#microwavecookware

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Microwave Cookware

For a long time, the impossibility of using traditional metal cookware was one of the main drawbacks of a microwave oven. This is related to the operation principle of these devices. Microwave waves generate induction in the metal, which is accompanied by sparking and can cause an arc discharge. Therefore, microwave cookware should not contain metal inserts or patterns. Paints on wooden cookware should also to be without metallic impurities. Such cookware is made from glass, porcelain, ceramic or plastic.

Features

The shape and sizes are also important. Round, cylindrical or oval shapes provide the most uniform distribution of microwaves. Square or rectangular form is less effective due to energy concentration in the corners. Utensil with sloping edges also does not ensure uniform distribution. Time cooking in a deep utensil is significantly more compared to shallow plate. Foil can used for wrapping the protruding parts. But too large a piece of foil can cause arcing. A cover significantly increases cooking efficiency. The food under cover retains more moisture and therefore is cooked more quickly. Waxed paper, paper wipes and the film also are often used for this purpose instead of a cover. There are also special utensil for models with steaming function. Microwave cookware is made from refractory or heat-resistant materials. Refractory material withstands temperatures up to 480-670 °F or 250-300 °C. A heat-resistant utensil is designed on temperatures up to 280 °F or 140 °C. Heat-resistant materials include dining porcelain, glass, most types of ceramics and some types of food plastics, for example, polypropylene, polyamide, etc. Most of the cookware today are sold with appropriate labeling. Refractory materials are more expensive due to additional processing and special hardening. But it is universal and is suitable for cooking in microwave ovens, on electric burners of hob, in ovens and even on gas burners with a metal divider. Sudden changes in temperature are dangerous for refractory materials. Therefore, manufacturers do not recommend using it in the microwave immediately after the refrigerator. Cold water can also damage hot utensil from refractory materials.

Glass and glass-ceramic

This is one of the most common materials for cookware. Bowls or pans from shatterproof frosted or clear glass are optimal. Thin-walled glassware may explode when very high temperatures.

Porcelain

Virtually all types of porcelain are suitable for microwave. Porcelain plates are very convenient for warming up of individual servings. Microwave with average chamber volume provides simultaneous warming the several servings in cookware of small diameter without broad upstands. But, of course, it depends on the chamber capacity, which is one of the main criteria for choosing the optimal model. Porcelain cups are often used for warming the beverages or for brewing the herbs or coffee.

Faience and ceramics

Microwave can use ceramics and faience cookware with glazing. But it can burst at uneven distribution of coating. Special marking indicates the possibility of its use. But upper layer of the glaze must not have of cracks and chips. These materials are bad pass the microwaves and the surface is very heated that is necessary taken into account during cooking. This utensil is well suited for cooking omelets, hamburgers, eggs, cutlets and chops.

Cardboard, paper, thin polystyrene

Today market offers a wide range of food in such packing for warming up in the microwave ovens. This list includes mashed potatoes, various cereals in cups from polystyrene, quick soups, etc. The duration of warming up in such packing is minimal. Paper packaging is ideal for low sugar, fat and water products. Therefore, sausages, sandwiches, muffins, pies, croissants and other products of this type are often wrapped by paper, napkins or greaseproof paper before warming up. But oiled paper is unsuitable for this purpose due to high risk of ignition. Parchment is often used as the gasket during defrosting. Today trade actively offers disposable tableware from cardboard with thermally stable coating. It is marked with a corresponding icon.

Plastic cookware

Plastic is also very popular due to its low price and huge color range. The choice of inexpensive containers from heat-resistant plastic is very wide. This material withstands temperatures from 100 to 284 °F or from -40 °C to 140 °C. The cover provides the use such cookware for freezing, defrosting and cooking. Plastic easily withstands temperature fluctuations and can be placed in a microwave oven immediately after refrigerator. Cookware from heat-resistant plastic is worse suitable for cooking foods with high fat and sugar due to risk of its deformation.

Cotton fabric and paper napkins

Cotton and linen napkins are often used for warming up. They are also convenient for preserving moisture during baking. Additionally, napkins protect the microwave chamber from crumbs.

