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History of microwave ovens

Discovery of microwave was made by Percy Spencer. It all happened, when during one of the experimentation on active radar, he felt a sensation and noticed that a peanut candy bar that he had kept in his pocket started to melt, this radar had melted his candy bar with microwaves. This led to the development of the concept of Microwave. Dr. Spencer designed one metal box with an opening in which he fed microwave power, which did not allow the energy to escape, and created a higher density electromagnet, thus was invented microwave oven.

Then in 1947, Raytheon introduced first Radarange and costs ranged between $2,000 and $3,000. Then around 1952-55, Tappan improved the first home model and came up with a new improved model at a price of $1295.

The modern Microwave Oven uses microwave radiation for cooking and heating food.

A microwave oven consists of:

Magnetron

It is a high-powered vacuum tube that generates coherent microwaves.

Magnetron control circuit

It comes usually with a microcontroller. A microcontroller is a computer on a chip, used to control electronic devices.

A waveguide

It is a structure for guiding waves.

A microwave oven functions by passing microwave radia tion, and causes them to vibrate at a rate of 2,450, 000,000 times per second(2450 MHz). It follows a process of dielectric heating whereby water, fat, and sugar molecules in the food absorbs energy from the microwave beam. The molecular movement will create heat as the rotating molecules hit other molecules and put them into motion. Microwave heating is most efficient on liquid water, and much less on fats and sugars, and frozen water.

Microwave ovens have several power levels to choose from, including one or more defrosting levels. It has a cooking chamber which prevents microwaves from escaping into the environment. A typical consumer microwave oven consumes 1100 W, but delivers 700 W microwave power.Thus best microwave ovens saves your time and energy.

Microwave utensils

Microwave oven requires special utensils such as:

Glass Ceramic China

Ovenproof glass or glass ceramic baking dishes are the most used microwave utensils, and are readily available in homes.

Dinnerware

They can also be used for microwave cooking. If dinnerware is marked ovenproof, it can be used safely in the microwave oven.

Jars and bottles

They can be used to warm food in normal required temperature, but only when its lid is removed. These jars should not be used for Cooking, as they are not heat resistant, therefore can break if kept for longer period.

Some microwave accessories.

Microwaves have certain accessories like:

Browning dishes

It is used for seering, browning and frying. Browning dish has certain coating on the bottom that attracts microwave energy when the dish is preheated.

Roasting rack

It holds the food out of the liquid which accumulates as the meat cooks. It is ideal for bacon and assists in reheating pastry and other dry items.

Cake dishes

It includes cupcakers, ringmolds and cake pans to ensure even results for variety of shapes and sizes.

Food characteristics

The speed and evenness of microwave cooking is effected by the foods them selves. Microwave penetrates food to a depth of ¾ to 1 ½ inches on all surfaces; top, bottom and sides. The interior of food greater than 2 inches in diameter heates by conduction, as it does in conventional cooking.

Quantity

The cooking time also depends on the amount of food kept for cooking. Small quantity of food or liquid requires less time then large amounts of the same substance.

Size

Smaller pieces cook faster then larger ones. Pieces which are simmilar in size and shape cook more evenly.

Shape

Many foods are uneven like a Chicken, ribs or broccoli. The thin parts will cook faster then the thick parts. The uniformly thick foods will cook faster. To compensate for irregualr shapes, place thin pieces towards the center of the dish and thicker pieces towards the edge of the dish. Round shape food cooks faster then square or oblong shapes.

Temperature

Frozen or refregerated food takes longer time to cook then food at room temperature.

Moisture Content

Microwaves a re attracted by moisture, thus moist foods microwave better then dry ones. Add a minimum of liquid to moist foods, as excess water slows cooking and prick foods with skins like those on potatoes or squash, so that internal steam can escape

Density

The density of food determines how easily the microwave penetrates and how quickily it will cook.

Foods that cannot be cooked in microwave oven

No single appliance can do everything well, and your microwave oven is no exception. Sometimes conventional cooking is more efficient and convenient than Microwave oven like:

Eggs in shells or shelled boiled eggs can burst
Canning requires prolonged high temperatures
Popcorn is too dry to attract microwave energy unless you use special microwave popcorn.
Deep fry pans can cause burns
Bottles with narrow necks may shatter.

Tips to buy microwave oven

Before going on a shopping spree to buy Microwave oven, you should consider few things. First of all c heck for its features like automatic sensors that turn off the microwave when food is ready. They include preset buttons for cooking like baked potatoes, bacon, and popcorn. Then some models also provide some extra attachments for grilling, roasting and browning, some exotic type may also have hidden controls and more rounded shape for a sleeker look.

You may consider the size of the microwave according to the need. As there are lots of sizes and shapes available.

Different microwaves have different consumption powers. The Large microwaves can consume 850 to1650 watts while the smaller ones can do with 600 and 800 watts.

And of course price is a most important consideration while buying a microwave oven. You can get microwave for as low as $40. These microwaves naturally have fewer features and are available as counter top models only.

Thus it is important to have knowledge about the features of microwave ovens.

Some misconceptions about microwave oven

There are cert ain danger and misconceptions involved in handling Microwave oven.

If Liquids are heated in a container with a smooth surface, they can superheat
if the liquids are disturbed it can also explode which can lead to severe burns.
Exposure to microwave radiation may cause cancer
Microwave cooking causes nutrient loss than conventional cooking

The U.S. legal limit of leaking radiation is 1 mW/cm² at 5 cm (about 2 inches) from a new oven, and this is far below the exposure level that is currently considered to be harmful to human health.

Safety tips

Before using Microwave oven, there are certain safety tips also that need to be considered.

Do not attempt to operate oven with the door open, which can result in harmful exposure to microwave energy.
It is also advised not to defeat or tamper with the safety interlocks.
Do not place any object between the oven front face and the door or allow soil or cleaner residue to accumulate on cleaner surfaces.
Do not operate oven if it is damaged. It is important that the oven door closes properly and that there is no damage to the door, hinges or latches.

Thus, add spice to your life with cooking of your choice in only of course with your microwave oven.

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