As the name suggests, this appliance produces microwaves inside the oven by magnetron. Microwaves reflect in the interior of the oven that food absorbs and becomes hot. They cause vibration in the food molecules; thus, making it hot. This works on the conversion of electric energy into thermal energy.
In this article, we will look into the uses and functions of microwave ovens. A microwave oven uses microwave radiation in electromagnetic conditions to heat food. It is a smart device. It’s not a necessity, but it makes our life very convenient. It’s easy and fast when it comes to cooking and heating food. Technology has become our best friend with inventions like microwave ovens.
From baking cookies and cakes to reheating tea, a microwave oven has many multi-functional features. There are lots of unique uses of microwave ovens other than simply heating the food. Most of us own a microwave oven for many purposes. A simple, appealing task like making coffee and defrosting chicken is handled by a microwave oven. The uses and functions of the microwave oven make it an excellent choice for your kitchen.
Types of microwave ovens
There are three types of microwave ovens available in the market. They are-
- Solo
- Grill
- Convection
As the name suggests, grill microwave does grill and defrost meat and vegetable. The microwave oven makes popcorn, reheat food, and make hot beverages like water, tea, and coffee. Other types of microwave ovens are counter-top, solo, over range, and built-in oven. The ventilation system with the microwave oven itself comes pre-installed. This makes it safe and secure.
A convection microwave oven is more of a cooking oven. It can not only heat substances but can create a whole new dish. You can make pizza, pasta, vegetables, and cakes. It has many cooking modes and heat settings for users to adjust according to their desire. It’s an all-rounder microwave oven that offers a lot of features and functions. Baking, grilling, and roasting become easy with convection microwave ovens.
It’s a dream come true for people who cook and create many dishes and barbecue at home. Conventional microwave ovens are famous for cooking food from all angles. The concept is natural air movement, and it can reach up to 200 degrees temperature. Compare solo vs grill vs convection microwave to learn more differences among different types of microwave ovens.
Also Read: Types of Ovens in India
Functions of a microwave oven
The microwave oven comes with a lot of advanced functions and features. Today ovens have advanced functionalities and simple features that make cooking easier. A microwave oven is safer than most traditional methods. The food quality does not deteriorate because of microwave radiation. Natural air and cold air interchange occur from upper and lower space. It increases the temperature inside and makes the food warm.
The people work late and come home after a tiring day. They usually are in no mood to cook. A microwave oven is best for these occasions to make food in a hassle-free manner. Standard features are available in every model like display, auto-timer, touch control, etc.
Some advanced and automated functions are like-
Preset recipes
This is an exciting and incredible feature of a microwave oven. It came with pre-installed recipes. This means you can select any option from the menu. The microwave oven will start setting its condition like temperature and timer control. It also analyzes the quantity of the item, and that then reflects in the settings. It is effortless to use. For example, the pizza button comes with a set temperature and timer for pizza cooking. Put it in the oven, click on the button, and it will do its magic.
Defrosting
Refrigerating food to prevent it from rotting is what every household does. Defrosting technology comes in very handy in these situations. It will defrost the food and keep its original nutrients and taste.
Roasting
Roasting meat and paneer is a challenging task to do. Some microwave oven comes with the advanced technology of reinstalled settings. You can roast your food very fast, and even the cooking is even and most significant.
Child lock
This feature is for the safety of children. This lock provides extra security for your kid. The kids don’t know about the danger of cooking appliances. They tend to touch and access them. A safety feature like a child lock will provide extra safety.
Multi-function oven
These ovens solve the purpose of grill and convection mode. Some models provide you the freedom of different style installation. Cooking becomes easy with the use of grill and convention in one appliance.
Fermentation
Some microwave oven comes with the setting of fermentation. It prepares curd and yogurt. It happens automatically by the device with the click of buttons.
