Shrinking kitchens in modern homes mean appliances are working harder than ever to earn a place on your counter. It’s not unreasonable to expect your blender to double as a food processor, or your microwaves that moonlight as air fryers are now commonplace. Panasonic, however, has combined two gadgets I never thought I’d see wed: a bread machine and an ice cream maker.
I traveled to Sauce, a cooking school at the Langham Hotel in London, to get hands-on with the new Panasonic Mini Bread and Ice Cream Maker, plus a selection of other multi-talented appliances. I tied on my apron alongside a mix of journalists, influencers, and (unusually for this sort of event) their family members — including several young kids.
All the dishes on the menu combined to make a meal for a family to enjoy together without having to adapt elements, or cook separate things for children — and the recipes were so straightforward even the little ones could help out (with the assistance of a step stool).
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First, we saw a demonstration of the intriguing bread and ice cream machine, then got to grips with it ourselves. When I first received details of the event, I assumed these were separate appliances and that the invitation contained a typo, but no, this compact device can indeed do both. It makes some sense when you think about it — bread requires kneading, and ice cream needs churning, which are very similar mechanically — so why not?
As with most bread makers, preparing a loaf is a simple matter of pouring your ingredients into the machine, selecting a program, and then leaving it to handle the requisite kneading, proving, and baking.
The particular loaf we made was enriched with butter (thereby increasing the proof time), and studded with mixed seeds. Since we only had a few hours, we didn’t get to see our own loaves through to completion, but there were several finished examples available to try, and they were delicious spread with a little butter — crusts crisp and centers springy.
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We then saw a demo of the ice cream making process, which starts with chilling the two-in-one machine’s churning bowl in the freezer for at least eight hours. When the bowl is frozen, remove the bread tin from the machine, slot in an adapter, and then simply place the ice cream bowl on top. Pour in your prepared ingredients, hit the button on the control panel, then close the lid and let the machine handle the rest.
The result was light and flavorful (and we were advised that if you’re not vegetarian, adding a little gelatin to your ice cream mix will give an even creamier texture). The frozen yogurt was a particular winner, and a welcome treat on a hot summer day, and one you can prepare in a couple of minutes provided the bowl is frozen ahead of time. Want something fruity? You can make your own compote to swirl into the mix, or just add a spoonful of jam.
Next, we got stuck into some hands-on cooking with a Panasonic 4-in-1 Air Fryer Combi Microwave Oven. Despite looking no larger than a standard microwave, this appliance also serves as a convection oven and air fryer, and is packed with preset programs that combine these different cooking methods.
It’s a bit of a cliché to say that a multi-purpose appliance could replace your conventional oven, but with its tiered trays and large capacity, I think this one genuinely might for smaller families.
Of the two recipes we tried in the Combi Microwave, my personal favorite was a miniature baked cheesecake — just the right size for a snack or small dessert. You could even devour it during your morning commute if you didn’t have time for breakfast, and make yourself the envy of your fellow travelers.
The basic ingredients had already been blended together before we arrived (using a Panasonic blender, naturally), but I was very pleased to realize that they included banana. If you’re anything like me, you have a frankly ridiculous stash of overripe bananas in your freezer, and cheesecake is a very welcome change from banana bread.
All we had to do was pour the mix into the molds, add a scattering of fresh berries, and pop them in the combi microwave for a few minutes. The finished cheesecakes were delicious — perfectly set, finished much faster than you could manage in a regular fan oven, and with a lightly caramelized top that you couldn’t achieve in a standard microwave.
I will definitely try them again — I don’t have bar-shaped molds, but I do have a set of silicone muffin cases that could serve the same purpose.
Katsu-style cornflake baked fried chicken was next on the menu, made using fresh chicken breast coated in well-seasoned buttermilk and egg, then covered in a mixture of crushed cornflakes and flour (again, with plenty of seasoning). We arranged the coated chicken pieces on the microwave’s crisper plate, and within a few minutes they were cooked through without being dry in the center, and deliciously crisp outside, all with no added fat.
They were perfect alongside a freshly-cut salad, and rice prepared using Panasonic’s new multi-cooker. Rice cookers have been quietly finding their way into more and more kitchens over the last couple of years (and we’ve started reviewing more of them here on TechRadar), so it makes sense that Panasonic is launching a new model in the UK soon as well — with Fuzzy Logic Technology that adjusts cooking on the fly.
It’s hard to choose a favorite, but ultimately I think the bread and ice cream machine was my top pick of the appliances we tested. It’s just such an unusual combination — and better yet, I learned it includes a mochi paddle so you can make your own chewy and delicious treats filled with ice cream or red bean paste. All that, plus freshly made, crusty bread? I’m sure I can find a little extra space on my kitchen counter…
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