- 7 Functions, 1 Oven
Convection Bake, Steam, Steam-Convection Bake combo, Airfry, Slow Cook, Ferment, and Sanitize - 2 Kinds of convection baking
Convection bake gives precise temperature control for juicy, evenly-cooked meals. Add steam to convection baking to make light, enticing cakes and cookies with a perfect browned finish - Healthy Steam
2 levels of steam let you make delicious vegetables and tender proteins that retain their nutrients. Chicken, fish, dumplings, eggs, and desserts come out fresh and flavorful - Airfry
Classic fries, nuggets, vegetables, and more made more healthy, with a light and crispy texture and very little oil - Slow cook
Stews and soups for the whole family in your compact oven, no need for a separate appliance - Ferment
Make yogurt, kimchi, bread, and more at home with 2 fermentation temperature settings (85 °F and 100 °F) - Sanitize
Steam self-cleans the oven and sanitizes utensils and baby bottles - 18 Auto Cook Menu Options
Dinner is ready with simple push of a button – choose from 18 auto cook menu options to take the guesswork out of mealtime - Simple Operation
Large display with bright LED lamp, and operation panel with just four buttons makes it easy to cook your favorite dishes fast - Easy to Clean
When cooking is done and after cooldown, simply wipe down the stainless steel inner cavity. Four oven cleaning programs are included too - Included accessories
Two two metal trays and wire racks are included
-37%
Panasonic – HomeCHEF .7 Cu. Ft. 7-in-1 Compact Oven with Steam and Convection – Black
$235.00 Save:$139.00(37%)
Available in stock
Description
Additional information
| Weight | 27.1 lbs |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 152932 × 152932 × 145164 in |
| Display Type | LCD |
| Product Width | 15 29/32 inches |
| Manufacturer's Warranty - Parts | 1 year |
| Function(s) | Bake |
| Product Depth | 15 29/32 inches |
| Programmable | Yes |
| Wattage | 1200 watts |
| Capacity | 0.7 cubic feet |
| Manufacturer's Warranty - Labor | 1 year |
| Voltage | 120 volts |
| Color | Black |
| Minimum Temperature | 85 degrees fahrenheit |
| Control Type | Button |
| Maximum Temperature | 445 degrees fahrenheit |
| See-Through Design | Yes |
| Rotisserie Included | No |
| Color Category | Black |
| Product Weight | 27.1 pounds |
| Removable Drip Tray | Yes |
| Product Name | HomeCHEF .7 Cu. Ft. 7-in-1 Compact Oven with Steam and Convection |
| Brand | Panasonic |
| Non-Stick Interior | No |
| Model Number | NU-SC180B |
| Product Height | 14 51/64 inches |
| UPC | 885170392748 |
Reviews (34)
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JanC –
I love my new oven. The reason for 1 star deduction is that it has a steep learning curve as there are no recipes as yet and book is extremely limited. I bake GF bread. My regular oven took for ever to heat. This one is ready in 5 minutes and baking time is halved. A great saving. Having an oven ready in 5 minutes means that I have baked a lot more plus it doesn’t heat the house in the Sumer time.
ammcb –
Love the many features on this oven. The steam function is incredible. It has two racks so if you air fry, there is plenty of surface space. Offers convection, slow cooking, and many other modes. Menu’s are easy to use. I like that there is no clock on it-too many items have clocks. I like the quick cook features that has pre programed cook setting built in. There is a directory on the top and all you do is enter the item number in and it does the rest. The oven size is perfect, fits under the top cabinets perfectly. Not too big or too small. Easy to move and clean. The oven is well built, very solid. The door has a sturdy feel to it. There is a light inside too so you can see inside the oven. The only problem I have with this oven is it is not level and rocks on my counter top. It’s not my counter top as my last one did not rock at all. Other than this small issue, this oven should meet any needs you have. It’s packed with features. This oven competes well with the competition. If it wasn’t for the wobble, It would be 5 stars.
gadgetguy11 –
INTRODUCTION:
The Panasonic HomeCHEF SC180B is a 7-in-1 Compact Oven that can Convection Bake to 445 degrees F, Steam, Slow Cook, Ferment, Stay Warm at 85 degrees F, & is an extraordinary Air Fryer.
With a 0.7 cubic feet capacity, it measures 15 29/32″W x 15 29/32″L x 14 51/64″H & weighs 27.1#.
REVIEW & RESULTS:
The large viewing glass on the front door strikes a sleek appearance with a beautiful view. A versatile LED simplifies the cooking process.
A water chamber, located below the oven, makes meats even juicer with steam.
We Air-Fried the most tender chicken & baked the tastiest brownies (see photo)! YUM!
DISAPPOINTMENTS:
– When you select Air-Fry, the oven Pre-heats, which takes more time than expected. No timer lets you know remaining Pre-heat time. You must wait for 3 beeps & a check mark on the front panel before you can enter the desired Air-Fry time.
– A Stainless Steel exterior option should be offered, as many kitchens today feature all Stainless Steel appliances. We plan to hide this black appliance in a ventilated Appliance Garage because it is not Stainless Steel, as are all of our other appliances.
– Operation is not intuitive, even when you are familiar with Air Fryers & Convection Ovens. Auto Cook Setting & Menus require careful review of the online instruction manual.
CONCLUSION:
– Energy efficient; our kitchen did not heat up using it.
– It is super easy to clean.
– The steam tray also collects food drips in a separate section of the tray, simplifying cleaning even further.
– The wire rack & metal trays are dishwasher safe.
JBCTECH –
We opened the box and made sure to put the unit somewhere where there was space all around it as instructions say it needs at least 8 inches of space above it and a couple inches around the sides. I read over the warnings and initial set up which was pretty easy and basic. Then I decided to make frozen pizza so I used the arrow buttons to find the regular convection bake. Super easy. For the pizza I needed to preheat. When it’s done pre-heating it does three kind of quiet beeps and then you have to pretty quickly put the food in or else it will turn off. If you wait for the beeps and put the food in, then you can set the time for how long you want your food to cook. Note that after you put the time in you need to press start again or it won’t cook. I didn’t do that at first and I was just sitting there wondering why the timer wasn’t changing. Once the time is set, it is adjustable so you can have more time or less time if you need. There is a light that stays on while it is cooking which is nice so I can see the food to see whether it is done or not.
I cooked frozen curly fries twice with air fry.
Again I forgot to press start after I adjusted the time for the fries. I do feel like the air fryer takes a bit longer to cook items than expected.
I think it is a good machine overall And it is easy to use.
As far as recommending it to a friend, I would recommend it for someone who is looking for an all-in-one unit with only occasional air-fry usage.
DFN80 –
The Panasonic HomeCHEF 7-in-1 oven is an interesting device. It’s an oven–not a toaster oven, as there’s no toast function, nor are the heating elements exposed–that can do a lot of things, but there are some really curious aspects to it that makes its appeal more limited than it otherwise might be. It’s rather large and placement might be an issue for some–I don’t have many places where the required 8″ clearance over the top works with my cabinets. And you will want that clearance, because the steam vent is at the rear, and I have no doubt repeatedly steaming wooden cabinets will not do them favors. The black design is minimalist with a rather sparse LED display on the front.
This oven does a lot of things, and the learning curve is fairly steep. This is definitely not a product that you can take out of the box and intuitively operate. You’ll need the manual, and there were a few times I sat bewildered why the thing wasn’t running.
