Panasonic NN-CS89LBQPQ
VerifiedMPNs: 15783 and NN-CS89LBQPQ4 reviews
A thousand dollars for a microwave - you gotta be kidding? It's worth every cent. The reason I buy these convection style units, is for the extra oven. When I do a big Greek cook-up. one oven isn't enough. This microwave has an oven feature and it works brilliantly to cook an extra baked potatio dish for example. The fact you can microwave the potatoes for a few minutes to soften them, then bake as normal is such a useful innovation. And then steaming? Well that's great to throw in some veges, add water to the steamer box beneath, and go. To be honest, I don't use the steamer as much as I thought I would. I know it'd be good for bread and salmon and roast chicken amongst other things, but the truth is, my cooking workflow uses other methods I am more familiar with. Our unit does microwave duties mostly, and I'm happy with that.
I like that there isn't a turntable. It means I can fit more in, and it works fine. Cleanup is excellent - wipe with a cloth.
I notice that after certain uses, there is a lot of moisture on the door glass. This is normal. The oven is so well sealed, moisture does not escape very easily. Again, wipe with a cloth.
I'm really happy with this purchase. As a microwave, it's a workhorse like most other units. But to have the added functionality is such a great bonus. The steaming, grilling and baking/roasting are there when I need it. And that, is what I paid for.
Have owned this bench top oven for 4 months and used daily for Baking, Roasting Vegetables and smaller joints of lamb and beef. Yet to try Chicken which should be no problem. Steamed fish is like a new dimension of food. Self-cleaning oven using steam and wipe dry makes it a breeze to keep clean. For us two it's been a great investment and is much better than it 10-year-old predecessor
Hi kiwi842, thanks for the great review, great to hear it's been such a versatile and easy-to-clean addition to your kitchen.
Thanks
Works well & reliable to date however more complex than necessary – Purchased a Panasonic 4in1 benchtop oven (microwave, convection, grill, steam) to replace our old faithful Sharp AX1500JS when it finally quit after 12 years near daily use. Sharp stopped making Steamwaves leaving Panasonic with closest equivalent for volume capacity & combi functionality. A prior +ve TV customer service experience from Panasonic also helped the purchase decision. Pros: More powerful than the older Sharp across all cooking modes. More permutations to experiment with different cooking modes. Useful accessories with 3 different trays & racks to suit cooking modes. Cons: Control menu is more complex than the older Sharp which was simpler to operate & more User Friendly. Does not have Proofing mode for developing yeast doughs. Water tank is smaller, requires refilling for longer cooking times & more prone to spillage. Form factor is larger which requires careful consideration of benchspace & surrounding clearances. Interior stainless surfaces are easy care however less so for the painted rear panel which holds stubborn stains & slowly shedding after 12 months. Handy Tips: allow 5 to 10mins beyond PreHeat ready notification to stabilise & reach actual desired temperature (tested with wired digital probe in centre of oven). Consider placing a heavy pizza stone or cast iron platter in bottom of oven. Extra thermal mass helps temperature recovery after opening door to add or remove food. Wiping out interior after each session, leaving door open to cool & air dry helps prevent grime buildup and corrosion from water condensation.
Bit over 12 months near daily use with no mechanical or electronic issues. Performs as expected however we find these small benchtop ovens can't get the same browning, crust, crispy skin or crackling as a full size oven, grill or salamandar however the intended function is convenience & economical operation. Mode & combi controls are possibly over complex, the Panasonic offers more options than the retiring Sharp but at expense of easy User Friendliness ie: the Panasonic requires more of a learning curve to get the best out of it.
Purchased in at Harvey Norman for $1,235.
Hi Mason, thank you for choosing the Panasonic name, when it came to replacing your Sharp Microwave with the Panasonic NN-CS89LSQPQ, Steam/Convection/Grill/Microwave Oven. Thank you for running through your Pros, your Tips in your review. I'd like to assist you in restoring some of that "user friendless". Have you considered adding Steam Shot during a cooking mode? This may assist with the rising process of your bread. Page 30 of the operating instructions mentions this function. If you are finding you need further assistance with the control menu, please call 132 600, and our Customer Care Representative can work with you on this, and if required they can also draw on the strengths of the vast knowledge that our Technical Specialists have, when it comes to our range of Panasonic products. I do hope this helps. MM
18 month update. Oven is very good for low to moderate temp cooking (eg: braises & pot roasts) but not so much for max temp grilling & roasting. Grill doesn't get hot enough for even browning or char (eg: miso cod, bechamel topping, creme brulee) likewise oven is not hot enough for bubbly pork crackling (eg: chinese pork belly, italian porchetta, german pork knuckle). Tested with Inkbird digital probe thermometer which confirms up to 20C less than inbuilt oven display after preheat. Can compensate up to a point by programming oven to higher temp than called for by recipe, assist thermal recovery by way of ceramic tile or cast iron plate, manually extend preheat by extra 10-15 minutes however even so oven cannot reach max setting of 230C stopping short at 216C. Not a show stopper for low to medium intensity cooking but requires rethink if intense high heat cooking is required.
Test bed where not all features are practical – Having used a Panasonic NN-9807 Microwave Convection oven daily for 30 years ( and NN-C2000W for 20 years before both died) and finding this size model is now discontinued, I decided to try the NN-CS89L hoping it was an upgraded replacement. How wrong I was as it fails as a replacement oven on many accounts. 1) as a convection oven it fails as a maximum temperature of 230°C means many of my recipes specifying 250°C are useless.
2) Microwave/convection combination now only available at 180°C, no longer have the option of 180, 170 or 160°C with Combination.
3) The idiot that designed the oven cavity ignored the thermodynamic requirements needed by the tech designers to make the steaming and drying functions to work properly. i.e. for steaming, there is a drip tray on the front to collect condensate but after steaming, the condensate water collects in the bottom of the oven and when the door is opened, the condensate water escapes missing the drip tray, resulting in a necessary cleanup. For drying, it is necessary to remove excess moisture, but the enclosed oven space traps the moisture so it ends up cooking instead of drying, unless the oven is regularly opened and the process is restarted - can't leave oven door ajar as oven won't work.
4) Sensor cooking on my previous ovens was brilliant for cooking rice, noodles, and veggies, but since these recipes have been moved to the steam process, sensor cooking is no longer available for this so everything has to be weighed and the steam process makes too much mess to even consider utilising.
I would suggest to Panasonic that they fix the cavity to ventilate when drying and drain when steaming. I would like to also recommend they reinstate the features/recipes available in their 3-way ovens they are a far more practical design, they steam far more effectively than this model, but the sizes now available are just not big enough for me to cook my roasts. Currently I would rate it equivalent to the Samsung Microwave Convection oven at about $300 compared to the $900 for this oven.
Hi Tassie, Thank you for providing feedback i will ensure this is passed onto the correct department for review.
Thanks
I would swap it any day for the 42L 3-way ovens like I previously had as the recipes and functions were more suited to me for everyday use than this model, and it is these missing features that made me dislike this oven. The currently available 3-way ovens are too small to be used by me for every day use. Thankyou for your response.
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Hi Nic, Thanks so much for your thoughtful review! We're thrilled to hear you’re enjoying the convection features and versatility of your microwave—especially how it supports those big Greek cook-ups! It’s great to know the no-turntable design and easy cleanup are adding to the experience. We appreciate your feedback and are glad you’re happy with your purchase.
Thanks