The Microwave Oven De-mystified. Review on Choosing a Microwave Oven

Modern Technology in the kitchen

With the passage of time, the encroachment of technology into the kitchen area has increased manifold – beginning with the gas stove of century ago almost, to the more modern appliances in vogue today, viz. food processors, mixers/grinders/blenders, Refridgerators, Ovens and the ever-increasing Microwave Oven… this review attempts to answers some basic questions on the Microwave oven

The Microwave

The appliance of the same name is based on microwaves, which are a type of electro-magnetic radiation, emitted from certain elements under the influence of a magnetic field. The wavelengths associated with Microwaves are in the range of 1 meter to one millimeter. Longer waves are called radio waves, and the shorter waves come under the infra-red spectrum. That should give a specific placement of the microwave to the reader

The use of Microwaves ranges from Microwave Ovens, Radar Devices, Broadcasting / Telecom / LAN / Wireless etc. They are by no means specific to the Oven, which is just a use of the product. As a matter of fact, the microwave oven came about as a result of experiments on Radar, and the first oven was over 6 feet tall!

The Microwave Oven

The microwave consists of a transformer, a magnetron, a control circuit, a waveguide, a fan and a cooking chamber. The transformer transfers energy/current to the magnetron, which is a vacuum tube with a cathode and an anode. The procedure is rather complex, but I have tried to decode it:

This tube generates the electron streams, which in combination with the magnetic fields in the vacuum tubes generates energy in the form of electro-magnetic waves. This energy is sucked by the wave guide and directed to the cooking chamber, which is specially made to prevent loss of the waves into the atmosphere. The fan helps in even distribution of the microwaves within the cooking chamber, leading to unform cooking of the food{recall physics? It was covered in a basic sense in 11th and 12th classes under the study of electro-magnetic fields} .The glass front of the microwave is also special, with the mesh being smaller the the microwave length{ usually around 12 cms}, and larger than visible light, which allows light to pass through.

The Cooking Action in a Microwave Oven

Normal cooking is achieved by direct application of heat, wherein heat is applied only to the surface of the food-stuffs. By contrast, microwave cooking is obtained by heating the water, fat and other liquid in the food. Micowaves penetrate deeper than the direct method, and also cook much faster.

Specifically, what happens is that the molecules of water and fat absorb energy from the microwaves. This results in increased movements of the molecules, which results in friction. It is this friction that causes the heating effect. Hence, it follows that food – stuffs that are liquid or have larger water content will heat quicker than the drier foods.

Options in, and types of Microwave Ovens

Convection / Combination Microwave, which uses a combination of microwaves and convection heating{ direct heating}. This is a higher – costing appliance, and its main advantage is that it offers a better range of cooking, as well as faster cooking times

Steam Microwave: This type offers cooking via super – heated steam{ hundreds of degrees Celsius}, and is currently offered only by one company{ Godrej}

Sizes: available from 17 litres upwards to more than 32litres. Avoid the 17 litre solo models as they are too small to be of much use. Solo means pure microwave: choose the convection models as options such as grilling, baking, crusting etc are available. You can do browning etc in a pure microwave.

It is a power – consuming device: typically it will consume 1000 W to 2000 W or more

Safety points in a Microwave Oven

There is no proof available as yet that microwave is cooking is unsafe: having said that, individual choices may happen. There are some people{ self included} who prefer food cooked the traditional way due to taste factors, as faster cooking will midly alter the taste of the cooked food

Limit or avoid use of electro-magnetic devices near a microwave oven: radios, mobiles, digital cameras etc.

Brands in the Market

Since this is a review on technology made simple, I will not go into a detailed presentation on the brand choice. But, the better brands are listed below, in order of my preference:

Samsung

Whirlpool

LG

IFB

Godrej

Onida

Prices and Sizes:

Prices vary wildly as per model, brand, size and market. Sizes available currently in the market are 17L, 20L, 25L, 29L, 32L etc. It is recommended that you choose at least 25 litres or more for it to be of good use