Pros And Cons Of Microwave Cooking

Microwave ovens have been the mainstay of every kitchen ever since they were introduced in 1965 to the conventional US homes. The principle of microwave cooking utilizes high energy microwaves generated using electricity. These microwaves heat the food particles and induce a vibration between them. When the particles move, they conduct heat and also create more heat due to inter-particle interactions, which gets transferred throughout the food item, eventually resulting in cooked food. Over the years, microwave appliances have changed their look, broadened their appeal, added to their uses and included many new technologies on their way to become one of the most important household appliances across the world. However, cooking food in the microwave does have its own share of negatives linked to it. We will have a detailed look at both advantages and disadvantages of microwave cooking.

 

If you are preparing quick meals, then microwave is the way to go. Cooking time is related to the size of the meal and the type of cooking required for that particular food item. All that you need to do is set the time of cooking and sit back. Generally all microwave cooking systems include an alarm system, which alert you as soon as cooking is done.

You can always keep food as ready to serve or in a stage where its stays fresh as long as frozen. You can, then, select only the portions of food that you wish to eat and also keep other portions stored fresh.

As the microwave is an enclosed container you will not have to deal with steam or smoke that usually accompanies the process of cooking food when on the stoves or flames. Moreover, there will be no oil or other stains on the kitchen walls arising from the reaction while cooking food.

Microwave appliances convert all the electrical energy into microwaves pertaining to small losses in conversion. However, in normal cooking, a lot of heat is wasted to the atmosphere due to ineffective conversion. Thus, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that energy conversion and utilization is better in microwaves.

Microwaves give you the opportunity to cook food whenever you are ready to eat. Plus, microwaves can also deliver your food to you in the temperature you feel right. The appliance also reduces the time needed to let the food cool down or to heat frozen food.

If introduced in conventional cooking methods at the right intervals, microwaves can decease the time spent in preparing meals considerably. This means less time to prepare food and more time to enjoy it.

The cooking is done in closed environment and thus flavors are preserved. If used correctly, microwave can produce more tasty food than conventional methods.

 

There is a limit to the amount of food that you can create in a microwave at a given time. Also, if large chunks of food items are put in the microwave, chances are that they might take longer time to be prepared in microwaves.

Beautiful brown crusted cakes and other delicacies may elude people using microwave as an option, as microwaves heat food generally from the inside, which is why crusts are not formed properly.

Frozen foods have ice crystals in them, which do not get heated up by microwaves. Therefore, parts of food containing these crystals remain uncooked and unthawed.

 

If the portion to be micro-waved contains contents of varying densities, then there are chances of uneven cooking. For even cooking, you need to ensure that the portion of food intended for microwave contains regions of comparable densities and heating requirements.

Some food items that have moist fillings in them can become soggy and soft on microwave cooking. Conventional cooking is best for items such as pastries and pies.