The oven doesn’t have any wire racks that directly sit in the oven. While there are two levels, all food must go into the metal trays that fit in the levels, which then can have wire racks placed into them. So if your food fits accordingly in the fairly large trays, you can cook a lot of food at once (I air fried fish and chips this way). But on the other hand, it can also come across curiously small: you can only bake fairly small pizzas in this oven, while toaster ovens that can accommodate a 12″ round pizza are commonplace.
I didn’t hit all of its (many, many) functions, but I’ve baked and air fried repeatedly. And frankly the performance is a mixed. Part of the appeal is the high capacity, but that efficiency is offset by being slow. Air fry *requires* a pre-heat cycle, and I found that I had to add time to the directions on the package. And herein lies some of the complexity of operation. While it’s running, you can add time with the arrow buttons. But once the timer is finished, if you determine it needs more time, you have to start over with another pre-heating cycle, which must finish AND you must open the door, or otherwise the timer won’t work. Results were pretty good but slow. I did two trays of fries at once and they came out pretty well, especially for the amount cooked. A single tray of tater tots were absolute perfection though (though again, on the slow side), with great crispiness without burning or greasiness. The fish I did turned out pretty well, but again, I had to add time to the box’s directions. The box said to air fry at 400 for 14 minutes, flipping once, and cook to an internal temperature of 145 degrees. (The oven sets air fry to 440, and you can’t change it.) At the end of 14 minutes, they weren’t anywhere near 145, and they had to go back in.
An interesting thing you can do with this oven that you can’t really do with most toaster convection ovens is bake cookies. Here you use one of the cooking presets, which are described in the manual and there’s a guide attached to the top of the oven. I chose the cookie preset, which automatically sets time and temperature…and was surprised to see it set itself at 40 minutes. Frankly that’s rather excessive, when in a standard oven they’re done in a fraction of the time. But alas, it really did take that long for the cookies, which turned out as well as pre-made dough cookies can.
There are plethora of other features, including steaming, which uses a small tank of water in the tray insert under the bottom. This steam can also be used to clean the oven and, in a nice feature for parents of young children, sanitize bottles. The lack of exposed heating elements also makes keeping the bottom of the oven clean easy, though really the metal trays do an excellent job on their own of catching food from falling.
My overall impression is that this product was primarily designed for the Asian market–the manual is English/Japanese, not English/French or Spanish like most US appliances–and in that context it seems it makes more sense for that area than large American kitchens that are already well-equipped with large appliances. Most American kitchens are simply going to have more specialized appliances that do this device’s functions better, and despite the size and versatility, you’d still need a toaster. It’s an oven: but better than your range oven? No, although it becomes a very handy secondary one. It slow cooks–but probably with less capacity than your dedicated slow cooker. It sanitizes, but many dishwashers can do that. I do think the product good enough to recommend, but for most US users I think you really need to understand how it fits your needs. If you cook a lot, and in large quantities, this is a great way to add capacity for meats and baked goods. It’s also great for warm climates because you can do a lot without heating up your kitchen, and I think a single individual or couple could probably largely forgo their main oven for this to save energy. It could be a great product in a second kitchenette or in an ADU. So with that in mind, if you are in that niche, this is a good item to consider.
Dan292 –
This is an unusual oven. I say unusual because it’s more or less designed to be used in specific, pre-programmed, “auto-cook” modes, rather than as a typical oven where you set the temperature, put the food in, set the time, and let it cook.
This unit can be used in this fashion for sure, but it’s hard to see it used for regular food-preparation purposes because of its small size. You aren’t going to fit a casserole or lasagna dish or something like that inside this oven. You aren’t going to make a main dish for a family of six in this oven. Rather, you’ll use something smaller as a “baking dish” (I generally have been using small plates) for cooking individual pieces of chicken or fish, etc., or a handful of vegetables.
The oven can be used as a conventional oven (so you can set cooking time and temperature), as an air-fryer, for slow-cooking, and as a steam oven, and it is the last of these that I have grown to really like. Recipes are provided for a variety of dishes, many of them seemingly far Eastern in origin, and we have tried and enjoyed several of them now. The steaming capability really cooks food in a clean and taste-enhancing way. The chicken and fish we have cooked comes out moist and delicious with whatever spices you chose to coat the meat with prior to cooking infused throughout.
Another nice feature of steam cooking is that there is no mess to clean up. All of the baking drippings stay in the dish, and the only thing on the oven itself is water droplets from the steam. Clean-up is easy.
The only annoyance I’ve come across is that no cooking times are given for any of the pre-set, auto-cook modes. You don’t know if mode #2, “steamed egg,” is five minutes or 15 minutes. You don’t know if mode #18, “home-made pizza,” is 15 minutes or 25 minutes. A chef needs to know this so that other dishes can be prepared in such a way that they’re ready at the same time. Of course, pressing the “start” button on any of the modes indicates the cooking time immediately, but you shouldn’t have to go through a fake set-up for a particular mode just to find out how look that mode takes.
Having said the above, I can get used to it, and I think we will find many uses for this most unusual oven.
Stephen H –
So I originally bought this thinking that it would be a good fit in my workshop for a quick lunch without having to go back home. Unfortunately, my wife tried it out and now I can’t get it away from her! I might need a second one if I can’t teach her to share.
She likes the fast preheat time for convection baking, it takes about seven minutes to get to 400 degrees where our full sized convection oven is more like 20 minutes.
I made lunch for our boys using the air fry feature, I was able to cook a dozen chicken nuggets on one of the two included trays in about 20 min. The nuggets came out crispy and scored “at least a 9, maybe a 10” from my pickiest eater. I think I could have fit 15 nuggets on one tray so with both trays it could do 30 nuggets at a time. I will note that my time to cook was a bit less than what the manual shows, I used an instant read thermometer to check the nuggets at 15 min and they were already at 120-125 degrees internal, they were up to 165 degrees at 20 min while the manual was estimating 40 min to cook from frozen. Must be a thicker nugget than what we have?
The wife made Panko breaded shrimp using the convection bake mode, 30 butterflied shrimp fit using both pans and they came out with a nice texture as well.
I haven’t had a chance to try the steam cooking for vegetables but I did use the convection bake to make several melting chocolate cakes. Those came out great and didn’t last long.
I like that it has the ability to sanitize and self clean with the steam. Once I get the chocolate cake recipe down I’m going to try the steam convection mode to see how it improves the texture, I understand it makes cakes fluffier.
I like that it only consumes around 1300 watts of power, similar to a large microwave oven, this oven is my backup source of cooking should the power go out since it’s small enough to run off my backup generator so we can still bake cookies!
Viabledata –
The Panasonic HomeChef Compact Oven has been a great addition to my kitchen and has made my cooking needs much easier to handle. With its 7 in 1 design I have been able to use this oven along side my regular Air Fryer, and it provides much more capacity so I am able to air fry more than one food at a time with out having to have it all mixed together.
Out of the box, this oven is on the big side as far as countertop ovens go. It is tall and deep. Adequate countertop space is going to be needed. It also sits very close to the bottom of the cupboards, so trying to have it out more in the open for heat dissipation would be better. Set up is easy and requires very little effort. There is a small guide that simply explains the different settings. It comes with 2 racks and 2 cooking trays. It has a water tray on the bottom that needs to be filled for steam cooking. It is easy to remove and fill or clean. On the initial bake there is a bit of an odor that comes from the oven but went away quick. The baking requires the oven to preheat, oddly even for the air fry setting. It would be nice to see instant heating but it’s not that big of a deal for me. It does preheat quicker than my main kitchen oven and has more accurate cooking temps. I do a lot of cooking for a family of 5 and this oven serves great as a backup oven to help get things done, or to handle a lot of smaller things to bake when making large complex meals. I am excited for it to be a great use to help handle Thanksgiving dinner so I can cook sides while the turkey cooks in the main oven. Its steam convection leaves roasts and meatloaf juicy and delectable. The air fry setting can be tricky to use and again I really only use it in addition to my regular air fryer.
