Use a Microwave to Warm Food
Microwave ovens have had a significant influence on the way we eat over the last few years. When compared to the conventional oven, it cooks food significantly faster. It allows us to have “fast food” while we are comfortable and at home. The basic microwave oven is able to take in 120 volts from the wall outlet and turn it up to about 3000 volts so that foods are safely cooked in just a few minutes. Microwaves are not a very new appliance as they have been in use in homes since the 50s. When we put our snack or meal in the microwave to cook we really don’t give a lot of thought to the process it uses to cook our food. But there are several electrical components that work together in a microwave oven to quickly heat the food we crave.
Use of Radio Waves
A microwave uses radio waves to heat or cook food. It can generate radio waves that are in the range of about 2.5 gigahertz. These types of waves are between infrared rays and FM radio waves. In the microwave, radio waves are actually absorbed by the food, specifically fats, sugars and liquids. As the food in the microwave absorbs the radio waves, it creates energy which translates directly into atomic motion. This motion is what becomes or generates heat. Basically, the radio waves make the atoms that make up the food move around very quickly. The final result is that the food is heated and cooked. The microwave cooks foods much faster because the radio waves agitate the water molecules in the food all at the same time. Since all of the food particles are generating heat simultaneously, the food cooks much faster than when cooked using more traditional means. There are some foods that do not allow the radio waves to penetrate evenly throughout and this is why there are sometimes cold spots. Usually, this occurs with different types of meats since bacteria can survive microwave cooking if areas of the meat are not cooked thoroughly.
Why some dishes safe and others are not?
The microwave is designed to generate radio waves that are set at a specific frequency which will agitate the food molecules. The radio waves that are used in a microwave oven can pass easily through glass, plastic and ceramic without causing any damage. This is what keeps the glass dishes or plastic food containers from melting or exploding in the microwave. This is one of the features of a microwave that makes them energy efficient since they heat the food only and nothing else. Metals are not safe to be used in the microwave because they reflect radio waves. This is actually why metals are used in the construction of the walls of the microwave so that the waves are contained inside the unit and do not escape out into the kitchen.
What makes the radio waves?
The types of radio waves used in a microwave are created inside a device that is called a magnetron. It works by pulling electrons off and away from a heated wire. Once the electrons are separated from the wire, magnets will begin to rotate them around inside a created vacuum. As the electrons move and swirl around they generate the radio waves that are used in the open part of the microwave to cook the food.
Magnetron Technology
The magnetron technology used in microwaves today did not come from an idea for a way to cook food fast. It was actually invented and developed by the military to use in their radar systems. An engineer named Percy Spencer was working on the magnetron and testing its ability to detect enemies when he felt a very odd sensation, sort of like a tingling over his body. He then noticed that the candy bar that he had placed inside his pocket had suddenly melted. He tried placing several items in front of the device. He soon found that it would cook popcorn, eggs and other foods very quickly. The egg actually cooked, but exploded all over Spencer’s friend. This discovery was what led to the use of the magnetron technology in the development of today’s microwave oven.
Use of Radio Waves
A microwave uses radio waves to heat or cook food. It can generate radio waves that are in the range of about 2.5 gigahertz. These types of waves are between infrared rays and FM radio waves. In the microwave, radio waves are actually absorbed by the food, specifically fats, sugars and liquids. As the food in the microwave absorbs the radio waves, it creates energy which translates directly into atomic motion. This motion is what becomes or generates heat. Basically, the radio waves make the atoms that make up the food move around very quickly. The final result is that the food is heated and cooked. The microwave cooks foods much faster because the radio waves agitate the water molecules in the food all at the same time. Since all of the food particles are generating heat simultaneously, the food cooks much faster than when cooked using more traditional means. There are some foods that do not allow the radio waves to penetrate evenly throughout and this is why there are sometimes cold spots. Usually, this occurs with different types of meats since bacteria can survive microwave cooking if areas of the meat are not cooked thoroughly.
Why some dishes safe and others are not?
The microwave is designed to generate radio waves that are set at a specific frequency which will agitate the food molecules. The radio waves that are used in a microwave oven can pass easily through glass, plastic and ceramic without causing any damage. This is what keeps the glass dishes or plastic food containers from melting or exploding in the microwave. This is one of the features of a microwave that makes them energy efficient since they heat the food only and nothing else. Metals are not safe to be used in the microwave because they reflect radio waves. This is actually why metals are used in the construction of the walls of the microwave so that the waves are contained inside the unit and do not escape out into the kitchen.
What makes the radio waves?
The types of radio waves used in a microwave are created inside a device that is called a magnetron. It works by pulling electrons off and away from a heated wire. Once the electrons are separated from the wire, magnets will begin to rotate them around inside a created vacuum. As the electrons move and swirl around they generate the radio waves that are used in the open part of the microwave to cook the food.
Magnetron Technology
The magnetron technology used in microwaves today did not come from an idea for a way to cook food fast. It was actually invented and developed by the military to use in their radar systems. An engineer named Percy Spencer was working on the magnetron and testing its ability to detect enemies when he felt a very odd sensation, sort of like a tingling over his body. He then noticed that the candy bar that he had placed inside his pocket had suddenly melted. He tried placing several items in front of the device. He soon found that it would cook popcorn, eggs and other foods very quickly. The egg actually cooked, but exploded all over Spencer’s friend. This discovery was what led to the use of the magnetron technology in the development of today’s microwave oven.