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How
your microwave oven works
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
can’t see them, but you can
see what they do.
Mode Mixer
Magnetron
Ceramic Bottom
Oven Cavity
Metal Floor
A magnetron in the mrcro-
wave oven produces micro-
waves. 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 ceramic bottom of your
microwave oven lets micro-
waves through. Then they
bounce off a metal floor,
back through the ceramic
bottom and are absorbed
by the food.
Microwaves pass through
glass,
paper and plastic with-
out heating them so food ab-
sorbs 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 rea-
sons for letting some foods
(roasts, baked potatoes]
stand for a while after cook-
ing, 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 rub-
bing your hands together.
This is the heat that cooks.