Stuff Gadget Guide - UK - Issue 5 (2022-01)

VERSUS COUNTERTOP COOKERS

A multi-functional microwave is cheaper than employing a sous chef,

so we tested two to see if they could handle cooking a slap-up dinner

You make

oven fun

[ Words

Chris Haslam ]

What’s the story?

This chunk of shiny metal is a microwave,

convection oven and air fryer, meaning you

can’t play next-gen games on it but you

can bash out ‘healthy’ chips and chicken

wings in the air fryer, reheat your leftovers

in the microwave, and cook a perfect pizza

all in the same device.

Like the Panasonic it has combination

modes to help you cook more effectively,

so a frozen salmon steak (or Findus Crispy

Pancakes) can be cooked straight from the

freezer, plus you can expertly melt butter

and chocolate, cook popcorn and basically

do a bucketload of culinary tasks with

consummate ease.

Is it any good?

If it weren’t for the Panasonic’s insane

speeds we’d be hugely impressed by

the Combi’s ability to cook a bird in one

hour, and by how easily you can adjust its

considerable power. Roasties in air fryer

mode came out deep and crisp and even,

and sprouts with butter and bacon tasted

better than they should have.

We appreciated its oomph for everyday

tasks, although knowing how long to cook

stuff isn’t obvious – and batch cooking for

lots of people is tricky as you have to wait

for it to cool before starting a cycle again.

Price £400 / stuff.tv/CombiWave

● 1100W microwave, air fryer, convection

(max 230°C) ● 32-litre capacity

● 52x51x32cm, 20kg

Stuff says ★★★★✩

An awesome time-saver, just as soon as

you work out how long to cook things for

What’s the story?

A drop-down door design in glossy black

with three shelves makes the Panasonic

appear closer to a traditional oven than a

nuke-it microwave. But it’s packing radio

waves, alongside convection cooking

(basically a regular oven but faster), a grill

and a steam option, courtesy of a removable

800ml water tank.

Panasonic’s roast boast is a 40% faster

cooking time than most rivals thanks to its

Inverter tech, which uses up to three heat

modes simultaneously – so you can crisp

a lasagna after cooking from frozen. Being

able to cook on multiple levels means you

can fit more in, and there are 36 presets.

Is it any good?

While the control panel is nowhere near as

intuitive as the Sage’s, this multi-function

powerhouse roasted a medium-sized

chicken in 35 minutes and smashed out

crispy roast potatoes and honey-covered

veg in just 23. It was also able to steam our

pudding to perfection.

Having the extra shelf capacity meant

we could cook more than one dish at once,

and the manual was easy to follow. Once

we knew that preset 17 meant roast

potatoes, we naturally added them to

a fry-up the next day too. Bonus.

Price £520 / stuff.tv/CS89LB

● 1000W microwave, grill, steam,

convection (max 230°C) ● 31-litre

capacity ● 50x48x39cm, 21.5kg

Stuff says ★★★★★

A smart all-rounder to make you think twice

before you start preheating your main oven

Panasonic 4-in-1

NN-CS89LB

Sage Combi Wave

3 in 1

Every day is like

Sunday at the

moment, so

to do our two

cookers justice

we pretended

it really was and

got them each to

tackle a full roast

dinner. That meant

a whole chicken

plus roast potatoes,

roast parsnips,

boiled or steamed

carrots and pigs

in blankets, plus

a shop-bought

steamed pudding

for afters.

Given the limited

capacity of both

ovens, we enjoyed

roast chicken

followed by hot

crispy spuds some

considerable time

later, then veggies,

then pudding soon

after that. The

moral: you can’t

cook a whole

family dinner

in a microwave.

But for pumping

out quick and

delicious dishes,

both our cookers

did perform quite

brilliantly.

DON’T HEAT

IT ALL AT

ONCE...

50