Overall I would recommend for larger families that need extra cooking power in the kitchen or those who do not have a range. The black is sleek and it is nice with such a large viewing window. It is a little tough to accommodate counter space for it, but fits my needs perfectly.
Daddio –
SUMMARY:
Full sized ovens are great for baking full sized turkeys, hams and pies for holiday feasts. However, they consume a lot of power heating up a ~4 cubic foot volume. On top of the high power consumption, most kitchen ovens are only radiant heat devices which can result in uneven temperatures top to bottom. As energy costs rose over the years, manufacturers came up with countertop convection ovens which consumed far less power. They also had circulating fans that circulated even air temperatures from corner to corner of the oven and thus on parts of the food that otherwise wouldn’t be warmed evenly because they weren’t in direct line-of-sight of the glowing heating elements. The Panasonic .7 cubic foot HomeCHEF 7-in-1 compact oven adds 6 more cooking features to a standard convection oven, further enhancing the possibilities. I am particularly impressed by the steam cooking option.
FEATURES:
• Convection Bake (with Preheat) – Some recipes require cooking to start immediately and call for oven pre-heating.
• Convection Bake (without Preheat) – Some recipes do not require cooking to start immediately. If pre-heating is not required, not using it will sometimes save some time and power.
• Air Frying – “Air Frying” is just like convection heating except that the temperature is automatically set to 445°F saving a setup step. The high temperature of air frying tends to dry the surface to crispiness for crunchy French fries etc.
• Steam Cooking (Low) – Steam cooking cooks shell fish, regular fish, vegetables and things you’d normally cook in a crock-pot. Unlike radiant or convection baking, the steam keeps the food moist and subjects it to a constant 212°F. This is very unique for a “Compact Oven”.
• Steam Cooking (High) – This setting is 212°F just like Steam Low but it produces a greater volume of steam. This is good for larger amounts of food but it does use more water and power. The high steam volume also gives and autoclave effect that can sterilize utensils and things like baby bottles and nipples. I used it to clean the spattered baked grease off of the round metal thermometer I’ve used in my baking ovens for years. The steam softened the black baked on grease and allowed me to remove it easily with a paring knife and scotch brite pad.
• Slow Cook – This is for cooking stews/roasts etc. in small water filled crockpot(s). It extends the cooking time to hours to tenderize meat etc.
• Ferment – This is a setting for baking certain types of bread. It’s use is covered in the supplied recipes.
PROS:
• Attractive Contemporary Design
• Very quick and accurate temperature control.
• The touch screen gives access to any cooking temperatures, times and events you desire. The memory in the oven’s computer also gives access to pre-programmed menus that make all of the settings for you with one or two button presses.
• Two separate trays and racks enhances the cooking capacity.
• Comes with 18 Auto-cook menus in the oven’s memory and detailed recipes for them (with ingredients and pictures) in the owner’s manual and on-line.
• The oven is well lit during cooking with bright WHITE LEDs. The white lighting vs. old fashioned yellowish incandescent bulbs, make it much easier to see the color of the meat and determine how well cooked it is.
• It has several steam cleaning settings just for cleaning the interior of the oven. This makes it much easier to keep clean than most compact ovens.
• 1 Year Parts and Labor Warranty
CONS:
• At 15 inches, it’s taller than most compact ovens. Because of heat and steam coming out of the top/back area, it requires 8 inches of top-to-cupboard clearance while steam cooking. I simply pulled mine out from under the cupboard while steaming and pushed it back in after.
CONCLUSION:
The Panasonic .7 cubic foot HomeCHEF 7-in-1 compact oven is a step up in technology for successful results in some recipes that demand precise temperature dispersion and delivery methods (dry or steam).
jago –
The Panasonic HomeCHEF 7-in-1 oven is another of the many options you have out there for multipurpose kitchen appliances now a days. This oven has a small footprint but is tall and is pretty heavy which helps it feel that it is well made and is built to last. To me it looks like a cube. Inside the capacity is 20 liters and it comes with two non-stick metal trays and two wire racks that can keep your food off the metal trays. You do have to use the metal trays at all times though. There is also a steam tray that you fill up with water that is inserted below the unit and helps provide some of the magic that this appliance and do. You can have both metal trays in the oven at the same time, however, the small LED light is located in the upper right of the oven and only illuminates the top tray if that is in there. I do wish they would have added a second LED light on the bottom as well. The rails for the trays will not hold the metal trays in place if you pull them out too far so you have to watch for that if you pull something out to inspect it. The heat is generated from a heating element in the back with a fan and perforated holes in the back of the oven. The outside of the oven will get hot, and I measured it at about 146 degrees. Also, the steam will vent out the rear of the top and Panasonic recommends that you pull this out of below cupboards to avoid damaging the underside of them from the steam. This isn’t ideal for me, if I pull it out to give the steam vents a clear path, it leaves the unit hanging off my counter. I may modify the under neath of my cupboards with waterproof covering to help avoid damage.
As you can imagine, there are many things this oven can do, I haven’t had a chance to try all of the modes such as Ferment or the Seam Conv setting. Convection Baking is what I used to cook up a small frozen pizza and I found that I had to cook it a few minutes longer than the packaging said in order to cook the middle of the dough thoroughly. Air fry had the same results for me and with my stand-alone air fryer, it will cook frozen fries in 6-8 minutes, but with the Panasonic HomeCHEF, I did have to cook them 15 minutes. In my opinion, it will cook food, but it doesn’t seem to do so as efficiently as other appliances that I have. For those that may be short on counter space, this could be a good solution as it does many things, but if you are looking for the best way to cook something, it just seems that you need the appliance that is dedicated to that one thing. I really like the steam cooking though and this is where I think this unit shines the best. I was able to steam some veggies and they came out delicious. Also, the sanitizing feature using the steam for baby bottles and utensils works great and it just gives you that feeling that those items are extra clean. Panasonic does give you a 54+ paged book with instructions and recipes and that is a good addition. The inside of the oven is stainless steel and is mostly flat and easy to clean. So far, the non-stick trays are holding up, but I don’t think they will stay clean after about a months’ worth of uses. One major complaint I do have about the unit is when you set a mode and start cooking something, if you open the lid to check, it will pause the time and you have to remember to hit the start/stop button to resume. This feature drives my wife crazy, but hopefully after some time she will get used to it.
yogabear –
Out of the box this unit is quite hefty and feels of good quality. Minimal but effective packaging assured it arrived undamaged. This is not a toaster oven per say but is really a small version of a full sized oven with extra features. Toast is possible using the air fry or convection bake settings but there are many other things that you can prepare.
Lets start with the cons. The tray size is quite limited in terms of large flat items like pizza. You will need to “choose wisely” at the store or you will be using your full sized oven. The air fry function works but is a little slower than other units I have used. For me, the controls are a bit too condensed. I would prefer specific buttons for temp, function, start and stop instead of sharing the functions. Also, in most modes, you need to preheat before you can program in the time. Yes there are instances when your masterpiece will appreciate waiting until the device is at temp. But with this, you need to wait for some quiet beeps before you can set the time. I have ADHD and really would like to just tell it to convection bake for 4 minutes and have the timer start when temp is reached.
