The stainless steel Panasonic NN-SD372SR microwave oven is an attractive appliance that scored very well in our cooking tests, but does it deserve to be called one of the best compact microwaves you can buy? It does come with a Keep Warm function (rare at this price point), and it came in the top four in our performance tests, though its controls are trickier to use than other units.
A contracted writer for TTR, Angie has covered plenty of types of products over the years, ranging from kitchen gadgets, countertop appliances and other home goods to vacuum cleaners and mold testing kits for more than eight years now. Her spare time often goes to planning improvements for her quirky 103-year-old home or hiking in the gorgeous Utah mountains. In her past role, she was a newspaper journalist and she has a bachelor's degree in Technical Writing.
As we noted in the intro, the NN-SD372SR's unique look clashes with the fact that the control panel is trickier to master than other microwave ovens. Instead of the preset buttons typically found on compact microwave ovens, there are long, horizontal, rather oddly shaped buttons and a pop-out dial you use to set times or weights.
The control panel is not a dealbreaker, but there is a learning curve involved, and for some foods, you need to do some guesswork to figure out which setting is best.
This small microwave’s interior is 0.8 cubic feet, which is a reasonably good size. It has a healthy 950-watt power level and can easily hold a 10.5-inch dinner plate and a mixing bowl that measures 11.5 x 6.5 inches. However, this countertop microwave is a tad short inside, and you cannot easily maneuver a 7-inch glass in and out.
The Panasonic NN-SD372SR is one of only a few microwaves in this price range to offer a Keep Warm function. This function uses low-pulsing microwave power to keep foods warm for as long as 30 minutes without continuing to cook them.
It might have been the best at evenly cooking our test potato, but it was hard to start that process. There is no preset button for potatoes or anything else on this microwave except popcorn. However, it does offer suggested cooking times on the inside of its door frame.
The compact microwave has a child lock, a great safety feature that keeps mischievous kids and unknowing adults from activating it. This microwave also has Auto Reheat, Auto Cook, Power Level, Inverter Turbo Defrost, and Keep Warm buttons. Other buttons include a Quick Minute button for ten extra minutes, a More/Less button for popcorn, and buttons for the Timer/Clock Stop/Reset and Start functions.
In our food tests, the Panasonic NN-SD372SR tied for fourth place overall. Because of its unique design, it looked quite special on our countertop. However, carefully read the instruction manual since the control panel is more complicated than most compact microwaves.
While testing the Panasonic NN-SD372SR, we got mixed results. It produced excellent cooking results for some foods but left cold spots or overheated others. It was the best unit in our potato test, cooking it through without leaving any uneven spots.
It was not perfect on popcorn, but it did a good job of fully popping most if not all, kernels; it left the fewest unpopped kernels out of all the microwaves we tested. However, there were still some burned areas in the final product.
The NN-SD372SR fared well on the consistency tests, with just 8 degrees of temperature difference from one side of the plate of pizza rolls to the other. It also had a fairly even heating pattern when we made a heat map with marshmallows.
Would I buy the Panasonic NN-SD372SR?
Panasonic's NN-SD372SR microwave scores well in both heat efficiency and time consistency. Inverter technology and 950-watt power ensure even cooking and minimal cold spots, so it's a great choice for all kinds of food. In spite of its useful features like Keep Warm and Turbo Inverter Defrost, the control panel and functionality score is just average because of its unconventional design.
A high score goes to the magnetron's 950-watt power delivery and the Keep Warm feature. In terms of size and space, the 0.8 cubic foot interior gives you enough room for small to medium-sized meals but not enough for large meals.
| Attribute | Notes | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Heating Efficiency | 950-watt power and inverter technology; excelled in cooking tests, particularly with potatoes; wasn't perfect with popcorn | 8/10 |
| Time Consistency | a strong point for this microwave; only an 8-degree difference noted in tests with pizza rolls | 8/10 |
| Control Panel and Functionality | unique but can be challenging to master due to its unconventional design; useful features like Keep Warm and Inverter Turbo Defrost; lack of preset buttons for common foods | 6/10 |
| Magnetron Functionality | 950-watt magnetron, combined with inverter technology | 9/10 |
| Size and Space | reasonable space for a compact microwave; can accommodate a 10.5-inch dinner plate and a mixing bowl; height may limit the use of taller items | 7/10 |
