Many people just use the microwave just for heat or defrost food. Others don’t even think about using it, scared of it radiation.
In this video, we want to clarify and debunk some false myths around the microwave.
First of all, let’s explain the technical operation. There are in fact three main functions of these small kitchen ovens:
- microwaves
- a heating element (just like a normal oven)
- a fan (like a fan oven or air fryer)
In the video, we stop to explain the scientific principle behind the microwave. These are issued by the so-called magnetronwhich is located in the side walls of the oven, and act on the water moleculespresent in all foods.
But these microwaves are harmful for health? They can be carcinogenic? Since these are a waves low intensitythey don’t have enough energy to damage the DNA or cause mutations. Furthermore, modern microwave ovens are designed with shielding which prevent radiation from escaping.
But there’s more: with the microwave you can make many different preparations.
As we show in the video, by combining the main functions, you can achieve different cooking mode which are preset in most modern microwave ovens.
For example, many modern models combine microwaves with the grill, providing a ferrite plate, to allow homogeneous cooking of the food and obtain a delicious crust.
If you then add the fanyou can get a result very similar to one fryingusing much less oil. In fact, this cooking method is the same one used by air fryers.
Finally, the microwave can also become a steamerusing a container provided, where there are 4 shelves: two for water and two for food, positioned in an alternating direction.
During steam cooking mode, in most modern microwaves, a system of sensors is activated which calculate the humidity level and automatically adjust the power, to prevent the boiling water from overflowing. The position of the magnetrons was designed in such a way as to direct the microwaves mainly towards the water and not the food.