Now for the good. The inside of the oven is very smooth with no exposed heating elements. This makes for ease of cleaning. Also the racks fit into trays which are great for collecting the various drips and spatters that happen with especially in air fry mode. Speaking of racks and trays this has duel level which makes up for the lack of horizontal space. Heating is very even even with a full load on both levels.
One thing that really stands out is the steam function. From sterilizing baby bottles to steaming veggies and other dishes, this function sets the unit apart from others. I love to steam various dishes but it is such a pain to set up a separate device on the stove or counter top. Here you can just push a few buttons and off you go.
The unit comes with a few recipes but has tons of information on how to cook just about any of your favorites. The online cooking guide gives the settings for everything from chicken breast to veggies to fries to dumplings and rice.
Clshipp91 –
I love this oven. I’m always looking for a great new kitchen appliance that lets me cook in diffy ways and I can say the Homechef has really brought different ways to cook into my kitchen. This high tech cooker is easy to use, fun and provides excellently cooked food in a compact package.
The first thing I’ll say is that while it is compact, for a countertop kitchen appliance the one is fairly large. If you have big kitchen counters you shouldn’t have any problems but if you lack a lot of countertop space you may struggle finding a place to put this one. It fit great for us though and the sleak black design looks very high quality and fits in great in our kitchen. I have no problem leaving this out all the time given he much we use it.
This really is a unique little device and like nothing I’ve ever cooked with. It combines convection and steam to give you seven cooking modes, convection, steam, air fry, ferment, sanitize, slow cook, and this wild steam convection combo. All of the modes work great for what they are designed for and create amazingly cooked food.
Cooking with the oven is great. The size is perfect for a full meal, but sense it’s not a full size oven the preheat times are super quick. The functions are all easy to navigate with the front buttons and setting everything and leaving it to cook works great.
Overall I’m impressed with this. If you’re looking for a fun new way to cook that’s easy to use I’d recommend giving this oven a try. You’ll end up with some really well cooked food every time!
joecaffe –
There are so many new countertop ovens available today and so many of them do more than just toast bread. To get more for the money, we expect a product to have multiple uses. The Panasonic Home Chef compact oven is exactly what it says it is. It’s not a toaster oven, in fact, there’s no toast setting at all. It’s a convection oven that can use steam, either by itself or in conjunction with convection.
Panasonic is known for making innovative microwave ovens in this country as far as kitchen appliances go. It sounds like they tried to make a countertop oven using the same playbook. It doesn’t work for what you conditionally think it should do. There are no heating elements on top or on the bottom, so no cooking in the traditional sense. The heating comes from the back wall and is circulated using the convection fan, so no baking in the traditional sense either. The simple 4 button layout is probably too simple, I would’ve liked a knob.
I put the oven through its paces and here’s how things came out. I steamed Japanese purple potatoes using one of the 18 autocook presets. They steamed on both racks for 16 minutes (fill water reservoir on bottom tray) and, to my surprise, were cooked perfectly well. I mashed them up and used them in batter for mochi pancakes. I used convection bake at 350 for a loaf of sandwich bread and placed it directly on the bottom of the oven. After 40 minutes, it appeared well browned on top, but was still quite raw inside. I compared this with a loaf I put in my normal oven at the same temp, and it was fully cooked in 35 minutes. I had to put the second loaf in the normal oven to finish. I used autocook setting 16 to bake some cookies on both racks, it preheated (like it usually does) then was preset to cook for 43 minutes which was obviously too much and we took it out in 20.
In the manual, it actually says the airfry mode is really just convection bake, to explain the fact that it has a fixed temp of 445F. Therefore, if you want to “airfry” at a lower temp, you need to use convection bake. I’ve looked everywhere for the temp for the slow cook function and it’s nowhere to be found. I slow cooked (with steam) a rack of BBQ baby back ribs (cut in half to fit) set to the max 3hrs, but didn’t get a temp setting, let alone choice. The ribs actually came out really well so I can’t complain there.
I noticed all the recipes and most of the autocook settings were for Chinese favorites. In a far east market, this oven would be the ideal product, where steaming is a necessity. In the American market, where crisping is more of a requirement, this oven fails to deliver. I would recommend this as an oven to those with a small kitchen in an apartment or a boat. It’s no replacement for a toaster, which you will need in addition to this if you want to broil or toast. But if you’re looking for a do-it-all toaster, this won’t work.
BradleyFl –
Panasonic – .7 Cu. Ft. HomeCHEF 7-in-1 Compact Oven – Black
The HomeCHEF 7-in-1 Compact Oven is a compact oven that fits easily on the counter. It has a lot of functions (which unfortunately do not include toast or broil).
The menu, called the Showcase Auto Program, is very straight forward and easy to use. All the functions are listed and simple to move through and set. There is a slight learning curve but once you get it, its easy to use.
The steam function works well but takes about twice as long as steaming on a stove top or microwave. The window steams up relatively quickly so you can’t peak at the vegetables without opening the door which causes the function to pause until you restart.
The slow cook function works as described. The flavors don’t get as melded or bland as cooking in a traditional slow cooker. It throws more heat into the kitchen than a slow cooker but makes a better meal.
The Air Fryer is disappointing. It takes about twice as long as a standard air fryer and doesn’t make the foods very crispy. The air frying grate sits on a solid tray and even flipping the foods doesn’t help crisp them. The air fryer I was replacing did not use a solid tray, just a grate. The solid tray restricts air flow around the food.
The convection bake works well. It bakes in a timely manner and doesn’t heat up the kitchen like the regular oven.
Fermentation in this product works but sends the smells of the food you’re fermenting throughout the house. If you aren’t in a rush the traditional method of fermenting in jars for a couple of days creates a better product without the smell (you get a richer, deeper, taste using the jar method).
Overall, it’s a great counter top convection oven if you don’t expect to do a lot of air frying or more than the occasional steaming. Good for a dorm room, small apartment, or a senior citizen.
Goconfigure –
A fantastic multi-function oven. Only missing the microwave feature but I’m sure that you already have a microwave. I have an affinity for Panasonic. Everything I buy from them is always top-notch. Their lithium batteries are world renowned for their dependability and I personally own a Panasonic Toughbook CF-20 laptop that I purchased new in 2016 and still use quite regularly. They’re one of the last premium companies left where you know exactly what you’re buying and this oven is no exception.
You can make so many dishes in this oven. It’s literally seven ovens in one and I have tested every function and have not ruined one dish. It has a fool-proof programming sequence and after that, enjoy your food. So far we have made steamed eggs, slow cooked tri-tip, chicken wings air fried, toasted several breads via convection feature. It is a one-stop powerhouse. The footprint is very compact too. The included oven trays fit inside our small low profile dishwasher so clean up is super easy as no food really ever touches the inside of the oven. It’s quiet too.
One thing that could be improved is the included booklet as it leaves a lot of needed information out like various cooking times and temperature settings. I found myself checking air fry times on the internet just to make sure that I get good results. Booklet aside, I highly recommend this oven.
royale192 –
This Panasonic 7 in 1 I a great addition to home cooking and baking.
with the holiday’s coming I wanted to try a few new ways to cook my food with using less oil and grease. I can most definitely say this helped out in that department.
I love to cook but i also like to reduce using oil any chance I get.
I love using the air fryer options to do wings and fries. But I have another air fryer for that but I had to try it out. It didn’t disappoint at all made my fries super yummy.
