A microwave, or microwave, is an almost indispensable attribute of any Russian cuisine. Why is this household appliance so common? The point is its speed - the heating time in a microwave oven is measured in seconds, while on the stove it will take much more time. Convenience also plays an important role - the microwave is small in size and will fit even in the smallest "Khrushchev". And if there is no stove and there is no way to put it? A microwave can replace it in many ways!
How the microwave was born
The "father" of the microwave oven is rightfully considered the American physicist Percy Spencer. He developed ultra-high frequency emitters, and during his experiments he noticed that organics under the influence of microwave heat up. How exactly this happened, the story is silent, but there are two most common versions: according to one of them, due to distraction, he forgot a sandwich on the switched-on device, and when he remembered about it, he was already very hot. The second version claims that Spencer carried a chocolate bar in his pocket, which naturally melted under the influence of superhigh frequencies.
Household use
One way or another, having discovered the "food" properties of microwave radiation in 1942, already at 45 a physicist received a patent for his invention. And just two years later, in 1947, the US military heated their breakfasts, lunches and dinners in the microwave. Whatever the microwave did, the military didn’t care about the operation of its mechanism - the main thing was that it gave a quick result. True, the microwave in the 40s was still "not that" - the weight of the device exceeded 300 kilograms!
Next, Sharp set to work - already in the 62nd, it launched the first model of a consumer microwave oven “among the people”. She did not cause a special surge of interest, because the buyers were scared off by the use of microwave radiation. Later, the same company invented the "rotating plate", and in the 79th - the electronic control system.
What does a microwave oven consist of?
A microwave oven consists of several essential parts:
- Transformer.
- A magnetron in a microwave is actually a microwave emitter .
- A waveguide, due to which radiation is transmitted to an isolated chamber.
- A metallized chamber is the place where food is heated.
Additional elements of the microwave are: a rotating stand for more uniform heating of food, electronics for controlling various modes, a timer, a fan.
How does a microwave heat food?
Despite the seeming “magic” that the microwave possesses, the principle of operation is absolutely scientific and logical. Virtually any food contains water molecules and other elements that have both a positive and a negative charge. In the absence of a magnetic field, the charges in the molecules are arranged randomly, randomly. A strong magnetic field instantly organizes electric charges - they become directed strictly in accordance with the course of the magnetic field lines.
The peculiarity of microwave radiation is that it “flips” dipole molecules not only quickly, but unimaginably - almost 5 billion times per second! Molecules move in accordance with a change in the magnetic field, and the highest “switching” speed literally creates the effect of friction. Thanks to this, the products in the microwave are heated in a few seconds.
Types of Microwave Ovens
What are microwave ovens and how do they differ among themselves:
- Solo-oven, or ordinary microwave. It belongs to the most budget models and is intended only for defrosting and heating food. As a rule, such microwave ovens have mechanical control and are quite reliable, since there is nothing special to break.
- Microwave with grill and convection. These functions of the microwave go both together and separately. The grill is an additional heating element, which is most often located under the ceiling of the chamber, and a rotating skewer. Convection is the circulation of hot air inside the chamber, which provides additional and more uniform heating of food. Such microwaves, as a rule, belong to the middle price category and work both on mechanical and electronic control.
- Multifunctional microwave ovens. Many modes, of course, convection and grill, the function of a double boiler, as well as a whole range of culinary solutions for your kitchen. Of course, such serious household appliances belong to the category of expensive and are controlled by sophisticated electronics.
Despite the difference in details, the microwave oven for $ 20 and for 200 is still the same microwave. The principle of operation is the same.
What are the differences between microwaves?
- Volume. Domestic microwave ovens differ from each other, but not too much. But industrial microwaves are completely different - they can heat several dozen servings at once.
- Type of grill. It can be ceramic, quartz or PETN. With the same semantic load, they differ in details: for example, a quartz grill heats up more evenly and spends less electricity, but a heating grill can work more intensively, and it is also easier to wash.
- The method of coating the inner walls. There are also several of them - enamel painting, durable enamel and special coatings (bioceramics and antibacterial). Painting is the cheapest and short-lived, enamel is better, although prolonged and intensive use also renders it unusable. Special coatings can be called eternal. Disadvantages include high price and fragility in relation to impact loads. And yes, there is still a stainless steel - a great option for those who are not ready to fork out too much for the sake of the microwave. Durable, reliable, beautiful-looking coating withstands long and intense heating with ease. The disadvantages of stainless steel include the difficulty of washing - several abrasive cleaners create a network of micro-scratches on its surface, in which burnt fat "clings" to all its molecules.
