The glass turntable of your microwave
oven lets microwaves pass through. Then
they bounce off a metal floor, back through
the glass turntable, and are absorbed by
the food.
Glass turntable
Metal
-floor
Microwaves pass through most glass,
paper, and plastics without heating them
so food absorbs the energy. Microwaves
bounce off metal containers so food does
not absorb the energy.
Microwaves may not reach the center of a
roast. The heat spreads to the center from
the outer, cooked areas just as in regular
oven cooking. This is one of the reasons for
letting some foods (for example, roasts
or baked potatoes) stand for a while after
cooking, or for stirring some foods during
the cooking time.
The microwaves disturb water molecules
in the food. As the molecules bounce around
bumping into each other, heat is made, like
rubbing your hands together. This is the
heat that does the cooking.
NOTE: Do not deep fry in the oven.
Microwavable cookware is not suitable and
it is difficult to maintain appropriate deep
frying temperatures.