Films and packages

Using the films and packages in microwave requires some caution. Food should not be tightly wrapped when defrosting and warming up, because the air inside is rapidly expanding and can provoke a micro explosion. Preliminary puncture of packaging at several points eliminates such danger. Today, trade offers transparent foil with holes on the surface. This material fits snugly any surfaces and prevents drying the food. Transparent foil is used for fish, poultry, meat, etc. It also is used as an alternative of cover. Special aluminum foil is used for protect food from overheating during cooking. But the foil surface should be sufficiently far away from inner walls of chamber for risk elimination of the discharge formation. This video demonstrates the features of the microwave cookware use. Read the full article

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Microwave features

Percy Lebaron Spencer invented the microwave over 70 years ago. During this time, this kitchen appliance has become one of the most popular in the kitchen. At the end of the last century, two factors limited the spread of this technology. First, some users doubted its safety due to the microwave radiation of the magnetron. But reliable door screening provided a solution to this problem. Numerous studies have proven their complete safety. The inability to use metal cookware due to microwave cooking features was the second factor. But today the market is abundantly offering convenient plastic microwave cookware at affordable prices and this problem is also absent. Today the market offers a wide range of models. The choice of the optimal microwave, of course, primarily depends on the price, technical values and model features. Basic functions are obvious and well known. These include defrosting, warming-up and cooking. Today the functions of grill and convection have become also basic due to their wide distribution. These functions are often absent only in budget models with a small working chamber up to 0,7 cu ft or 20 liters. The list of additional features is constantly updated.

Features

1. Warming-up function keeps the temperature of ready dish. 2. Function of delayed start is designed for defrosting, warming-up or cooking at the set time. 3. Grill grates and multilevel grates for utensil increase the device usability, providing simultaneous cooking the several dishes. Modern microwave grills use different types of heaters that affect their performance and cost. 4. The lock function prevents accidental button presses. 5. Automatic modes greatly simplify cooking the fairly complex dishes. Program automatically adjusts the power level and cooking time. Some models support sequence of cooking stages. For example, microwave defrosts the chicken, prepares it in microwave mode and then roasts using the grill. This function is present in many commercial models and microwave ovens of the upper price segment. The memory of some models allows the user to program the own recipes. 6. Modern models often have interactive mode that provides two-way dialogue with the help of display. Such devices offer an utensil choice, a sequence of actions, recommended power, etc. Q-Tip (question-tip mode) is displayed on the screen. The next question is displayed after answer to the previous. Some models duplicate the display posts with the help of voice message. 7. Steamer function is a good alternative to buying two separate devices. Steaming prevents dehydration of certain foods during cooking, reducing cooking time by several times. The video at the end demonstrates pasta and rice steam function in the Whirlpool microwaves. 8. Function of self-cleaning by steam greatly simplifies the device care. It`s especially convenient in models with a grill. 9. Function of remove odors is very useful in cooking the several dishes in a row. It eliminates the mixing of smells of different dishes. 10. Door screening efficiency. All modern models have standard protection. Mobile phone allows the user to very simple rate the degree of its efficiency. The user places the phone into chamber of microwave, closes the door and dials the phone from another phone. Call blocking means high quality of the door screening. 11. Warming up mode to the desired temperature is very convenient for infant formulas. 12. Auto-weight function determines the food weight in chamber with the help of built-in electronic scales. This is very convenient for accurately adding ingredients according to the recipe. 13. Crisp Plate is designed for frying. It`s made of a special metal and is heated to 392 °F or 200 °C 14. Dual radiation mode is implemented with the help of bifurcation the radiation flux. This separation provides more uniform heating and improves the efficiency of device. 15. The electronic cookbook in the memory of microwave greatly simplifies the preparation of many popular dishes. 16. Beep about work end is present in all models. But not all devices provide the shutdown of this function. This is sometimes uncomfortable, for example, while sleeping baby. 17. Rotisserie is a metal pin with the motor that provides its rotation. Rotisserie is designed for cooking barbecue, etc. 18. Inverter Turbo Defrost technology. Inverter Turbo Defrost technology is based on improved power control system and is used in the inverter microwave ovens. It significantly reduces the defrosting time. Control system operation is based on the principle of chaos theory. The device distributes the microwave energy with optimal alternation of regularity and irregularity. 19.The AccuPop cycle is designed for optimal popcorn cooking in automatic mode, regardless of the bag size. Read the full article