But I really love it for the size. It allows big chickens and the 2 racks for doing cookies or any baking item that can be used with clearance. Most normal air fryers can only do one or the other really good. The Panasonic works so well I have been using it to make random foods. Veggies cook so crisp and good very little oil.
I have not done a whole chicken yet but wings are awesome on the 2 racks. This might actually become my go to for all my air fryer needs. It warms up fast and heats the food very through. Zero issue’s with cooking wings from frozen. It can defrost and then cook the wings. I did learn to use dry rub first and I do not need as much sauce with this air fryer.
Clean up is even better super easy to me. I will check the convection option next. Also if you like fermentation this can do it too. That is not my cup of tea but it is very cool to see how versatile it is.
Only con would be it does take up a decent amount of counter space. And need to have the rear able to vent. Other than that I would say give it a try!
Duftopia –
Impressive Steam based PORTABLE Oven, Steam Convection features make this appliance a must have, it also does air fry/ fermenting while still acting as a standard convection oven. Microwave based ovens have faster cooking speeds but lack the preservation of flavor in the food.
The manual that comes with the oven has extensive recipes and more online, and the steam feature of the oven opens a truly unique experience with cooking flavorful food of all types, even made my own yogurt with its auto cook feature and it was Excellent with little fuss.
Coming from the NUKE generation I am surprised at what I’ve missed with a Steam Based Oven appliance. It’s Convection / Steam cooking feature makes fast food fresh and flavorful again, a godsend for re-heating fast food leftovers. Its size and portability in relationship to a full sized oven is a great benefit in the preheat phase as well as speed for cooking meals for up to 3 people in a timely fashion
I steam cooked some frozen shrimp and its speed and quality was excellent, add flavors to the water tray and you can do wonders with your food.
The control panel is easy and simple to use with screen prompts and only 4 buttons, air fry, steam high and medium, convection, ferment, clean and mixed modes do well in covering all cooking options, the two removable trays allow easy cleaning and optimization cooking speeds and all on my kitchen countertop.
CrysisComplex –
Panasonic HomeCHEF is a fantastic 7-in-1 compact oven that makes fantastic food deliciously every time you cook it. It gets the job done by cooking everything you need at once with a very easy setup process that makes things enjoyable to cook. This mighty compact oven can Airfry, Bake, Steam, Slow cook, Steam Convection and Fermentation, and Sanitize. It definitely looks good in the home kitchen with the black design of the compact oven. Looks modern and nowhere near out of place.
First; you can place an enormous amount of food inside. 445 degrees is the highest temperature the oven can go. My first test was Beer Battered Shrimp and a 4 Pizza Puffs just to see how well it handled fried frozen food on its own on the air fryer settings. Everything came out even and perfect especially the Pizza puffs were nice and golden brown nothing too out of the ordinary. Next up were chocolate chip cookies on the pre-timed settings and they turned out delicious. So far so good, it’s handling everything out of the box well. They are auto-programmed settings for different food types to help with cooking.
One of the most annoying things about modern air fryers is the preheating takes a long time. I was finally able to make toast without long preheating time temperatures on the fly. This is PERFECT for me as our family wants food at a fast pace. You have to wait for the oven to beep three times before you know the preheating is done then set the time which could be a hassle for some people. There will be a checkmark to let you know the preheat is done. For me, the preheat was fast enough.
Interestingly enough, this comes with a steam tray where you can insert water and put it into the tray, slipping it inside at the bottom of the compact oven. Two large trays can fit inside the oven itself so there is plenty of room inside along with two racks. Stainless steel Inside and can take messes like a champ but can be cleaned just fine manually. Just wanna point out to cleaning out the air fryer too is also easy as well. Also, there are auto settings for cleaning.
Another defining feature that I like about this that I haven’t used yet is its ability to sanitize baby bottles. This oven can do sensitization for utensils, baby bottles, and more. A feature I know would be useful to friends and family. Overall it seems to be a powerful oven and I don’t have any problems with it. Does the job well and cooks the food evenly. So I have nothing but high praises for Panasonic. If you’re looking for an oven that can do most of the needs you have. This is it and would recommend it to a friend.
MrLowNotes –
My wife and I cooked a lot of different entrees in the oven. From a pie and biscuits to steamed vegetables and seafood. It did the best steaming food, but for fast air-frying and convection baking the results were mixed.
I’m not going to quote all the specs and features, but focus on the oven’s performance with what we cooked in it. We tried to try a lot of things that we think most people would cook in it as well as what the oven’s manual suggests.
The oven is aimed at the Asian market and has built in programs for cooking food in that vein as well as others. So keep that in mind. The programs will ask for the food’s weight, select that, hit start and wait for preheating (7 minutes), if that’s part of the program, then put the food in and hit start again. The oven takes care of the rest. However, it doesn’t tell you the time or temperature it’s cooking at when running programs. If you open the door the oven stops. You must hit Start for it to continue no matter what mode or program you’re using. You will need to read the manual on how to use this oven and will likely often need to refer to it. This oven isn’t very intuitive to use.
Cooking a defrosted personal pizza with convection bake was a complete fail in my opinion. I ended up having to finish it up in a GE toaster oven – air fryer I reviewed about 2 years ago. My wife cooked some biscuits in it. They looked good on top but the bottoms weren’t brown and not done inside. Same for a homemade pie she baked in it. She tried a program first and that didn’t cook it long enough. Then she had to finish it with convection bake and that didn’t do it either. See photos.
Using air-fry like you would in any other air-fryer didn’t work well either. It will do it but it can take up to 3 times longer. Steam bake did ok for making soft cookies and the manual tells what else you can cook with that setting. Bakeries use steam baking to keep certain baked goods from drying out during cooking. I’m not sure exactly which ones but I would say that this will work well for that type of baking. Note: Air-fry temperature is fixed at 445F. Use Convection bake for lower temps.
Forget cooking tater tots and onion rings in it fast like with other air-fryers. It will take about 2 to 3 times longer depending on quantity and whether they are frozen or not.
The one thing that this oven did very well was steam cooking. Steaming vegetables and seafood worked great but took about twice as long as what the manual calls for. But this might be somewhat subjective due to what we consider “done” for various types of vegetables. Seafood on the other hand, needs to be done by at least hitting the safe to eat temperature mark. I forgot to take a photo of the broccoli we steamed but it looked and tasted great! I steamed some raw shrimp with no seasoning and it tasted perfect. Shrimp cocktails anyone? See photos.
We cooked as many different items as time would allow before getting the reminder to post the review. We didn’t have a chance to use Ferment and Slow cook but when we do I will post a comment under my review with the results.
Build quality looks and feels solid, as expected from Panasonic. However, as another reviewer noted, it didn’t sit level due to one of the back feet being too long by about 2 mm. I filed it down until the oven sat level. With what this costs I shouldn’t have had to do that. The outer housing is metal and the inside is stainless steel. The door is a plastic frame with glass. The door latch catches are plastic too. I first saw this as a red flag as something that could be weakened by heat and fail over time. After running the oven at its highest temperature for about 20 minutes and taking some thermal photos of it and checking the door and those catches, they were just warm to the touch. The hot air vents out the back to the top and doesn’t feel hot, just very warm. The thermal camera says it got to about 132F. See photos. The manual says not to put it under cabinets unless you have a minimum of 8 inches over the oven and 2 inches at the sides. There’s a rubber seal around the door that does an excellent job of keeping the steam in. There’s also a bright white LED to light the inside up when it’s running. It’s on the right side of the oven near the top. However, if you’re using the top and bottom pans together the top pan blocks the light from reaching the bottom pan.
