How Do Microwave Ovens Work?
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- Опубліковано 9 вер 2024
- They’re convenient, ubiquitous and easy to use. But how do these things work, exactly? What do people mean when they say a microwave cooks food inside out?
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Love ‘em or hate ‘em, there’s no denying: Microwave ovens are super convenient. They can heat food much more quickly than a conventional oven - although not always with the same results.
But how do they… you know. Work?
Yeah, yeah. Microwaves. Sure. But what the heck are those? Good question. Microwaves are a type of wave on the electromagnetic spectrum, sandwiched between radio waves and infrared radiation. In the case of microwave ovens, the most common wave frequency is roughly 2,450 megahertz (2.45 gigahertz).
Waves in this frequency range have an interesting property: They're absorbed by water, fats and sugars. Once absorbed, they're converted directly into atomic motion -- heat.
These waves have another convenient property: They're not absorbed by most plastics, glass or ceramics.
Metal, however, does reflect microwaves, which is why it’s a bad idea to leave a spoon in your cheese dip when the oven’s on.
You’ll often hear people say microwave ovens cook “from the inside out”, right? That’s the key to the speed. Think about it like this: Let’s say you’re baking a cake in a conventional oven. Normally you would bake it at 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) or so, but this time you accidentally set the oven at 600 degrees F (316 degrees C). The outside of the cake will burn before the inside even gets warm, and you’ll have ruined somebody’s birthday.
In a conventional oven, the heat has to migrate by conduction from the outside of the food toward the middle. Hot, dry air on the outside evaporates moisture, so the outside can be crispy and brown - like the crust on bread - while the inside is moist.
In microwave cooking, the radio waves penetrate the food and excite water and fat molecules more or less evenly throughout. No heat has to migrate toward the interior by conduction. There's heat everywhere, all at once, because the molecules are all excited together.
There are limits, though. Microwaves penetrate unevenly in thick pieces of food (they don't make it all the way to the middle), and there are also "hot spots" caused by wave interference, but you get the idea. The heating process is different because you are "exciting atoms" rather than "conducting heat."
Inside a microwave oven, the air is at room temperature, so there's no way to form a crust. That’s why microwavable pastries or hot pockets sometimes come with a little sleeve made out of foil and cardboard. The sleeve reacts to microwave energy by becoming very hot. This exterior heat lets the crust become crispy as it would in a conventional oven.
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Microwave ovens are great. I can’t imagine a home today not having one. They are a lot safer now than what they used to be. I have one and use it just about every day.
We dont have microwave oven😂😅
my home smh
@@Jessssss98 bahah you can tell am I thinking what your thinking?
kept my eyes on that sandwich the whole time *_*
This comment is 2 years old and has no likes . come on everyone was looking at the food. Lmao
4 years and we’re up to 16 likes
😂😂😂😂
h o t p o c k e t
4 years now kek
So it's like a super overclocked wifi router!?
well sorta yeah
Overclocked 5g now
Very good. Let's do a follow up. Where did they come from? So, England, 1941 or so. The Brits have just won the Battle of Britain, largely thanks to radar, and they'd very much like to have an airborne version of radar. Problem is the equipment wont fit in an aircraft. One of the things they do is try and produce a wave with a much higher frequency, a shorter wave. Today you can do that with digital computer circuits, but those didn't exist yet, so they came up with an idea for an echo chamber type thing, an irregular metal box with cavities that bounced the wave around and focussed the harmonics. The echo chamber thing was dubbed a 'cyclotron', and engineers and boffins noticed very early, that when you ran it, anything wet nearby - like a human body - heated up. They made eggs explode with it, heated up a cup of tea... and somebody got the idea of using it to heat or warm or cook food. Many years later, after the war, somebody remembered all this, long after radars stopped using cyclotrons, and made a microwave oven. I think that was done in America, but the 'discovery' that microwaves heat water molecules, that happened in England.
My GE microwave from 2005 finally crapped out. At first ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxO_Bc204MGjxDl87cOKcdgaRhzSqGmv_g I was unsure because I was looking for something with the exact same features. Found it with this one. Interior space cavity was large, but the outside was smaller than my old one. I love the one-button push for 1-6 minutes, and the 30 second add or 30 second start. and MOST IMPORTANTLY, I love how you can adjust the power level during cooking. The reviews said it could not be done, but this marked all the other boxes. and happy to say, it does. I can hit 1 minute start, and change the power level from 10 to 5, 30 seconds in, without interruption. my favorite feature!