- Types of management. There are only three of them - mechanics, buttons, touch panel. The mechanics are cheap, easy to use, reliable, the disadvantage is the accuracy of setting the time. The buttons break a little more often, but then you can set the second per second. The disadvantages include dirt accumulating on the controls, which requires additional time for wiping. The sensor is beautiful, stylish, dirt does not accumulate, you can program the cooking process. Disadvantages - it breaks more often than others, it costs significantly more. Repair of microwave ovens, especially expensive ones, is not a cheap service, so you should think: is it worth taking with a sensor?
- The operating modes of the microwave oven. They can be from 3-4 in cheap models, up to 10-12 in the most expensive. Of the main modes, the following can be distinguished: full mode - frying meat, baking vegetables. Medium-high, 3/4 power - quick heating of undemanding products. Medium - cooking soups, cooking fish. Medium-low, 1/4 power - defrosting products, "soft" heating of products. The smallest, about 10% of the capacity, is designed to defrost "capricious" foods like tomatoes, and to keep warm already hot foods.
Additional functions of microwave ovens
One of the most interesting extra features for a microwave is the supply of hot steam. This supplement does not allow the products to dry out, and they also cook much faster. Here you can add the airing of the chamber - despite the seeming insignificance, for many housewives this function has become saving - now their vegetables do not smell like fish, and fish - apples.
Camera dividers. Various grills allow you to cook several servings at a time. The disadvantages of this function include the lack of rotation, which makes heating food less uniform.
"Crisp" - a special dish for a microwave, allows you to cook in it the same way as in a pan. Made of heat-resistant alloy, it "holds" the temperature up to 200 degrees.
Mica. Why mica in the microwave? It protects the waveguide from various contaminants, and increases the service life of the device.
Double radiation function. How does such a microwave work? The device and principle of operation of such a microwave oven differ only in the presence of two sources of high-frequency radiation. This allows you to achieve better and more uniform heating of food.
Built-in cookbook. An expensive function, but for those who like to eat, without spending a lot of time and intellectual costs, this is it.
Necessary safety rules when using a microwave oven
Quite often, ordinary people are concerned about the question of whether a microwave is dangerous to health. The principle of its operation, of course, is based on microwave radiation. But you need not be afraid of this.
A fully functional microwave oven is not a greater danger to the consumer than a computer or television. Contrary to persistent myths, microwave radiation is not radioactive or carcinogenic, and after a couple of months of operation, the microwave does not begin to “sound”.
Microwave radiation can really cause a serious burn, but in order to achieve this from your home microwave, you have to sweat - even the cheapest models are equipped with multi-level protection. And, for example, you can’t put your hand into the switched on device - the automation will immediately turn off the power.
What kind of dishes should be used in your microwave
It is best if the microwave plate that you are going to use in the microwave oven is specialized, with the appropriate marking. It includes, for example, sets of dishes made of heat-resistant glass. If you don’t have one at hand, then pay attention to the following recommendations:
- Glass. Excellent microwave material if it is not too thin and there are no cracks or chips.
- Porcelain and faience. Suitable materials if they are completely glazed and not metallized. Again, porcelain or earthenware should not be mechanically damaged.
- Paper. Suitable material, but with assumptions - the paper should be thick, not dyed, and it is better not to use it for a long time.
- Plastic. Yes, but only specialized. Today, many companies produce entire lines of plastic containers for heating in microwave ovens. Ideal for an office worker who does not want to go broke on business lunches and going to cafes.
The most inappropriate microwave dish is metal. From high-frequency radiation, it begins to sparkle, and this will soon send you to look for an institution where microwave repairs are carried out.
How to care?
This will help you instructions for the microwave. It indicates which special detergents should be cleaned. There is no shortage of them, but you should buy them right away, with a microwave. Do not delay the cleaning - the repeatedly heated and compressed fat on the walls of the chamber you will have to painfully wipe away, cursing everything in the world, and daily cleaning will be reduced to a few light movements with a rag. If you still achieve the formation of "ancient deposits", then before washing, put a glass of water in the oven for a minute and turn on the maximum mode. Grease and dirt will congeal and wash off at times easier.
A bit of humor ...
One lady in the United States won a lawsuit after “drying” her cat in the microwave. In a lawsuit, she indicated that she was unaware that “cats should not be dried in the microwave.”
Despite the well-known fact that raw chicken eggs explode in the microwave, enthusiasts around the world are trying to come up with a way around this problem - pierce a hole in the shell, wrap it in a special film. But, despite all their efforts, the eggs still explode.
Recently, the Internet fake message that the new iPhone model can be recharged from the microwave exploded. It is not known how many owners of smartphones have been led to this draw, but dozens of photos with disheveled iPhones speak for themselves.