Panasonic are known for their electronics. Hailing from Japan, their products are considered to be one of the best in the industry. However, perhaps one of my favorite appliance from them is the Panasonic Flashxpress. Its a compact toaster oven that packs high heat in a tiny package. When in use, if flashes a bright glowing light that attracts the eyes. Compared to other toaster oven, it browns and toast food like no other. But there are drawbacks such as its limited set time and its baking feature is a bit lackluster. This Panasonic Flashxpress Compact Toaster Oven Review will take a closer look at its design, features and performance.

Why Choose the Panasonic Flashxpress?

Panasonic Flashxpress is not your typical toaster oven. Unlike other toaster oven, this model heats up quickly requiring no preheat cycle. When you are ready to bake, just pop it in and toast. Its performance is surprising for its limited 1300 watts. However, due to its size, it browns better than most other toaster oven. In my past test, I have found that it actually draws more energy than its advertised rating.

Performance aside, I suspect the reason why most people want the Flashxpress is due to its compact size. Its one of the smallest toaster oven on the market. You can fit it snugly under the cupboard with other utensils. Making it one of the best compact toaster oven.

Not only that it comes with three different color, silver, white and black. While most would go with the standard silver color, I personally think that the white is the most alluring. Its contrast with the black buttons make it a very attractive toaster oven.

How to Use

Using it is pretty simple, however it can be confusing for first timer. To start, you press the power button to turn it on. Then select your desired time. You can then set the temperature you want it at. There are also preset button to make it easier. But I find that I get best results from using the manual control.

Using Panasonic Flashxpress can be a little tricky if youre not use to it. How I recommend using it is treat it like a broiler. It provides intense heat and is great at toasting. If you want to add color to food its the way to go. What I like to do is pop it into to the microwave for 30-50 seconds then use it to brown the outside. This way you get the quickest result. The center is heated and the outside is crispy.

However, if you only want to use one appliance, you can set the temperature low and let it slow bake. Once your ready to brown the outside, turn up the heat and let it brown. This method will often take 6-10 minutes. My other methods usually takes 2-3. Its up to you.

Drawbacks

In terms of baking, I rate it as pretty poor. The compact size makes it inefficient for baking food. Not only that, there is a limited 25 minutes bake time then you need to reset. You can take this as its limitation. Its great for a traditional toast which is relatively small, but poor for baking. Thats not to say you cant bake a pizza. Just not a cake.

Cleaning

Cleaning is the biggest drawback of any toaster oven. A lot of times, they would have a self cleaning cycle which burns off the grease. This model, not so much. I find it easiest to clean right after use. Any burnt on grease should be soft and pliable then. You can also line the baking tray with aluminum foil to keep it clean. If its really bad, what you can do is use a oven spray. However, I recommend that you do it outside. Its very caustic to breath in and you really want good ventilation when performing this task.

Panasonic Flashxpress Compact Toaster Oven Thoughts

The Panasonic Flashxpress Compact Toaster Oven is a great oven. However, it resembles more of a miniature broiler than anything else. It browns beautifully and adds a crust to just about any food. However, I wouldn’t use it to bake a potato or cake. Once you understand how it works, it will become a indispensable tool. At its price and size, I think it deserves a spot in your kitchen.

Looking for more options? Check out our article on the Best Small and Compact Toaster Oven.