Hey it’s me Soumaya and if you see this Mrs.Zincone I love your class I wish I can be with you all year your the best teacher!!❤️🩵
Microwaves are one of the best inventions ever. They save so much time and energy it's ridiculous.
electric is still the best invention ever
Story time!
One day, when I was younger, I really wanted some chocolate. Got some out of the fridge, but it was too hard for me to eat. So I put it in the microwave for a few seconds to make it easier to bite, with the paper and foil wrapping still on. Lo and behold, the foil caught fire and lit the paper too but I noticed and blew the fire out. There were tears, but I learned a valuable lesson.
:3 Thanks for the video guys :3
Dash49 I laughed.
AJ06 Glad it brightened your day ^-^
Wait chocolate in the fridge? Have I been doing it wrong all my life LOL! I’ve heard of freezing chocolate but I’ve never put it in the fridge LOL. Good thing you weren’t hurt too badly during this ordeal LOL!
So it's not a tiny invisible wizard in a box? Damn
No it is not
Still, how do they work?
I wanted to know about internal components like parts and stuff
They make the molecules inside go eskeeeetit
ua-cam.com/video/xDM_Gkpplck/v-deo.html
Guys he said that as a joke
A better description of how microwaves actually work: ua-cam.com/video/kp33ZprO0Ck/v-deo.html
I just made a corndog and while I was watching it cook in the microwave I was like “how did this happen”
Thats me right now with some Chicken lmao
Me Too! With Filet mignon 😋
very cool video, nicely taught. I'm a freshman student and found this very beneficial. Thanks.
I need to be up early for a job interview tomorrow. It's almost sunrise. Oh boy
How’d that 0 sleep job interview go?
@@hectichive889 I got the job
Skatchy The Scalp, Nice man. Congrats! What’s your new job?
@@hectichive889 basic stuff, I work in a kitchen, it pays well, good people there too
Skatchy The Scalp Sounds good. Hope you do a ton of good work there bro
I m from India 🇮🇳 and I love the way of explaining this concept ✨
Thank you 💓
I was just asking myself when are you going to eat that thing... happy that you did it at the end🤓
*Gordon Ramsay has left the chat*
🧡🧡🧡
underrated comment
I spent all last summer testing microwave recipes. I bought vintage microwave Corning Ware that browns meat, with varying results. Most all the meals I cooked had to be dialed down for today's more powerful ovens, as the recipes used 750 W ovens, back in the day. I posted my results on Facebook, and most dinners cooked were very good. I've baked cakes, once frosted no one knew the difference. Roast chicken, using foil to deflect the waves from burning the ends of drumsticks and wings, and also from burning the ends of a roast beef. My go to recipe for Hollandaise sauce is a microwave recipe that I adapted for Bearnaise sauce. I've scrambled, and fried eggs, but poached eggs come out perfect. Bacon is always a winner in the Atomic Oven, as I call it.
The most commented on post I did on Facebook was the microwave recipe for potato chips. They were freaking good. Friends have adapted the recipe for sweet potato chips, and others. My latest test was drying fresh herbs. I ran out of oregano, and have a huge oregano plant in the herb garden. Sometimes fresh isn't as good as dried in some recipes. I nuked the fresh, and filled the spice jar with fantastic dried oregano.
Longhairbear I have read this comment repeatedly. Please teach me your dark arts, o Microwave Wizard of Chippery. -Ben
Most certainly, I'm going to retest the recipes this summer, and write up the recipes for today's microwaves. I might post them on my You Tube channel, or on Facebook. I want to retry potato chips again.
I made the best peanut brittle in the microwave. And it's now the only way I know to make fudge at Christmas.
What if i could send messages or even memories to the past with a microwave fused with a phone?
As Marty McFly would say, “Wait, are you telling me that this sucker is nuclear?”
Sometimes I used the Microwave to heat up the food, then use a toaster oven to crispen the crust.
RickyRecruit i use the toaster in the bath
I want a microwave big enough to walk in ... it will be a maxowave.
