Using a Microwave

What Is a Microwave Oven

The microwave oven was invented in 1945 by Percy Spencer.

He conceived the idea and made the invention while working as a radar systems engineer, after noticing that a chocolate bar in his pocket began to melt whenever the radar was turned on.

Working Method

Microwaves are electromagnetic waves generated by a magnetron at a frequency of 2.45 GHz, which causes water and oil molecules to vibrate and heat up.

Process

The microwave performs remarkably well in many cooking tasks.

High heat is suitable for:

• [Boiling] Boiling vegetables
• [Boiling] Softening hard vegetables with high moisture content (such as potatoes, onions, and artichokes)
• [Puffing] Puffing pastries, such as choux pastry, Indian papadums, and popcorn

Medium heat is suitable for:

• [Boiling] Seafood (for example, Microwaved Black Cod with Ginger and Scallion)
• [Boiling] Softening meat
• [Dehydrating] Drying fruit and vegetable peels
• [Dehydrating] Making jerky
• [Frying] Crisping aromatic herbs
• [Frying] Softening leafy greens
• [Heating] Warming up leftovers

Low heat is used for:

• [Defrosting] Thawing food
• [Defrosting] Melting butter and chocolate

Notes

• Microwaves should not be used to heat water, as this may cause it to superheat and boil violently, posing a risk to your personal safety.
• Never use a microwave to heat eggs! Unless they are shell-less raw eggs and the yolk has been pierced. Heating causes gases inside the egg to expand, leading to an explosion.
• Regardless of your purpose, even out of curiosity, do not use a microwave to heat whole fruits (such as grapes, blueberries, or cherry tomatoes), as this may cause them to explode.
• Because the wavelength of microwaves is 12.2 cm, microwaves heat small objects more slowly than large ones. Therefore, if the ingredients are very small, it is recommended to cluster them together for heating.
• Microwaves can only penetrate a few centimeters into food, so the outside may become very hot while the inside remains cold. To solve this, place the ingredients with a small amount of liquid in a sealed bag, or put them in a bowl covered with plastic wrap, to generate enough steam inside the container to compensate for the microwave's tendency to cook unevenly.
  • tips: Be careful of steam spraying out when opening the sealed bag.
• Microwaves can only heat objects containing liquid molecules, such as water and oil; therefore, plastic wrap and sealed bags will not be heated by microwaves.
• Metal reflects microwaves and does not heat up. Avoid using containers with gold rims or metal patterns, as uneven heating can cause the container to crack. Please use ceramic, glass containers, or microwave-safe baking dishes.