Home > Microwaves
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Description - Microwave ovens are a popular cooking appliance.
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Percy Spencer was the first person to develop the idea of using microwaves to cook food. In 1946 the company Percy worked for was Raytheon, who eventually patented the microwaving process. The problem with the first microwave ovens was the price, around £2000. Raytheon soon began to license it's technology, enabling companies to lower the price. But, it was only until the late 1970s that the technology had improved enough, so that prices were falling rapidly, and within the budget of the man in the street. By the late 1980s the microwave was almost universal in UK households. The most basic microwave oven consists of a magnetron, the magnetron control circuit, a waveguide, and of course the cooking chamber.
Basically, a microwave oven works by passing microwave radiation at a frequency of around 2450 MHz. Currently the three main types of microwaves are the standard microwave oven, the microwave with a grill and the combination microwave oven. The most expensive is usually the combination microwave, which can use hot air to cook food in the same way that a conventional oven cooks food. The power of the microwave is an important factor, the power is measured in Watts. The more Watts, the quicker the food will cook. Generally, the most powerful microwaves are a little more expensive. Many microwaves also contain features such as multiple sequence cooking, where a microwave will first defrost the food and then cook it. Some also have a cooking sensor to alarm you when the food is cooked.
Since their introduction in the early 1980's Microwaves have dramatically come down in price. You can now pick up a low cost microwave for £40 and an expensive one for over £400. Microwaves now come in a range of types, such as the standard microwaves, then there are grill microwaves, which act more like a oven, and finally the combination microwaves which do both. There are all sorts of sizes, colors, and styles, not to mention brands. Some options on a standard microwave are touch controls offer the highest precision and flexibility of settings, followed by jog and then manual controls for chaos defrost for up to 40% quicker defrosting.
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