Charger Dave I laughed out loud. Hats off to you, Charger Dave. - Ben
Your a poo
Tor a poo
ننحرم 😤😡*&##&)'-
Macro = smaller than micro
I have to watch this video for class.
This is how microwaves cook your food. I wanted to know how the circuitry inside generates microwave.
I always thought it allowed electrons for a moment to jump levels which creates a lot of energy in the form of heat
I saw the video of microwaved water 💦 & not microwaved 💦 for plants. 🌱
The microwaved water stunted the growth and nearly killed the plant.
Why? And does it kill the nutrients in the food?
I've been using my air fryer more each day. Its fast and I get crispy fries 🍟 & 🍗 chicken.
It’s the little redheaded dude from Jurassic Park all grown up
The video is done very well, I'll give you that. You didn't show how it works though, just what is does.
I have a question, is there a difference in taste between microwaved food and "oven heated" food?
R u seiriuos right now
thanks paul
is it true its good to cover your meal while heating it in a microwave?
Covering your meal will help it heat faster.
awesome thank's for the reply.
Less cleaning.
I wanted to eat that hot pocket the whole video
Thanks for posting regularly lol. I guess I should subscribe even though you haven’t posted in years. JK
What about the cavity magnetron?
In the beginning around 1970 they were called radar ranges, any reason?
I came to get an answer to this question... Why are microwaves warm inside when plugged into power, even when not used for days? What is emitting heat?
What number do I put it on to heat my pizza?
24 seconds on high heat
Microwave + Hot Pocket = Perfection
Yea it's not your fault, we all thought it was great at one time, till the rest of us started looking into where our food sources come from.
that hot pocket didnt look like he enjoyed it lol
DrunkenMadman It was pretty gross! I'm chuckling when I see comments asking whether hot pockets sponsored the video, because, man. That thing was unappetizing by the time I *finally* got to eat it, and it shows in my reaction. Thanks for watching!
QUESTION: Ok, picture a standard microwave oven with the usual turntable within. If I cut up a bratwurst into, say, 4 large pieces, then arrange them on a plate in a diamond pattern (or 6 in a hexagon) so that only their corners touch, then microwave on high for a minute or so, the contact points between the pieces will be browned and fused together, whereas the rest of the brat pieces will merely be very warm. In contrast if I microwave a whole uncut brat for the same duration, the localized overcooking doesnt occur.
What causes the localized overcooking ?
because of the wave character of the microwave there is another video on youtube which explains this really well 🤓
ua-cam.com/video/kp33ZprO0Ck/v-deo.html
@@Curazio Thx ... always wondered about it. Omw2 the link.
you think i get a cake for my birthday? good one
Awesome thanks for answering.
jesusm0619 High fives! Thanks for watching. -Ben
Microwave is amazing 😉
The guy who was talking on the video has amazing self control to hold that hot pocket that long. without eating eat.
You have to wait because they're like molten lava when first taken out...
I’m also eating a hot pocket lol
This is cool and all but how do they work?
Will you do one on speed ovens?
Yes
every time I put a Pot Pie in the microwave the center is always still partially frozen while the outside is hot...doesn't seem to be penetrating
Can you make a video of what pawers your heart
No wonder microwave cakes are so awesome.
how about laser / magnet based ovens?
I just wanted to know which button to press for what...
HOW IRON SIGHT AND SCOPE WORK?????????????????????????????
what is this ac current and dc(direct current) in electricity and how is it converted to another
Arpit Garg Great question! I'm putting it on the list. -Ben
Thanks
"I told you not to put metal in the science oven."
I'm a person who loves the Microwave Oven
Did not realize Ben or the rest of the stdwytk crew got to contribute elsewhere
Do all microwaves rotate in the same direction?
why is the frequency 2.4 GHz?
Lol
How do water beds work and roll a costars
index= (temperature of oven + duration)/duration.
Thatd be cool if you could dye the waves and watch them in motion
You didn't cover the cavity magnetron, how it works, and it's history.
What is the name of this music? The original one, not the parody.
I just got another free microwave a few days ago. I've had microwaves since the 80s but I never actually bought one. People are always throwing them away in the city. Or sometimes people move and decide to get a new one.
i have just one question..... what was that hot pocket's flavour? =\
***** I believe it was five cheese pizza? Not completely sure. Apparently there are almost 50 different flavors of hot pockets?
