Panasonic NN-GD37HSGTG Countertop Microwave: Your Kitchen's New Best Friend

It began not in a kitchen, but in a lab, amidst the hum of post-war innovation. In 1945, an engineer named Percy Spencer was working at Raytheon, testing a new vacuum tube called a magnetron—the heart of early radar systems. As he stood before the active device, he noticed something peculiar. The chocolate bar in his pocket had turned into a gooey mess. This serendipitous discovery, a moment of pure chance, sparked a revolution that would find its way into nearly every kitchen on the planet. Spencer hadn’t set out to change how we eat; he was simply a curious observer. And that observation unlocked the secret of the microwave oven.

But what really happened to that chocolate bar? And how does that same principle cook your dinner tonight? The answer is a beautiful piece of physics, a silent, invisible dance happening right inside your food.

A Microscopic Ballet: The Science of Dielectric Heating

To say a microwave “heats” food is an understatement. It coaxes food to heat itself from the inside out through a process called dielectric heating. Most of what we eat contains water, and water molecules (H₂O) are what physicists call “polar.” Like tiny magnets, they have a positive end and a negative end.

When the microwave oven is turned on, it floods the cooking chamber with electromagnetic waves at a specific frequency: 2.45 gigahertz. This frequency is perfectly tuned to interact with water molecules. The rapidly oscillating electric field of the microwaves forces these polar molecules to flip back and forth, billions of times per second, trying to align themselves with the field. This frantic, microscopic ballet creates immense friction between the molecules, and that friction generates heat. It’s not an external flame, but an internal, uniform excitement that cooks the food.

The Era of Brute Force vs. The Dawn of Finesse

For decades, the device at the heart of this process was the same one Percy Spencer was testing: the magnetron. While brilliant, the traditional magnetron has one major flaw: it only operates at full power. To achieve a 50% power setting for defrosting, a conventional microwave simply blasts your food with 100% power for half the time and turns off for the other half. It’s a brute-force approach, the equivalent of trying to gently warm a room by repeatedly flicking a giant furnace on and off. This is the culprit behind the dreaded culinary paradox: lava-hot edges and an ice-cold core.

This is where the true evolution of the modern microwave lies, in a technology that Panasonic pioneered: Inverter technology. Instead of the clumsy on-off cycle, an Inverter circuit acts like a sophisticated dimmer switch. It delivers a continuous, controlled stream of energy at the precise level required. Whether you select 100% or 30% power, the energy flow is seamless. This finesse ensures that the microscopic dance of water molecules is a graceful waltz, not a chaotic mosh pit. The result is astonishingly even cooking, perfectly preserved textures, and better retention of nutrients.

The Missing Ingredient: Culinary Alchemy and the Maillard Reaction

Yet, even with perfect heating, for years something was missing. Food cooked in a standard microwave often tasted bland and looked pale. It lacked the rich, savory character of roasted, baked, or pan-seared dishes. The reason? It was missing a key piece of culinary alchemy: the Maillard reaction.

Named after the French chemist Louis-Camille Maillard, this is the complex cascade of chemical reactions between amino acids and reducing sugars that occurs when food is heated above roughly 285°F (140°C). It’s responsible for the golden-brown crust on bread, the savory sear on a steak, and the deep, roasted flavor of coffee. Because microwave cooking is essentially a high-speed steaming process, it rarely reaches the surface temperatures needed to trigger this magical transformation.

This is why the introduction of Combination cooking was another giant leap. By integrating a traditional grilling or broiling element with the microwave’s Inverter system, these appliances could finally offer the best of both worlds. The microwaves work their magic from the inside, cooking food with incredible speed, while the grill provides the high, dry heat needed for the Maillard reaction to work its wonders on the outside. Suddenly, you could achieve a golden, crispy-skinned chicken that was perfectly juicy and cooked-through in a fraction of the time.

Modern Science in a Stainless Steel Box

We can see these principles beautifully illustrated in a modern appliance like the Panasonic NN-GD37HSGTG.

It’s important to note for our North American readers that this specific model is designed for the 220V international market. However, it serves as an excellent case study for the advanced technologies you should seek in the 120V models available locally. Think of it as a lens through which we can view the state of the art.

Its 1000 watts of power are controlled by that intelligent Inverter system, ensuring every watt is used with precision. Its Combination functionality brings the science of the Maillard reaction to your countertop. Even subtle details, like its quiet 44-decibel operation—about the level of a hushed library—speak to a design philosophy centered on refinement and user experience, not just raw power. The durable, easy-to-clean stainless steel finish is simply the elegant housing for the sophisticated science within.

From a melted chocolate bar in 1945 to a device that can orchestrate a molecular ballet and trigger complex chemical reactions, the microwave has evolved into the unsung hero of the modern kitchen. By understanding the science secretly at work inside that familiar box, you are no longer just a user, but an informed chef, empowered to make smarter choices and, ultimately, more delicious food.