Speaking of racks and pans. The oven comes with 2 trays and 2 wire racks that sit in the trays. Unlike other toaster ovens and full size ovens, the wire racks don’t slide onto the shelves on the side walls of the oven, just the trays do. See photos. This is a bit odd to me. I think it prevents hot air from getting under the food being cooked so that it doesn’t cook the bottom of it like it does in your typical convection oven or air-fryer. This is why we think the biscuits and pie didn’t get done on the bottom. We couldn’t set the pie pan on a wire rack like in a regular oven and the tray acted as a heat shield. The maximum size of a pan you can fit into the oven without touching the walls is about 10.5” X 12”. There’s also no wire basket included. I had to use one that I had on hand to steam the mushrooms, peppers and onions. See photos.
Filling the water tank and cleaning the drip pan are simple. Cleaning the oven after steaming is very easy. The steam comes out of a port in the back left side. There are no obstacles inside to get in the way of wiping it out. I leave the door open about 15 minutes to let it dry out after wiping it. See photos.
To get the most out of this product you will need to read the manual and keep it handy for reference when cooking different food until you get thoroughly familiar with it. Even then You probably will still have to refer to it from time to time. It’s a complex device designed to cook a wide range of food. I made notes in my manual where needed for additional cook times and settings.
My conclusion is that if you’re looking for a fast cooking toaster oven / air-fryer and that’s its primary function, then this isn’t it. If you want to steam veggies and shrimp it’s a steam dream. If you want to be able to cook a wide range of entrees and don’t mind learning how to use it to get the most out of it, and don’t mind it being slower than average, then it hits the target.
SCAntonio –
I’d been waiting to review one of these ever since using a couple different models over time. I don’t often cook large meals, so the small, efficient, quick-heating/cooking package of the compact oven is what I was looking for.
In practice, though…
– the pre-heat function seems to take a while
– setting the temperature and the time happen at two different times and require a separate set of button-pushing. The first meal I tried to make (baked spaghetti) took 2 tries because the first attempt never really started when I didn’t set the timer & hit “Start” again after pre-heating. It’s not a mistake that will happen again, and I’m not opposed to instruction manuals, but out-of-the-box intuitive controls is sorta one of those things we all expect nowadays.
– compared to my much smaller air fryer (which I’d hoped to get rid of with this), it took longer and produced less crispy results in the Panasonic
The oven seems well built and I’m not giving up on it, but it hasn’t lived up to what I expected from my previous countertop oven experiences.
Tatumcakez –
The Home Chef 7-in-1 Compact Oven is a home chef’s dream, complete with 18 auto-cook programs, 2 kinds of convection baking, steam, air fry, slow cook, ferment, and even sterilize both the oven itself and baby bottles. I love the bottle sterilization feature because the bottle sterilizer we received as a baby shower gift takes up a huge chunk of countertop space. This feature allowed for combination of a previous counter-top oven with the sterilizer, and with a baby at home that is a major plus. This oven has a 0.7 cu. foot interior and can fit a 10” pizza, whole fish, or small chicken. Perfect amount of food for a family of 2-4. The large display featuring the operation panel is very straight forward and easy to navigate. One is not overwhelmed by fancy features. The system has a convenient and effective timer so that your food always comes out perfectly… when you remember to get it out at least.
It’s been a delight to use this countertop appliance when I need to make something instead of making the entire house hot by turning on the regular oven, and the Home Chef heats up much quicker than my regular oven as well. The oven has a 27 fl ounce water tank that can steam cook food for up to 60 minutes. With the baby at home, steaming has become an every day venture as we discover new foods, and this function has been a godsend. Although this oven does not feature a “microwave,” it can certainly replace it. Leftovers and food in general taste much better and fried foods are crispier when heated in this appliance. I’d choose this over a counter-top microwave anyday. The oven comes with oven racks and metal trays, which based on the size is perfect to have accessories to facilitate cooking. I am impressed with how easy it is to clean. Once the oven cools down you simply wipe down the inside and with little effort ready for the next venture.
In her free time, my wife loves to bake and was excited to use this oven for baking breads, buns, and so many yummy treats. The ferment option is such a convenient feature to help speed up the dough rising which usually takes anywhere from 1-2 hours. By following up with convection bake, the bread comes out fluffy and perfect in a shorter amount of time as well. We also like to make dumplings and steamed buns which can be tedious but this appliance cuts the time down significantly. Cooking steak is also a breeze and the fat drains directly into the rack provided. If there was something I wish the oven had, that it doesn’t, is a meat probe built in. Even if you are not an expert in the kitchen, this compact oven is so easy to use and can help someone make consistently tasty dishes.
Trobadour –
— SETUP —
The setup for the Panasonic oven was easy, but it may require two people to remove from the box because of its size. After removing the stickers and foam, put water in the water tray, plug, and start cooking.
— FEATURES —
This oven has 7-1 features. The most standout features are self-cleaning mode, sterilization of baby bottles and other containers, food steaming, and a built-in air fryer. It also works as a convection oven.
— PERFORMANCE AND EXPECTATIONS —
When it comes to ovens, I discovered that I prefer turning knobs vs. pushing buttons. I was not a big fan of having to work a digital interface with the push of a button. I took my time and read the manual to understand how to best use the oven. I was able to figure out how to set the oven to when I wanted to cook a steak with convection plus steam. However, I didn’t find the process user friendly. My wife, for example, tried to read the documents included as well. It was confusing for her and got frustrated to where she just decided to plug a different appliance. The thing is, you have to press the pre-heat option to begin the process. While it’s preheating, you have to wait for a beep to know that the preheat is finished. Then, you insert your food and you have to click on a button to set the timer, but there is no indication that that is what should be done next. After that, you have to click twice to confirm that you have set the timer correctly. Then, you have to press start with a different button, the timer won’t just automatically start. For you to know that the timer has started, you’ll see a small dial spinning on the lower left corner.
The steak that I prepared came out juicier than when I prepared it in my former oven. However, for some reason, even though I seasoned it the way I usually do, I couldn’t taste the seasoning when it was cooked. It was almost as if I had only mildly seasoned it.
When I steamed vegetables, they came out well prepared and delicious. Perhaps the best thing I enjoyed preparing was the salmon. The salmon tasted excellent and juicy with a toasty outside but a soft inside, the way I like it.
— APPROVAL —
Overall, I would say that this oven might be for the chef that are more tech-savvy. If that’s you or a person you plan on giving it to, then go for it.
CTmom –
I remember when my mom got her first microwave in the 80’s and she complained that she had to learn how to cook all over again. I feel the same way about this unit, but like a microwave, I can’t imagine NOT using it now!
First- the results are AMAZING! I have had a multi function toaster oven for several years so I like the convenience of many units combined into one. I have a small kitchen so the saved counter space is a blessing.
Second- It stays incredibly clean during cooking but if there are some splatters, it wipes clean quickly. It has a self-clean mode that I have not had to use yet because it just hasn’t gotten dirty!
Third- I don’t have a dishwasher so the sanitize function is very welcome. I did not have this on my last unit. There are times handwashing just won’t clean items completely.
Fourth- I love that there are two racks. You can cook on two levels, but I mostly use them to have one to cook and one to clean. I don’t lose time washing and drying one rack in order to cook again.
Fifth- I love the steam function. That was not an option on my last unit. I have steamed hot dogs (and then steamed in the bun for a short time at the end). They came out delicious!
