The transition from the conventional method of cooking to the technological-based has been smooth. Because the latest tech in the kitchen appliances have been simplified so that anyone can easily use the machines. One such popular kitchen appliance is the microwave oven. With its futuristic capabilities, this is widely used across many households. And often we ask ourselves how does a microwave oven work?
When the microwave ovens had been introduced in the market, this had spread like a wildfire. As you can use these kitchen appliances without any technical knowledge, it gets you warm cooked food and even it is easy to maintain. This makes the microwave oven one of the most desired products for many consumers.
If we are comparing it to the traditional method of cooking, as it depends on the gas and it used to emit flames. This flame was sometimes found as a carcinogenic type when it is done in a closed room. People started to wonder and they were eagerly waiting for a product that could solve this problem. The microwave oven didn’t only solve the problem, it also helped in many aspects of cooking.
In this blog post, you will learn what a microwave is? How does a microwave oven work? and the potential health concerns associated with it.
What is microwave?
Before understanding how the microwave oven works, we must know what microwave radiation is.
Microwaves are electromagnetic radiations that are dispatched through waves of electrical and magnetic frequencies. The microwave transmission can happen in the form of wavelength or frequency. And then the wavelength is converted into an electromagnetic spectrum. This is generally formed with the help of radio waves and gamma rays. The spectrum is diversified into multiple areas where the function of decreasing or increasing the frequency of wavelength takes place.
It is very hard to see these rays from our naked eye. If you can keenly observe, you can only see the minor part of the radiation. You do not need to worry about the side effects, as they are non-ionizing radiations. Only ionizing radiation is dangerous to the human body as it can penetrate the particles.
Microwaves have a lot of applications. It is used for transmitting messages through telecommunication devices, used in speed governor devices and the list of applications keeps on growing. If we talk about its advantages for household purposes, microwave radiation is being extensively used in the oven to cook food.
How does a microwave oven work?
The microwaves are generated within the microwave oven machine. These microwaves are commonly evolved from the electron tube that is present in the machine. When the electron tube emits radiation it is called Magnetron.
Magnetrons are then formed into the microwave. The microwaves are blasted inside the microwave oven compartment so that it is getting reflected on all the sides of the food.
These microwaves that enter into the food, cause vibration. The vibration then leads to heat. This is how the basic overview of microwaves working to heat the food item.
Microwaves target food only from the outer side. You can’t get the food cooked Inside out. As the radiation is directly targeted to the outer portion of the food item. When the outer side starts heating, it manages to heat the inner surface as well.
The presence of water molecules inside the food, causes friction for the food item to get quickly heated up. When we compare the food particles that have water content and other food items that don’t, it is very easy for the microwave oven to cook the food items that have water content. The microwaves are closely governed by the latest technology that does not let your food get contaminated by radiation.
To heat the food items inside the microwave oven, plastic and glass containers are used to store the food. There are dedicated microwave containers for this purpose. The outer layer of these containers does not get heated up as the radiations are passed within. Due to the food getting heated up, even the containers feel warm to you. Ensure that you don’t use any other containers which are not microwave recommended. Because the microwave radiation can instantly melt down the container.
Why can’t the microwave cook food from Inside out?
The microwave radiations cant pass inside the food items for not more than a centimetre or two. When the microwaves are absorbed on a portion of food, it gradually starts losing its energy as it passes layer-by-layer. So only the outer portion of the food item is extremely heated. And gradually the same momentum passes to the inner surfaces of food as well.
But when you compare it to the traditional method of cooking, it heats up from all the directions of the food particle. This even results in the loss of important nutrients which are required for your body. But this is not the case happening with microwave radiation-cooked food.
If we are comparing the fruits and vegetables which are high in water content from within. The microwave radiation can’t penetrate within the fruits and vegetables as the power slowly wears out. If any other food items do not have the presence of or have less presence of water within them, it is very easy for the microwave oven to cook the food from inside out.
Potential health concerns
Here are some of the concerns that are addressed below. You always need to follow the guidelines that have been provided by the microwave oven brand. It is recommended that you do not perform any other action that is not within the owner’s manual. This can be a high potential risk for you and your family.
1. What is the common injury found with the use of microwave ovens?
There are a lot of complaints about consumers heating the water, coffee, and tea inside the microwave oven. As these machines instantly tend to boil the liquid substances, if you are not watching it closely, the temperature gets superheated up. And when you are taking the container from the microwave oven, you can’t hold the vessel because of the high temperature.
2. What is the safest way to use the microwave oven?
Always ensure that the doors of microwave ovens are properly closed. If you fail to do it, microwave radiation is emitted out of the machine. This can be a potential threat to your skin that is not safe. Double-check the lock of microwave oven doors so that it is properly closed.
3. What is the main benefit of using a microwave oven?
The main benefit of using a microwave oven should be that it maintains the nutritional value of food. When we compare to the conventional method of cooking, there is always a loss of nutrients. But this is not the case with microwave ovens, as they can be regulated and controlled with proper radiation frequencies so that no nutritions are lost from the food.
4. Are there any life-injuring accidents that happened to the micro oven?
All the accidents that have happened are through known radiation situations. Because as I mentioned earlier that the usual accidents are due to the liquid getting superheated up for the containers getting melted. These are some of the common problems found in using a micro oven. You get life-injury accidents when there is an excess amount of radiation that is emitted on your body.
5. How to check if there is any leakage of radiation from the machine?
Usually, you don’t find such cases arising from a microwave oven. It happens only because the door is not properly closed. You need to regularly check whether the lock of the doors is properly functioning to keep the door closed. Sometimes the outer edge of the door can be bent, you also need to cross-check whether any sort of that has happened.
Conclusion
The technology which is involved within the microwave oven machines is very simple. With the help of microwave radiation that is scattered across the chamber of the oven, it targets the food item which is present within it. Through this technique, heat is generated and food is properly cooked from all directions.
Don’t get fooled by the size of the machine. Because these are one of the best kitchen appliances that instantly cook or heats your food within no time. And with the help of the latest features, you can easily cook any variety of food.
The best part of cooking food in a micro oven is its cost-efficiency. These devices consume less energy and do all the job when it comes to cooking.
Now when you have understood how a microwave oven works, you need to know the other aspects of microwave oven functions.
Importance of Using a Microwave oven