We had been thinking about getting a new microwave for some time. The microwave that we had was only a cheap and basic model and quite recently due to our work commitments I have found myself using my microwave more and more to heat up meals that I have already cooked as well as using it as opposed to putting the hob on. After looking around we opted to purchase the Panasonic microwave and grill, model number CT569M. There are a number of reasons which I will explain in the review which swayed me to buy this particular model but I have been pleased so far and I have been using the model for around 4 months now.


The microwave will cost you around the £90.00 mark. We saw that it was available in Argos but we made our purchase from the Amazon store, the cost being the same but it was great having the microwave delivered to our home address. The microwave is part of the Panasonic family and we have had a couple of appliances from them before and been pleased so we had our fingers crossed that the microwave would work out ok.


It came well packaged and upon opening it was very clear that there was very little installation required. There was a black electrical lead and plug attached to the back of the microwave, just fewer than 120cm so we had lots of room to get it plugged in. We put ours on the worktop and even though it was sturdy, it still felt as if it was lightweight to move around. It is 13.5kg in weight The design is very sleek and modern and fitted in well with the design and layout of our kitchen. There is a control panel on the front and this allows you to get the microwave to cook and grill the foods as well as defrost.


There is 1000 watts of power output and the microwave has 9 power settings. The actual dimensions of the microwave are 31x52x40cm (HxWxD). The microwave has the panel on the right hand side and there is an LCD clock at the top. There is a button at the bottom that allows the door of the microwave to be opened and closed. The glass allows you to look inside to see what is cooking. There is a glass plate that fits onto the turntable as well as the microwave coming with a removable grill.


I guess it was not that hard to cook the simple things in the microwave, I cooked some baked beans and it was a case of using the start button and the clock button and a couple of minutes alter the beans were done. For things that are cooked relatively quickly, the microwave is so efficient and much easier in my opinion than having to cook a meal on the hob. The next test came when I needed to defrost some mince ready to make a lasagne! I am not normally a fan of the quick defrost, I prefer to take something out of the freezer the night before but this was a time when the microwave came into its own! The cooking settings are easy to navigate around and there is a timer that you can adjust to allow how long you want to set the defrost process for.


We have not used the grill that much with the microwave but I have used it on the odd occasion when warming some rolls through, the sort that need grilling both sides and as opposed to putting my cooker on, it was easier to use the microwave and I was impressed with the results.


I guess the idea of any microwave is that it is efficient and reduces certain cooking times and processes. This model manages to cook all foods really well and when in motion it is quiet and there is a distinctive ringing of the bell when it is done, three pings in fact! The turntable and plate are good, I have never had the plate catch at all and I can put the glass plate in the dishwasher when it needs a clean.


In summary, I am sure you have guessed that I would be happy to recommend my microwave. It is quite important in our household to have one and this one works really well and fingers crossed it carries on that way!


4 out of 5 from me on this one


Thank you for reading