Some of the issues that created the learning curve- The buttons are not intuitive to me. Maybe they are to others. I have found that I need to follow directions (which I found a bit confusing at first) to even toast bread.
The beep is VERY soft. If I am not in the kitchen, I can’t hear it.
If you open the door to check the food, you MUST hit start again or it will be in a hold pattern. I have forgotten this a few times at first and it throws off my cooking time.
I have trouble getting the QR code to work. This takes you to an online cooking guide which is helpful (refer back to it not being intuitive). I have tried with my phone camera and two different QR readers so I don’t think it’s my phone.
The directions to switch between the convection bake with and without preheat were a bit confusing. It took just pushing buttons to figure it out.
I wish the words on the buttons were a little larger and easier to see. Because of the location I have to put oven, I am looking at it on an angle. I have since learned which buttons are which but I can’t see the words very well (even with my glasses!).
Overall, the learning curve is worth a little work at first to use this oven. The results are worth it!
Ace254687 –
The Panasonic Home Chef is a great addition to any kitchen. The amazing part about this stunning compact oven is how they were able to equip it with so many features and so many ways to cook. For instance, it can be used as an Air Fry, a convection bake, 2 modes of Steam bake, slow cook, and ferment. The oven also has a self-cleaning method that auto activates. Inside the box includes 2 – wire racks, 2 – metal trays, an in-depth instruction booklet that has many different recipe’s you can try.
The first thing I noticed after unboxing the Home Chef, is that it looks like a shrunken down stove oven, only with the stove on top. The front looks clean, a black front with glass to see inside and a gun metal color to the extended handle. It doesn’t require any setting up, once you plug it in, it’s ready to cook on the settings of your choosing.
I wanted to start with something easy, so I decided to test out air fryer on some chicken wings. I like how simple the oven is to operate. It has an easy-to-read display that gives you the exact information you need without adding 50 different things that nobody even understands anyway, it’s very simple. The results were fantastic! The oven doesn’t make that much noise, it was surprisingly quiet. The one thing that was annoying is that once your timer is done cooking, then oven then cools down and starts the auto clean process automatically. The problem is, I still had more stuff to cook and now I have to start the pre heat all over again which takes another 7 mins. There is a way to keep it on, you can add more time, but this only works 3 times, then it goes to auto clean. Next, I tried the Convection oven to make some veggies…These turned out great! They tasted very fresh, with lots of flavor.
Overall, I am extremely happy with the Home Chef. I’ve used the oven for over a week now and have made many different meals. I’ve tried most of the features and I’m happy to say they all worked well. The one issue I do have with the oven is when using the air fryer and trying to cook multiple meals, you will need to wait for it to cool down and then re heat in order to make another meal. Other than that, I think this is a great oven and I highly recommend it.
Rudeney –
I really wanted to like this oven. It’s a great size and looks nice. It seemed to have a lot of features that would make it very versatile. It easily holds a 9×9 casserole dish, which I thought would be helpful when preparing Thanksgiving dinner. Unfortunately, none of those features make this oven anything better than mediocre. I tried cooking a good mix of foods. My first try was to use it as an air fryer and make some tater tots. I found that the over cooked them very unevenly. I had to remove the rack and turn it around to get most of the tots properly cooked, and then the ones in the middle of the rack were still undercooked, while the ones around the edges were properly cooked. On top of that, it took the oven over 30 minutes to cook them, where my air fryer does the job in about 20 minutes.
Next, I tried the steam function to cook salmon filets. They turned out OK, but also took quite a while to cook. It would have been easier to cook them in a skillet, or on the grill. They also did not get browned. Finally, I cooked a broccoli cheese casserole for Thanksgiving. This is a disk that usually takes 30-40 minutes in a standard over. After an hour in this oven, it was still not done, and like everything else I tried, it was more down on the edges and less done in the center.
Besidesthan the cooking issues, the controls are not easy to use. There are two few buttons, so setting the temp and time is not intuitive. It’s nice to have two racks, but they are not adjustable. Also, it is not possible to pull a rack halfway out to check on the food – it’s not like a traditional oven rack where it is “capture” and can be slid out like a drawer. Once these are over halfway out, they will fall out of the oven. Overall, this oven is useful, but there are other much better options.
ConcordCool30 –
Panasonic home chef 7 in 1 compact oven with steam and convection is a definite game changer. I was very excited about this one. It has steam functions as well as convection functions. Not to mention a slick little air fryer as well. I got this from my mom, and she immediately began to bake holiday pies without a problem.
We also were able to make burritos, and we were able to steam the tortilla to make them soft and very pleasant. The convection function was very nice. There are so many functions on this one that it was terrific. My mother made everything from cornbread muffins to pumpkin pie, and The air fryer functions were fabulous.
This one has something for everyone that wants easy stress-free cooking. The convection oven was great for the frozen pizzas. I was also impressed with the slow cook function. If you’re new to air frying or you’ve been doing it for a while, the Panasonic home shove is want to check out.
Max temperature at 445 Fahrenheit. Easy cleanup with the removable drip tray. As well as the removable water reservoir for steaming that’s easy to refill. I wish they included a rotisserie function, but you can only get some of it. I recommend this one to anyone getting into air frying.
MommyMay –
This is a great 7-in-1 compact oven. You get 7 functions in 1 compact oven, if that is not a great deal then I do not know what is. Before I go on about what I like about it, be warned that the one thing I really wish they would someday update and improve is the preheat time. I get it, you have to preheat an oven to get it to a temperature that is desired, but 7 minutes is kind of a wait. If you turn it on to preheat and are not back in time, it will just turn off. I like that for safety reasons, but I do not like that if you walk away to do something and you get tied in longer than expected… you could come back to the oven being off. The good part is when you turn it back on it won’t take 7 minutes to heat up because should still be somewhat warm. That is just a little warning for those who may be on the fence of whether or not to get it.
The things I love about it is how versatile it is. I can bake, convectional bake, steam, air fry and slow cook. I love air frying almost everything. What a wonderful way to cook items without the oil and grease. I have cooked all sorts of items from chicken tenders, french fries, croissant rolls, veggies, etc. Like how awesome is it that you can ferment and sterilize! 2 options that you dont have available on many compact ovens. If you can handle the preheat time, I think this would be a solid choice for anyone who loves to cook and is trying to get away from the microwave. The oven is well made and the trays that it comes with are very nice quality. On my old toaster oven/air fryer…the inside of the oven a long with the tray would burn so easily when using the air fry setting. It cooks at such a high heat that the tray would just get so damaged we ended up putting foil on it because you could not take the stains off. This is some quality trays. It feels well made and feels well coated to keep the oils from your food from sticking to it. I love that it is tall enough to fit 2 trays or a rotisserie chicken or ham. It is a very decent size for a tabletop oven. I really do love this. We try to get away from using our microwave as much, and this is going to make it easier to do that.
Olive –
Unboxing – I like the compact size of this compact oven because it does not take up too much counter space which is not an issue for me, I just don’t like clutter on my counters. Set was easy just plug in and read through directions. A majority of the features of this Panasonic HomeCHEF is by now a lot of home users are familiar with, such as convection, air fry, and toast. This was easy to use and set up on this unit. The functions that set this oven from the rest is the Steam-Convection Bake combo, Slow cook, Ferment and Sanitize features. Hands down this is the only thing you will need in your home and if allowed in your dorm room. This unit has a total of 7 Functions, 1 Oven: Versatile oven with an incredible range of options for cooking and prep—Convection Bake, Steam, Steam-Convection Bake combo, Airfry, Slow Cook, Ferment, and Sanitize.
