The microwave has had a strange arc in American kitchens — first celebrated as a technological miracle, then eventually shunned as a symbol of shortcut culture and reheated mediocrity.
The shift and sentiment is directly reflected in the various locations the machine has been exiled to in most American kitchens. From the dark corners of the counter to built-in cabinets below eye level to poorly camouflaged nests above cooking ranges and vents, few homeowners are thrilled to have a microwave shown prominently.
Over the last half-decade, though, the humble machine has staged a genuine comeback. Chefs, including David Chang, have made public cases for the microwave as a serious cooking tool, and passionate home cooks have followed.
But the appliances themselves haven’t necessarily taken the hint – either in precision performance, or in their aesthetic appeal.
Panasonic’s Japanese Countertop Microwave NN-SF57RM — a Japanese machine that’s finally made its way west and is even available on Amazon — is now the American microwave market’s most obvious exception.
East meets west
In case you didn’t know, the microwave is an American invention.
The Smithsonian traces its origins to a 1945 discovery by Raytheon engineer Percy Spencer, who noticed radar waves had melted a chocolate bar in his pocket.
American brands ran with the technology for decades, chasing wattage and stuffing units with preset buttons — popcorn, pizza, beverage — that nobody actually uses. The machines grew bigger, louder and uglier. As is often the case, Japan took a different approach.
