CES 2022: Panasonic releases smart microwave

At CES 2022 this month, Panasonic announced the release of its first smart microwave – the Panasonic Smart Inverter Countertop Microwave Oven, Works with Alexa (NN-SV79MS) – at the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The microwave can be controlled with Alexa using any Alexa-enabled device or the Alexa app.

Get Cooking with Alexa

Once the microwave is connected to the Alexa app or any Alexa-enabled device, like Echo or Echo Dot, Alexa can understand over 100 commands to operate the microwave. Commands include:

• Cook for a Specific Time: “Alexa, reheat for 30 seconds.”
• Stop, Pause, Resume: “Alexa, pause the microwave.”
• Add Cooking Time: “Alexa, add 30 seconds to microwave.”
• Defrost: “Alexa, defrost one pound of ground beef.”
• Reheat: “Alexa, reheat 1 cup of coffee.”
• Cook: “Alexa, cook frozen pizza.”
• Soften/Melt: “Alexa, melt 1 cup of chocolate in the microwave.”
• Keep Warm: “Alexa, warm food for 15 minutes.”
• Make Popcorn: “Alexa, make popcorn in the microwave.”

“We understand from our own cooking experiences that there are moments in the kitchen when you need to move quickly or have your hands full meal prepping,” says Hiroko Watanabe, appliance group manager at Panasonic. “Partnering with Alexa was a natural choice knowing their devices are already in the homes of many consumers – including our own. We are thrilled to partner with Alexa to help make consumers’ cooking experience easier.”

Users can connect the microwave to Alexa with “Zero-touch setup” or “2D code setup.” The microwave does not need to be connected to Alexa to operate, but a connection is highly recommended to take advantage of its full capabilities. It can also be disconnected from and reconnected to Alexa as needed.

Smart Cooking Power with Quick Microwave Controls and Capabilities

The microwave utilises 1,200-Watt inverter microwave technology. Users can choose from 10 power levels ranging from warm to high to set the desired power and cook time to evenly and efficiently defrost, reheat, cook, and keep food warm.

There are six dedicated buttons on the microwave panel to help achieve preferred cooking results. The Quick 30 button reheats food at full power for 30 seconds, for up to a total of five minutes, while the Turbo Defrost utilises Inverter technology to distribute consistent power for even results without overcooking on the edges or frozen in the middle. For a perfectly popped bag of popcorn, users can press the Popcorn button and enter the weight of the bag being popped before pressing start. The Microwave button allows users select the 10 power levels. The other two buttons include a Timer/Clock and a Stop/Reset button.

One-Push Sensor Reheat and Cook with The Genius

The Genius is a built-in sensor that automatically measures the humidity of the food and calculates the cooking time to quickly and evenly thaw, reheat and cook food – all with one push of the dial. The Genius Sensor is activated by pressing Sensor Reheat on the dial. Users can select from 20 pre-programmed menu options to cook dishes like potatoes, vegetables and oatmeal, warm a cup of milk, or soften butter. 

The Panasonic Smart Inverter Countertop Microwave Oven, Works with Alexa (NN-SV79MS) will be available in March at Amazon.com and BestBuy for $299.99 in the US.