Are There Different Kinds of Microwaves?

History and Technology

• Microwave ovens were an accidental discovery. Dr. Percy Spencer was testing vacuum tubes for the Raytheon Corporation when he discovered that a candy bar had melted in his pocket. Spencer then experimented with foods like eggs and popcorn. Through these experiments the microwave oven was born. The basic technology of microwave ovens is simple: a microwave tube is fed into a metal box. Unable to escape, the microwave energy from the tube creates an electromagnetic field that causes the temperature of objects within the box to rise rapidly.

Convection Microwaves

• As of 2011, a number of microwave manufacturers produced microwave/convection combination ovens. Convection ovens use fans to circulate warm air. In convection microwaves, the heat created by the electromagnetic field moves over and around the items in the oven, causing them to warm more quickly than would a standard microwave oven, in which the electromagnetic field is static. Fine Cooking magazine reports that the increased cooking speed of convection heat helps food maintain flavors that would be lost during longer cook times.

Sensor Microwaves

• Sensor microwaves have standard microwave oven heating technology but use sensors to alter the manner in which an oven cooks food. Microwave oven sensors are designed to determine whether or not food is finished cooking. If food is undercooked as a cook cycle or timed mode comes to an end, the sensors relay this information and the microwave will continue to heat the food until it is finished. If food is finished cooking before a cook cycle has come to an end, the sensors will relay this information and the oven will automatically shut off to avoid overcooking.

Grill Microwaves

• Grill microwaves convert the energy of a traditional microwave oven to watts in order to cook food in a manner similar to that of a traditional grill. Microwave ovens with grill functions are generally equipped with a grated rack similar to the top of a grill. When cooking in grill mode, food in the microwave should be placed on this rack. The rack enables grilling by improving the circulation of air within the oven. Heat created by wattage in grill microwaves will brown and crisp dishes and melt cheese in much the same manner as a standard grill.