BrainStuff - HowStuffWorks uwaaah OqO mmm interesting...
I LOVE MICROWAVES
I’m still a little confused. So a microwave heats food by shaking the atoms of water, fats, and sugars of the food and an oven heats the food by conducting heat? Both of these concepts sound exactly the same to me because I thought heat was just the amount of movement an atom is experiencing
He did mention in the video the inside air temp in the microwave was just room temperature. And your understanding of heat needs to be updated. It's not the same microwave vs oven
Love it! Thanks! Plus: you're hot (not by a microwave though)
vomit noises
Cat you knew I didn't know but did you know that all the microwaves worked and if everyone's so intelligent they all knew everybody around me do I didn't know but you remember the microwaves all worked
when I heat milk in a microwave oven , only the the top layer gets hot Nd it's just lukewarm below that .
why is this?
sephiroth same!!!
sephiroth Maybe because hot liquids are less dense than cold so the hottest of the milk goes to the top.
*Sees intro-likes, subsribes*
Funny cause Im eating a hot Pocket while watching this video
I didnt understand the bonus fact, can someone please explain it in simple English?
How are the microwaves able to cook our food if it’s weaker than visible light.
Cool
This episode brought to you by Hot Pocket.
Ben here: Conspiratorial- love it! However, sad truth = I have continually pestered BrainStuff in hopes of eating on camera. Hot pockets are tasty but terrible, nutrition-wise. Jim Gaffigan is entirely correct in his stand-up. I had the choice of a burrito or a hot pocket, but as we all know most microwave burritos never, ever cook all the way through without burning. So I went with the thing I'd actually eat.
He merely repeated what people say about microwaves "cooking the food from the inside out" without saying if it were true or not. In fact it's not true, especially for large items, microwaves still rely on conduction to get the heat to the middle.
didn't sound crunchy though
microwave lore
Can I bake butter cookies in it?
NO. They won't brown, A, and B, the eggs will turn into rubber.
Just NO. Geez. Only takes 15 minutes to bake them.
Talking with your mouthful? Manners Ben, manners!
Richard Smits Agreed. Did you see the "chugging a gallon of milk" episode? I've been doing some gross stuff lately. Perhaps it's time for some more refined topics. (Still, no regrets. Eating a hot pocket or a sandwich on camera has been a dream of mine for a preposterously long time.) Thanks for watching. -Ben
My microwave wont heat any liquid unless i put metal spoon in it, it is even written in user manual
I love microwaves.
I love microwaves
There's a new technology called "flatbed" microwaves, that have no turntable, how do they get around the hotpots problem?
They have a rotating steel paddle on the top which reflects the waves.
Isn't this an answer to how microwaves work, and not really giving any hint of how an oven can produce microwaves.
Are microwaves radiowaves?
That's not a cup of noodles. 🍩🤪
"Sandwiched. Heh."
I kinda wish that they had gone a bit deeper.
John Silverman Yeah, me too. We could have gone into more detail, but had to cut for the sake of time. Thanks for watching! - Ben
The 3 things they are absorbed by is water, fats and sugar
I watched this whole video and still have no idea how microwaves work.
i was actually looking for a breakdown of how microwave actually works, not what a microwave is.
Conduction in regular ovens? really? that is what you are believing to be the main mechanism of cooking there?
Why does stuff look like it bends when you put it near a shiny pipe of metal. Like a pencil when you put it near a school desk leg.
Nick Sciarappa Great question! Adding this to our list.
Still he didn't explained.
Why are they called ovens if they are still using microwaves but from the roof instead of the sides? Shouldn't they be just called "microwaves-but-from-a-different-direction"?
Diahrea Pocket 🎶🎼
They should just come with a roll of toilet paper.
*diarrhea
@@k1awesomeness duhhria
lls they missed da part wen they say it causes cancer
+peezy byrd That's because microwaves don't cause cancer. The wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation used in microwave ovens are non-ionizing. And they disperse within centimeters (if not millimeters) of their source without the type of amplification provided by microwave ovens' specially designed interiors.
i understand but maybe since u know that much try researching Hans Hertel or other independant studies just to get another aspect