Microwave Basics - How They Work

Magnetron - small transmitting antenna, much like a radio station or TV station might use. The microwave oven converts the electricity from the house into an extremely high voltage, which feeds the "magnetron, " which converts the high voltage into electromagnetic wave energy, which is in the frequency band of radio waves.

The radio waves funnel into the cooking area of the oven, which makes the molecules in the food or liquid resonate (vibrate) wildly…which causes friction between the vibrating molecules…which generates the heat for cooking.

Wave guide and Stirrer blade - work together to make sure the energy reaches all areas of the microwave oven interior.

Why some foods cook better than others
Whether a food type is suitable for cooking in a microwave oven has a lot to do with the structure of the food--or the lack of it:

Consider bread. It has an internal structure of air pockets. When the microwave gets all of the molecules in the structure vibrating at microwave frequency, the structures break down and the bread becomes tough and inedible if cooked too long.

Now consider water. It has no structure. When the microwave frequency gets the water molecules vibrating, they rub against each other creating friction--then heat. Because they have no fragile structures to break down, foods with high water content tend to heat nicely in the microwave--including vegetables, soups, and so on. Foods high in fat and sugar also, cook more quickly than other types.

Safe, quick, and inexpensive
Because microwave ovens use radio waves, rather than radiant heat, to heat food, they are considered to be quite safe. Also, they don't introduce anything unnatural into the food, and they are more energy efficient than standard resistance cooking devices.

Microwave Buying Tips

Consider What You Cook - if you will only be popping popcorn, melting butter, or heating up drinks and left-over's then you won't need a lot of fancy features - so don't pay for them.

Wattage - a higher wattage will cook foods faster and most recipes that are written for microwaves are written for 800 watts or higher. Most microwaves have power that falls between 600 to 1200 watts.

Countertop or Over the Range Models - available counter space often helps determine the size and location of the microwave. Over the range models often have built in fans and can free up the valuable counter real estate. Built-in models sometimes require professional installation and external venting.

Capacity - microwaves come in a variety of sizes to meet the needs of different families. The more members in the family the larger the microwave you will need.

Special Features - with so many dual wage earner households and fewer families having the time to follow traditional cooking methods, microwaves have evolved to fill the gap.

• Sensors allow for pre-programmed settings that will take your meal from the freezer to the table, regualting the power levels and timing for each phase of the cycle.
• Dual mode timers provide a timer that times the food being prepared and can simultaneously be used as a kitchen timer as well.
• Grilling and browning capabilities are possible with special pans and grills to bake foods to a delicious golden brown texture.
• Automatic defrost feature can detects the best power level to defrost foods when the food types ands weights are entered.
• Turntable or rotating dish allows you to evenly cook food so that you won’t have to manually turn the food.
• Touch pads that are easy to read, use, and understand. The cooking times, power settings and preparation instructions should be clearly displayed.
• Shortcut keys for certain foods for even more convenience.
  

Tricks to Keep Your Microwave Maintained

Warning! You can receive a serious electrical shock from the components inside your microwave oven--even when it's unplugged. Only a qualified appliance repair technician should perform any repair.

Keep the Microwave for longer life
Clean the inside of your microwave frequently. Food particles and splatters absorb some of the microwave energy while the unit is operating and may cause burns and other damage to the microwave.
The touch pad controls, door hardware, and other exterior trim pieces last longer when they're clean, as well.

Surge protection
Because microwave ovens have solid state circuitry inside, they're susceptible to damage from voltage spikes caused by lightening, etc. We recommend that you plug your microwave into an appropriate surge suppressor to protect the circuitry.

Door safety
Your microwave oven's door keeps the microwave energy inside, where it belongs. If the door is in any way damaged, or if the door seal doesn't seem to fit correctly or be in good repair, have the microwave checked by a qualified appliance repair technician.

Running empty
Microwave ovens heat by bombarding the food or liquid in the oven with super-high-frequency microwave sound energy. If there's no food or liquid in the oven to absorb the microwave energy, the energy can feed back to the microwave itself, which can permanently damage the internal microwave antenna (magnetron). Warning! Never operate a microwave oven without food or liquid inside it.