Microwaves

Microwave cooking has revolutionized the way people prepare most of their food since its development after World War II. Discovered by accident, microwaves were being used to enhance radar detection when Percy Spencer tried to find out what was melting the candy bars he kept in his pockets at work. His invention led to the first microwave oven on the market in 1954. The "Radarange" rated at 1600 watts and was so large and expensive that it was only of practical use in restaurants and other major food preparation institutions. Amana began marketing a smaller domestic version for home kitchen use in 1967 but it was not until the early 1970's that the price for these new "fast" cookers began to be obtainable for the average home.

Based on the principle of electronic bombardment of extremely high frequency radio waves, the microwave ovens are able to produce atomic excitement, translated as heat, into the food without ionizing it and thus rendering it radioactive. Since these very short wave radiations are reflected off metal, it became necessary to develop entirely new types of containers to hold the food that was to be prepared. Paper and cardboard were first used though special plastics soon were developed that did not react to the radiation.

New modifications in standard recipes soon developed to take advantage of this technology. Entire meals could be prepackaged for quick preparation with items as diverse as steak and chicken done at the same time as desserts like fudge and peanut brittle. For the "scratch" cooker, their are man free recipes online that will help create meals that are microwave oven friendly. The microwave oven became so popular that they began being marketed with their own microwave oven carts to wheel them around the house and even move them to porch and patio.

Since one of the drawbacks to conventional microwave cooking is its inability to brown or crisp foods, some microwave ovens have been developed that use convection principles which involve heating air that is blown into the oven chamber and gives the same crisping effect as conventional ovens. These combination style convection microwave ovens are a bit larger than average and use a great deal more electricity.

Some of the major microwave oven manufacturers that lead the market in service and innovation are Sharp, Tappan and Cajun. A check with Consumer reports will help you determine which microwave oven it best for your cooking needs and budget.