Choosing A Microwave Oven

The microwave oven has become a standard fixture in American kitchens. You probably even have a microwave oven yourself. These appliances can heat water and cook food in much less time than it takes in a standard oven or stove.

The parts of a microwave consist of a cooking chamber, a wave guide, a magnetron which produces the microwaves, and a high voltage transformer which provides electricity for the magnetron and the magnetron control circuit. A microwave produces heat by bombarding food with microwaves, which are a type of electromagnetic wave. Fats, sugars, and water absorb these waves, which causes the molecules to vibrate at a high rate os speed, which produces heat. The microwaves are not absorbed by ceramics, glass, or most plastics. Metal pans reflect microwaves, and thus cannot be used in microwave ovens.

Microwave ovens were first built in 1947 by Raytheon. This oven was called the Radarange, and stood almost 6 feet tall, weighing in at 750 pounds. It consumed 3000 watts of energy, and needed plumbing for it's cooling system. This monster machine came with a monster price tag of around $5000. In 1954, a commercial model of the microwave was developed, that used only 1600 watts. The price tag of $2000-$3000 was still expensive. In 1965, Amana was acquired by Raytheon, and introduced a countertop version of the Radarange in 1967. This was the first popular home microwave oven, at the more affordable price of $495.

Microwave ovens have gone through several changes, and now come in many styles and sizes. Consumers have their choice of a wall mount oven, which is built into the cabinetry, and the tabletop version, which obviously is meant to be placed on a table or countertop. Microwaves allso come in different size options to suit a number of needs.

*Compact Microwaves: These small units generally measure less than 18 inches wide, 12 inches tall, and 14 inches deep. Their capacity is less than one cubic foot. Their power ranges from 500 to 1000 watts. These small units are used mostly for making popcorn, reheating food, and cooking microwave meals. You can typically find them in break rooms or dorm rooms, where they take up very little space. Some larger compact microwaves are also capable of light cooking, and can hold a 2 quart casserole dish.

*Medium Capacity Microwaves: These microwave ovens are generally 20 inches or more wide, with capacities of 1-1.5 cubic feet. The power on these ranges from 1000-1500 watts. These larger microwave ovens also have several auto-cook features built into them, which aren't usually found in the compact microwaves. The medium capacity microwaves cook food slightly faster, and can accommodate larger bowls than the compact microwaves. They can be used for coking frozen entrees, vegetables, and small pieces of meat.

*Large Capacity Microwaves: These microwaves have a large number of auto cook features, and more precise temperature controls. These large microwaves are designed to cook entire meals. With a capacity of over 2 cubic feet, and over 2000 watts of power, these large microwaves are capable of cooking roasts, turkey breasts, and large casserole dishes.

Microwave may also come with additional features, such as browning elements, which produce a brown crust on food as if it were cooked in a conventional oven, or rotisseries.

When choosing a microwave oven, you should keep a few things in mind. What is your budget? Although microwave ovens can be bought for much less than $5000 now, you'll still need to decide how much you want to spend. What do you plan on using the oven for? If you only want to pop an occasional bag of popcorn, or microwave a frozen burrito, you can get by with a compact microwave. If you plan on doing a lot of thawing and cooking, you'll want to look at something bigger.

The microwave oven has gone though many changes since it's first construction in 1947. With it's wide variety of styles, sizes and even colors, they have become a very affordable asset to many people.

History of the Microwave Oven

Microwave ovens are these days present in more homes and commercial premises than not. The simplicity and speed at which they can provide hot food makes them a clear winner in the kitchen of many homes and businesses. But where did it all begin?

The microwave oven of today starts its story with scientist Mr Charles G Smith, who was attempting to start a company building domestic refrigerators with the help of his friends Laurence K Marshall and Vannevar Bush in the early 1920s. After three years of trying to build a commercially viable unit Mr Smith and company were forced to admit defeat. Their designs were too expensive to compete with existing products and they had used up most of their capital.

The team began to question what other uses the parts they had produced could have, in an attempt to turn the failure of their initial project into a potential success. Smith recognised that the pumps they had produced may be converted thermionic valves, which can be used for the processing or creation of electrical signals. Smith concentrated his efforts into producing the valves, and produced a diode which was a marked improvement on types commercially available at the time.

Smith's design allowed radios, which at the time relied on very large, very expensive batteries to run on mains electricity. This revolutionised radio broadcasting, helping bring it to the masses and the success the company craved was now theirs. The unit was named the 'Raytheon Rectifier', and the men renamed their company Raytheon after their famous product.

Research into RADAR in the early to mid 1900s had highlighted the fact it would give a distinct advantage over the enemy in aerial battle. In the 1940s the UK and US combined their efforts to produce among other top-secret projects, a magnetron, a unit which amplifies or generates microwaves, with an external magnetic field controlling the flow of electrons. This magnetron would become a fundamental element of the microwave oven. Percy L Spencer, an exceptional engineer working for Raytheon at the time was able to exhibit enough understanding and skill to be allowed access to the magnetron, and eventually to be awarded a contract to produce them. Percy's improvements resulted in Raytheon taking over 80% of the world's supply on magnetrons by early 1945.

It wasn't until around this time that the Raytheon company produced their first microwave oven, a discovery made quite by accident. Spencer was working on the RADAR magnetron project when he noticed that the chocolate bar in his pocket melted. Experimenting with food and the magnetron Spencer next cooked up popcorn, then an egg, and soon realised the commercial potential of this discovery. By October 1945 the world's first commercial microwave was patented the 'Radarange' and tested in a Boston restaurant. The unit was cumbersome, expensive, and used a lot of electricity, but it worked. One of the first Radarange ovens was placed (and still stands) aboard the NS Savannah, very fitting as the Savannah was the world's first nuclear powered cargo ship.

A domestic model was developed in the 1950s, sales through Raytheon's Amana company were initially slow. Raytheon licensed their microwave oven design to The Tappan Stove Company in the early 1950s, but the large size of the unit and a high price tag continued to keep the oven beyond the reach of the masses. In the 1960s the Litton group made advancements in microwave technology using a new magnetron feed and reconfiguring the oven to counter top size. Suddenly the oven was accessible, and sales soared.

In 1975 microwave ovens outsold gas domestic ovens for the first time, and by 1977 nearly 60% of US households contained one. As technology progressed microwave ovens became smaller, more advanced, and most importantly, cheaper, reportedly now being present in over 90% of US homes.