The microwave is one of the modern electrical appliances that has become indispensable in every home due to its wonderful advantages that help housewives save time and effort. The microwave heats food quickly and also contributes to saving food.
This is due to its ease of use and the costs associated with its use. Microwaves are a twentieth-century technology that is highly efficient compared to traditional ovens. In this article, we will learn how microwaves work and all the details related to microwave ovens.
How does a microwave work?
The microwave oven is one of the modern appliances used in the 21st century and is considered one of the devices that contribute to saving energy. Many homes cannot do without it due to its uses. It has limited benefits, including that it is used to heat food quickly and obtain caramelization and flavor that enhances the appearance of food in a short time. It is also used to thaw items that were previously cooked using traditional methods. Therefore, it is necessary to know how the microwave works.
- The microwave relies on microwave radiation, which receives radiation from receiving stations to heat the food inside the microwave.
- Microwaves are radio-like rays with a frequency of 2500 MHz. They are absorbed by water, fatty materials, and sugary materials through the atoms and bundles of these materials. Absorption of microwave rays gives them energy that makes them vibrate to a large degree, and ultimately produces heating heat that is necessary for the process of cooking food.
- The heat source or radiation in a microwave is through a mega tube. By supplying this tube, the electric current is converted into electromagnetic waves, which helps heat food quickly.
Microwave components
The microwave has become one of the indispensable devices in every modern home. It has many uses. It is able to heat food very quickly, melt chocolate and frozen food, and other uses that are not related to food. It does not use fire as a heat source, but rather relies mainly on microwave waves. The main factor that it relies on is heating water molecules in food or liquids in general. The components of the microwave are many because it is one of the very modern and advanced industries. Due to the large number of its components, an error in them may cause major problems. Therefore, we want to get to know the components of the microwave, which are represented by the following:
- Microwave circuit control components.
- High voltage components.
- A noise suppressor is a small electronic card that helps eliminate noise and protect the electrical circuit.
- High voltage transformer is the component responsible for converting the electrical potential difference in the home to 2000 volts.
- Safety switches are a component of the microwave that is responsible for protecting the microwave from radiation after the door is closed during operation.
- The electronic card operates the microwave and controls its program.
- The lamp in the microwave is responsible for lighting the microwave.
- The magnetron produces the radiation that microwaves use.
- Capacitor and diode These two components control the potential difference in the microwave.
- The electric heater is located in certain parts of the microwave and is used when converting to an electric oven.
- The microwave plate is responsible for distributing the radiation throughout the food.
Uses of microwave
The microwave has many and varied uses. It is one of the most modern appliances that helps in kitchen tasks, which have become easy and quick to heat food. The uses of the microwave are not limited to heating food only, but there are other uses, including:
1. Cooking food
This does not mean traditional stove-based cooking, but rather it can cook certain foods such as baking, grilling, roasting, and boiling, and it may also allow for other uses without the need for separate kitchen appliances.
2. Heating cosmetic products
Some women prefer to heat their beauty products so they feel better on their skin. A microwave oven makes it simple and less messy to heat some products, especially face masks, to make the skin look fresher and benefit faster. Reheating gel packs is easy and safe.
3. Honey extraction
If honey freezes in the winter, you can heat it in the microwave to melt the honey crystals. This way, you'll never have to throw away the honey or buy new ones again.
4. Roast garlic
There are certain dishes that rely on roasting garlic. Roasted garlic is used in pizza and pasta sauces. Roasting garlic on the stove may take about 45 minutes, while roasting it in a microwave oven will not take more than 8 minutes.
5. Increase citrus juice
One of the uses of the microwave is to make citrus fruits more juicy by heating lemons and oranges for 20 seconds to get more juice quickly.
6. Uses of microwaves in cooking food
Microwaves are used to cook vegetables in a healthy way without using fats and oils. Microwave ovens also allow you to obtain fresh spices such as dried mint and coriander, and dried herbs. Microwave ovens are also used to ferment pastries, make fat-free popcorn, and heat frozen baked goods.
Benefits of microwave
The microwave oven heats food and provides healthy, nutritious food. The microwave has many uses and benefits that we can benefit from, such as:
1. Sterilize utensils
One of the benefits of the microwave is that it can be used to sterilize some glass containers, such as baby milk bottles, according to the product instructions to avoid any problems.
2. Preserve the nutritional value of cooked food.
Microwaves have many benefits, including helping to preserve the nutritional value of food to a great extent, as they penetrate the food deeply and reduce cooking time.
3. Heat and serve food directly in the same container.
This is because containers designed for the refrigerator are often designed for microwave use, so the microwave saves time and effort spent washing and cleaning dishes.
4. One of the benefits of the microwave is that it saves electricity.
This is compared to the time used to heat and prepare food on the stove, which may take longer than heating in the microwave.
5. Prepare delicious food in a quick time
The microwave saves time, effort and stress that a housewife may be exposed to due to surprises and unannounced visits, as it helps you thaw food even if it is frozen.
microwave temperature
In general, the temperature of foods heated inside the microwave can reach a maximum of about 212 degrees Fahrenheit at 100 degrees Celsius. This is the temperature that the microwave oven uses to heat food. Operating the microwave while it is empty may cause damage to the device, as there is no food inside the microwave, and thus a large amount of energy is reflected around the oven chamber, causing the microwave waves to rise and damaging the device.
When heating food in plastic containers, it is necessary to use containers that are microwave-safe and do not cause any health damage.
Microwave maintenance
Microwaves are one of the appliances that can be replaced quickly because they are inexpensive. Therefore, many people do not worry about maintaining their microwave. However, there are steps through which you can keep the microwave clean and last for years so that you do not need to replace the microwave with another one or maintain it. The process of maintaining the microwave is done as follows:
- First, we must keep the microwave clean from the inside by protecting it from unpleasant odors, not leaving food leftovers, and preventing it from leaving the remaining liquid from food in the microwave, which leads to a decrease in its efficiency and improper consumption.
- Microwaveable containers should be used, especially those made of ceramic, glass, or more durable plastic.
- Covering food with a safe plastic cover prevents damage to the microwave walls, which helps clean the microwave and maintains its maintenance.
- Do not place metal objects inside the microwave, as the microwaves emitted by the oven are emitted from metal materials, which causes the oven to heat unevenly, which can damage the device.
- Make sure the microwave door is closed properly because if the microwave door is damaged or broken, you will not be able to cook food evenly and heat radiation may escape outside the microwave.
At the end of our article, we learned about the components of the microwave, the uses of the microwave, the benefits of the microwave, the microwave temperature, microwave maintenance, and how the microwave works. We hope you like the article.
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