I love the steam-convection and steam options because I love steamed vegetables and they came out perfectly cooked and crispy when I followed the cooking directions in the instructions manual. I cooked asparagus, spinach and mixed frozen veggies and they all came out nice and crisp. This oven is compact and does not fit a 12 inch frozen pizza like my other oven but if you like square pies this cooks it perfectly. Thin crust and crunchy.
The only thing that I had an issue with is the display and buttons. The display is not busy looking but you have to press and select to many buttons in order to get the settings needed to cook. It would be nice to have a little more buttons to you don’t have to select one button and then select a mode and then within the mode another mode and then set the temperature.
Overall, hands down this is my favorite compact oven. I don’t know why I purchased an oven with my kitchen suite because I rarely use it. This is a must have for every homeowner, the features make you want to cook some of the foods suggested in the manual. One major thing I forgot to mention was that if you have to sterilize baby bottles or containers this over does that as well.
innercity99 –
Its not user friendly and it does not have a option for toast
KaneM7 –
Nice tabletop oven – does the trick for cooking for 1/2 persons
This device works well but is on the smaller side. I initially used it in my kitchen with the idea of not having to heat my full size oven when cooking just for myself or for a quick lunch or small baking treat. And in hopes of reducing some other appliances!
It has many options to do a lot of tasks. Convect bake, airfry, steam, Ferment. All offering a specific duty. I found that the device does do all these tasks relatively well with some conditions.
Lets start with airfry. I’m an avid airfry’r. So I threw in some cheese sticks! The device produced a great end product but took quite the amount of time compared to my dedicated airfryer. Time compare was 28min vs 8min. Result was the same though! crispy outside and smooth melted cheese in the middle. Was a good but late lunch. As the device took some time to come to temp and it was a specific temp.
I then did some cinnimon rolls for baking. We enjoy these on weekend mornings but just to make a single roll. The device on convect back produced a nice roll. Really Really well. Again though it took a little more time than my full size oven to heat up. Rolls were really good.
We did use the unit during Thanksgiving as a warmer. It really excelled at this job. Keeping a nice warm temp the entire day.
Ultimately, I have moved this device to my wife workspace. They don’t have these options for an oven so they utilize it well!!
JinOH –
I have a slightly older Panasonic Convection Broiler oven and it does its job perfectly. So, I had no doubt that this Panasonic HomeCHEF oven would be another great product. And depending on your cooking needs. This oven might be great for you. Just be aware of its limits ahead of time. It seems to target Asian Cuisine and leans heavily on steam cooking with an additional ability to air fry and be a convection oven.
First off, READ THE MANUAL! this is not a microwave and has a bit of a learning curve. While it works as intended. The minimal buttons and display are not easy to understand till you look over the manual. And if you open the door while cooking, it stops cooking till you push start again. Hard to notice because the light is on and the fan sounds like it is still working like a full size house oven would. Also, be ready to add more cook time before the clock ends. It seems to automatically go into cool down when the clock ends. Adding more time makes me start the oven again by choosing function/temp/time/start. On the plus side, set the right cook time, food won’t burn because you didn’t pay attention.
Not sure if it is Panasonic’s main purpose with this oven, but the steam is the best of the seven features. If you want to cook meals with steam or simply need to sanitize items like baby bottles. Look no further. From vegetables, seafood to dumplings. The steam and convection oven fan will easily help make larger quantities than most steam appliance cookers. I have made asparagus, salmon, and steamed some mussels and all came out really good. If I can find some way to cheat on the recipe, I want to try some of the dumpling recipes soon.
Now for the, all the rage, air fry and convection/bake function. Its good depending on how high the temps need to be for the items you are making. Temps above 400 degrees (445 degrees is max temp) seem to be harder to reach/maintain even with preheat. And because of this. I had issues with frozen foods that prefer the 450+ degree temps like pizza and other junk food snacks. It will cook these items, but be prepared to almost double the cook time. Better success was had with baked goods. Cinnamon rolls and baked bread items did very well without becoming too dry.
I’d say give the oven a try if you really want steam cooking or need a small oven to bake sides that don’t require super high temps. It will require a little learning to operate correctly. But if you run the steam after a messy meal it almost cleans itself. Just wipe down after the steam clean cycle.
SUMOFAN –
Panasonic – .7 Cu. Ft. HomeCHEF 7-in-1 Compact Oven – Black
This equipment is advertised as COMPACT, and compact it is. To me, it’s ideal for a dorm room, single people, or a couple without kids, or in our own situation (grandparents, kids long gone). This machine fit ideally onto a shelf, under kitchen cabinets, replacing both a portable convection oven and microwave. My wife loves the additional space this afforded her. We duly note the warning, if using the STEAM function, that steam emits upwards from the machine and that could have a very bad effect on one’s cabinets above. We have not tried, nor I suspect will not use, the STEAM function anytime soon. We just did a complete kitchen renovation and the cabinets are “works of art.”
Having said the above, this same “compactness” limits the equipment to working with certain food items. One cannot whip up full sized pizza, for instance … as you would in your full sized stove convection oven, better call Dominoe’s. Works great on pizza slices, however.
I will sheepishly admit to not being well versed in the culinary arts. I can boil water and make a mean tuna sandwich, but my wife (a.k.a. THE CHEF) is a magnificent cook and she handles all the cooking (for our 57 years together). She really likes the HomeCHEF, and remarks often the amalgamation of
– Air Fry
– Convection Bake
– Steam
– Steam Convection, and
– Slow Cook
all in one enclosure. I also like the fact we have been able to clear off that counter top of the microwave and convection oven. Much neater.
In buying anything, I read the reviews. I noticed most reviews on the HomeCHEF were very positive. Though I did see several mentions of the “learning curve” when starting up with this machine. Yes, as was the case with myself exploring the microwave when we first got it, there are things to learn and get used to (no different in mastering the basics of a camera or setting up a TV, for instance). This is a time when you keep the Instructions booklet close by and experiment. Before long, you’ll be zipping along and astounding friends and enemies.
The HomeCHEF comes very well packed/double boxed. Depending on one’s size and basic strength, it might be a good idea that one gets another to lend a hand in unpacking this machine (I did it myself … thick headed Irish derivative). Due to its compact size, it can be a little awkward if carrying yourself … though I don’t want to overemphasize this aspect … I had no problem. Again, it depends on one’s circumstances. If you’re senior in age, or smallish in stature, PLEASE do get someone to assist you in unpacking/moving this machine to your ideal location!
The machine has two racks to insert inside for cooking, as well as two pans for the same. The instructions are very clear. Unless you’re a total culinary deficient soul such as myself (figuring that’s why the Big Kahuna made McDonald’s), you will find this compact/enormously efficient machine to be a total delight. My wife, THE CHEF, gives her full Seal of Approval for my summation.
user128335 –
If possible, I will give zero star. Didn’t work, malfunctions, no steam came out and stopped randomly, it’s heavy that I had to carry it back, totally waste of time
JohnT –
Well made, compact size, easy controls, and looks sharp. Very pleased with this oven so far. My only complaint is that it does not broil: no top heating element since it incorporates a rear convection heating vent on the back wall versus top and bottom traditional elements. So no toasting (like English Muffins) or browning is possible. If I had known this before purchasing it probably would been a deal-breaker, but I really like the oven and it does a great job so I kept it. More expensive than some other countertop ovens but it’s very well made, good materials and it steam cooks, air fries, and even has a sanitize mode (baby bottles, utensils, surgical tools!).