Autocleaning System
Cooking different kinds of meals in the microwave oven can make it dirty and smelly. This function is of enormous importance. Extra feature includes omitting foul and lingering smell of before cooked meals. You have to fill the steam cleaner with clean water, and it will clean the bacteria and foul odor from the oven.
Uses of a microwave oven
A microwave oven uses microwave radiation to cook food. After its invention, it has made cooking easy and quick. You can use it for many things. It operates for cooking sometimes and sometimes to prepare food. Boiled potatoes and steam vegetables cooked with a microwave oven. They are the most common and exciting uses and functions of the microwave oven.
Cooking
Obviously! It can cook meals to a certain degree. It will help you to cook pizza, pasta, fish, and bacon. There are varieties of pre-installed recipes in the microwave oven. It will ease up your cooking methods.
Preparing healthy meals
The microwave oven is famous for preparing less oily food. You can use it for your diet and other beneficial cooking purposes.
Preparing yogurt
Fermentation settings are pre-built in the microwave oven. Sometimes the outer weather doesn’t help in the fermentation of bacteria. They are responsible for forming curd. A microwave oven helps us with the settings and creates a warm temperature. It helps in the formation of yogurt that will help you make yeast.
Soaking lentils and beans
With the microwave oven, you don’t need to soak lentils and beans overnight. Microwave ovens can get them soaked in around 40 minutes. Put your lentils in a bowl full of water with some baking soda and let it soak.
Rehydrating food
Slice of bread or loaf get moisture and become soft if kept outside. Putting your bread in the microwave oven for a few seconds will make the stale bread hydrated again.
Roasting
You can roast any meat and vegetable. Tofu and paneer roast very fast in a conventional microwave oven. Making popcorns, roasting garlic, and chicken become easy with the microwave oven.
Reheating
Food gets warm and ready to eat in a microwave oven. When you reheat the food on the stove, it loses its nutrients and moisture. A microwave oven maintains the quality and taste of food and makes it hot to serve. This is the most common use of a microwave oven that can be seen in the household.
Steaming vegetables
There are lots of vegetables that need to boil before cooking. Microwave ovens help us cook food even and fast. You can set the boiling time and do other work meanwhile. This process will auto stop after the timer goes off.
Heating medicines and beauty products
Oil gets frozen during winters. Microwave ovens can help it melt within seconds. Hot water compress and heating gel can place in the microwave oven for seconds first. This is a very effective and convenient method to use.
Baking cake, bread, cookie
While an OTG is ideal for baking cakes, you can use a microwave oven to cook yummy foods like cakes, bread, and cookies. It is used to prepare the crust and makes it very tasty. You can cook different varieties, and the in-built setting helps you bake the cake very soft and spongy. The most desirable feature of baking a cake in a microwave oven is how fast it’s done. The traditional device can take up to 40 minutes that the microwave oven can do in 10. You need to use microwave utensils for the cake to prepare it.
Blanching
Blanching is very effective when done in a microwave oven than on a stove. It retains the nutrient value of food and also does it very fast. You can put the food from the freezer to the microwave oven.
Disinfecting cutlery
Sponges, cutlery, knives, and cutting boards, disinfect in a microwave oven. This is a unique use and function of the microwave oven. Put vinegar in a bowl along with the dirty sponge, and in a minute, all the dirt will get clean. You can also clean children’s toys to disinfect them.
Uses and Functions of Microwave Oven – Bottom Line
It is a very versatile product and a great addition to your kitchen appliance. It will make your cooking style smooth and easy. A microwave oven is popular for retaining nutrients in food. It uses oscillating electromagnetic energy for cooking food.
Multi-purpose and multi-functional appliances are needed for so many purposes in a kitchen nowadays. Sometimes it makes you wonder how you all did it before. It retains the minerals and vitamins in the food that are otherwise lost while cooking. It makes our food cooked even and healthy. They are safe and effecting cooking appliances in every mode. Avoid plastic containers, and you will be able to cook with utmost safety.
Compare a microwave oven with other appliances: