Microwaves That Use an Inverter

Inverter Technology

• Usually, when you set a microwave to a low temperature, the unit heats to its highest temperature, shuts off to cool and comes back on at full blast. This can lead to uneven cooking, leaving some parts of your food cold and others way too hot. Inverters allow microwaves to generate pulsing heat waves, so the unit operates continuously at varying power levels. This allows for the even cooking of food at temperature settings other than “high.” This technology also purportedly helps preserve the flavors, textures and shape of food, which standard microwaves can distort or diminish.

Commercially Available Inverter Microwaves

• As of publication time, Panasonic dominates the American market for inverter technology microwaves. Panasonic produces a full line of inverter microwaves. The company offers inverter cooking guides on its website, as well as a spate of information about inverter technology and its purported benefits. Panasonic highlights the turbo defrost setting on these microwaves, which supposedly allows for much faster and effective defrosting than standard microwave ovens. GE produces a single inverter microwave -- the Profile 2.2 cubic foot countertop unit. The company advertises inverter technology as one of a unit’s many benefits, rather than focusing on the technology as a primary selling point.

Inverter Microwave Features and Benefits

• Panasonic inverter microwaves come with a variety of features and a wide range of specifications. These microwaves operate at 1,250 to 1,300 watts, purportedly cooking food much faster than standard microwaves. Capacity for Panasonic inverter microwaves ranges from 0.8 to 2.2 cubic feet, depending on the model. Features offered on these microwaves include sensor cooking, LED controls and multilingual menu settings. Sensor cooking means that sensors within the microwave monitor the temperature of your food and adjust operating temperatures accordingly. GE offers similar features.

Third-Party Opinions

• A review of a Panasonic inverter microwave published in Wired magazine in 2009 praised its cooking ability, defrost setting and relatively small price tag. However, this same review criticized the microwave for taking up too much space and making too much noise. According to the review, Panasonic inverter microwaves also tend to fail just after the expiration of the company’s one-year warranty. Technology review and news site Techilicious, on the hand, uniformly praises the performance of inverter microwaves, complaining only that these units don’t come with more specific cooking temperature, time and power setting information for different types of food.