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Microwave choice

In 1945, Percy Lebaron Spencer invented the first microwave oven. He patented a cooking method using electromagnetic waves. The first device was manufactured in 1947. Its weight exceeded 660 lb. This model was called Radarange. Today the name of the inventor is listed in the American National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF). At the end of the last century, some consumers had distrust of microwave ovens due to doubts about the harmlessness of the microwave radiation of a magnetron. But the results of numerous examinations proved their complete safety for health because of the reliable door screening and today this aspect is absent. But, of course, microwave cooking has some special features. The impossibility of using metal utensil was their second significant drawback. But today the market offers a huge range of microwave cookware and this problem has also disappeared. Today, a microwave is one of the most popular household appliances in any modern kitchen. High consumer demand is traditionally accompanied by fierce competition among manufacturers. Companies are constantly improving models, expanding their functionality. Today the market offers a wide range of models, the functionality, technical values and price of which is significantly different. Therefore, even a simplified classification can simplify the selection of the optimal model. Built-in models of household appliances are a popular trend for several decades. Therefore, companies are constantly offering such new models. Microwaves are no exception. Their installation is simple and can be performed independently, without the involvement of specialists. The video at the end demonstrates this process. Modern microwave ovens can provide six cooking methods. They can use only the microwaves, the microwaves with steam or grill, convection and convection with grill.

Solo

These models use only the microwaves and are designed for defrosting, cooking simple dishes and their warming-up. Cooking in microwave is similar to traditional cooking in a small amount of boiling water. Functions of baking and roasting are not available. But today the Internet offers recipes that allow the user to successfully bake and roast even in the base models. The controls include mechanical rotary dials, electronic buttons and a touch panels. Controls practically does not affect the model cost. These controls provide mode selection, setup of power and operating time. Mechanical rotary dials are usually more reliable and durable compared to sensor panels or buttons. The countdown and the current process information is displayed on a small screen. Many models have a lock mode from children. A list of the main technical values includes dimensions, power, diameter of rotating stand for cookware and the chamber internal capacity. Warming up of food for one person requires chamber capacity of about 0,3 cu ft or 8 liters. The capacity from 0,56 to 0,7 cu ft (16-20 liters) is sufficient for warming up of two servings. Capacity of some models reaches 1,4 cu ft (40 liters). It allows the user to cook Christmas turkey or goose. Lower weight limit of food is about 200 grams. Chambers have also the maximum weight limits of foods depending on its capacity. For example, the model with the working chamber of 0,85 cu ft (24 liters) is calculated on the maximum weight of 8,8 lb or 4 kg.

Microwave with grill

Grill is designed for roasting food. The operation of grill in microwave is similar to the oven. Grill is heated up to 392 °F – 482 °F or 200 °C – 250 °C. High temperature provides formation of a crisp during cooking. The grill mode is designed for a fairly long time, which reaches 99 minutes. Grills of modern microwave use ceramic, quartz or electric heating elements.

Microwave with convection

Convection principle is based on the heat movement from the area with higher temperature to area with lower temperature. This process is accompanied by an exchange of kinetic energy between the particles. From a technical point of view, the convection in microwave provides blowing the food by hot air with the help of a fan, which is usually located behind the back wall. This is called a forced convection. Such process is similar to cooking on a skewer. Convection provides the ideal conditions for baking from dough, for cooking chicken and meat, etc. Convection function partially duplicates the oven functions.

Multi-function models

These models are the most expensive. They combine a large range of functions in a single device. Grill, convection, pressure cooker, many additional modes and other technical solutions for cooking provide the impressive functionality of such models. The steaming function is usually implemented using a steaming double tray. Water is poured to the bottom, foods are placed on the tray and bowl closes by cover. Such steamer is well suited for the periodic cooking the small portions of diet food. But, of course, it`s much less functional compared to freestanding multi level steamer. The model with a full set of functions partially replaces the convection oven and aero grill, providing significant savings due to the cost of kitchen equipment. In addition, the cooking time and energy consumption in such models is much lower. For example, the energy saving reaches 50-70% compared to electric oven. High price, large size and weight are their main disadvantages. The standard warranty period is typically one year. More expensive models have a warranty of 3 years. But in general, the service life of modern microwave is from 5 to 8 years.

Inverter microwaves

Inverter technology is called Inverter Combination Cooking. Ii`s a unique development of Panasonic Company that today is implemented in many Panasonic microwaves. Technology provides smooth adjustment power based on data from sensors. This system forms the commands for change of operation mode during cooking the various dishes. For example, the steam sensor reduces output power at the start of vaporization process, preventing splashing inside the chamber due to intense boiling process. Thus, these models may well be classified as Smart. These models consume less energy and reduce cooking time. Heating and defrosting the food also is carried out significantly faster. Inverter technology provides a reduction of required space for technical components that increases chamber capacity. Read the full article