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How Your Microwave Oven Works
Magnetron
O;en cavity
Glass tray
Metal flobr
‘r /
Microwave ovens are safe. Microwave energy is
not hot. It causes food to make its own heat, and
it’s this heat that cooks the food.
Microwaves are like TV waves or light waves.
You cannot see them, but you can see what they
do.
A magnetron in the m!crowave oven produces
microwaves. The microwaves move into the oven
where they are scattered or stirred by a mode
mixer (like a fan). Microwaves bounce off metal
oven walls and are absorbed by food.
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.
Microwaves pass through most glass, paper and
plastics without heating them so food absorbs the
energy. Microwaves bounce off metal pans so
food does not absorb the energy.
Microwaves may not reach the center of a roast.
The heat around the outside is what cooks the
roast all the way through. This is one of the
reasons for letting some foods (roasts, 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.
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