How Do Microwave Ovens Work?
Microwave ovens are home appliances used to cook or heat foods quickly. Most homes now a days have a microwave oven in their kitchens. The way microwave ovens work is by using waves of radiation. Microwave ovens use these waves to hit the water molecules in foods. The water molecules in food then start moving around and bumping each other. When the water molecules move around and bump, they produce friction. This friction heats the food molecules. This is how the food is cooked or heated. The cooking is much faster than a conventional oven. For instance, one baking potato would take at least an hour to cook in a 350 degree conventional oven. In a microwave oven, the potato would be cooked in five minutes.
Basic Rules of Using a Microwave Oven
It is very important to know and follow these rules when using a microwave oven.
- You should never use metal cookware in your microwave oven. The microwaves of the oven can’t go through metal. Also, it is not a good idea to use cookware that has metal trim such as silver. However, metal shelves included with the microwave are safe.
- You should never put food wrapped in aluminium foil in a microwave oven. It will catch on fire.
- You should not cook recipes that require a lot of water such as pasta in a microwave. They will cook faster on top of the stove. The more water or liquid in a dish, the longer the cook time will be.
- You should always cover the dish of food. The food will cook faster when covered, and you will avoid splattering of the food on the oven walls. You can purchase covers at retail stores along with microwave safe cookware. When covering the food, be sure to leave a small portion vented or uncovered. This will prevent steam from building up and burning you when the cover is removed.
- To have an even distribution of heat, you should turn, stir and rotate foods often. Most microwave ovens have turnstiles to help with rotating.
- Since small pieces of food cook more quickly than larger ones, it is a good idea to cut food into small pieces.
- You must use a fork to pierce foods with skins. Foods such as potatoes, hot dogs and sausages must be pierced before cooking. If not, they may burst and you will have a mess to clean up inside the oven.
- In order for food to defrost in a slow and even manner, use the defrost power setting. This power setting is 30% to 40% of full power. When defrosting food, it is best to turn and rotate it.
- Before removing food from the oven, it should sit in the oven as directed by the recipe. This will allow the heat to spread. This is called “standing time,” but it is really cooking time.
- Container you use to food cook in a microwave should be round and not rectangular.
- It is best to check that any container you use in a microwave is safe to be microwaved.
Modern Convenience Foods Sold for Microwave Ovens
- Microwave popcorn is sold in grocery stores. The popcorn is in a paper bag and will pop in just a few minutes.
- Vegetables are sold in microwavable steam bags.
- Frozen dinners can be cooked in conventional or microwave ovens.
- Zip’n Steam Bags are sold in grocery stores. These are used to easily cook vegetables such as asparagus, broccoli, zucchini, baby carrots, cut carrots, cauliflower, yellow squash, corn on the cob, green beans, whole or cut potatoes, and spinach. These bags can also be used to cook shrimp, fish, chicken or hot dogs. When using these steam bags, you should place the food and seasonings in the bag and seal the bag firmly. For best results when cooking vegetables in the steam bags, you should add one tablespoon of water to the vegetables in the bag.
Are Microwave Ovens Safe?
The frequency that microwaves operate at is low enough to be below the non-ionizing spectrum of radiation. Therefore, microwave ovens are safe. However, it is best to stand at least one foot away from the microwave when it is operating. They produce a thermal effect on human tissue that is exposed long enough to a high frequency of the microwave. Possible cataract and ties to cancer have been reported.
Most people’s concerns about microwaves are based on the radio frequency of electro-magnetic energy. There is no need for concern since the radiation emitted by a microwave is much weaker than x rays or gamma radiation. There is a significant difference between the radiation of a microwave and other forms of radiation. The microwave radiation does not remain in the area of the oven. In other words, once you turn off the microwave, the radiation is gone. Even if the oven door or hinges were damaged and microwave radiation leaked out, there would still be no risk to humans. This is because government regulations require microwaves to be built in a way that would pose no risk to humans even if all the oven’s radiation leaked out.
At one time, microwaves interfered with pacemakers. However, improvements to both the pacemakers and the microwaves have eliminated this problem.
An Easy Method to Clean a Microwave
Begin by putting water into a large cup or bowl. Add some lemon juice. Heat this mixture for about five minutes and then use to wipe the inside of the oven.
Foods You Should Not Cook in a Microwave
- Do not heat or cook food in a can. Remove the food and place in a microwave safe container.
- You can’t cook stuffed poultry in a microwave. By the time the middle has cooked to a high enough temperature, the rest of the poultry will be overcooked.
- Deep frying is not advisable in a microwave. Deep frying in fat should be done on top of the stove.
- If you warm baby food or baby bottles in a microwave, it should be done with caution. After you remove the baby bottle from the microwave, shake it, let it stand, and then test the temperature. For baby food, you should stir it, let it stand, and then test the temperature.
- Do not attempt to dry dish cloths in a microwave. The result could be a fire.
Types of Microwave Ovens to Consider
When shopping for a microwave, you will find six different types. These six types include countertop, over-the-stove, built in, convection, combination, and commercial. Countertop microwaves are the least expensive but use up counter space. An over-the-stove type is more expensive and will need professional electrical installation. A combination type microwave gives you the option of cooking with it as a standard microwave or switching to the convection mode.
The combination type microwave cooks food five times faster. The commercial microwave is built much stronger and is meant to be used at places of business. Of course, they would be much more expensive.
For online shopping, you will find a variety of microwave ovens for sale at ikman.lk. These include Panasonic, SANSUNG, Kenwood, Daewoo, LG, GALANZ, and Sanyo.