaster ovens for that price! We might consider buying and trying the Panasonic NU-HX100S countertop induction oven if it was 50% cheaper. However, at the moment it seems to be a novel but overpriced gadget.
In conclusion: if you like to experiment with new kitchen appliances and have the money to spend, then this Panasonic countertop induction oven might just be your next hot kitchen gadget (check price on Amazon).