The microwave is probably the most efficient and most useful of kitchen appliances in the kitchen. Microwaves can reheat and cook just about any type of food. Moreover, they are very user-friendly and safe to use. By keeping a microwave oven at home, you need not worry about kids using a gas stove when you’re not around.

The biggest advantage offered by a microwave is that they can cook food (meat) up to 6 times faster than a conventional oven. This means that no matter how busy your schedule may be; you can always have time to cook a meal simply by using a microwave. The microwave is one very necessary kitchen appliance.

A microwave oven (commonly referred to as a microwave) is an electric oven that heats and cooks’ food by exposing it to electromagnetic radiation in the microwave frequency range. This induces polar molecules in the food to rotate and produce thermal energy in a process known as dielectric heating.

Brief History

Sharp Corporation introduced the first microwave oven with a turntable between 1964 and 1966. The countertop microwave oven was first introduced in 1967 by the Amana Corporation. After Sharp introduced low-cost microwave ovens affordable for residential use in the late 1970s, their use spread into commercial and residential kitchens around the world.

After Japanese dominance for much of the 1980s, with Sharp as a market leader, South Korean manufacturers began entering the market in the late 1980s, with Samsung becoming a major microwave manufacturer.

Formerly found only in large industrial applications, microwave ovens increasingly became a standard fixture of residential kitchens in developed countries. By 1986, roughly 25% of households in the U.S. owned a microwave oven.

Consumer household microwaves usually come with a cooking power of 600 watts and up, with 1000 or 1200 watts on some models. The size of household microwaves can vary, but usually have an internal volume of around 20 liters.

How does the Microwave Oven work?

Microwave ovens are one of the greatest inventions in the last century. It has never been easy to take out ice-cold food and warm it up in a matter of minutes. Even defrosting meat takes mere minutes, and you are ready to cook your meal!

Microwave ovens make use of short wavelength electromagnetic waves at high frequency to induce water molecules to vibrate. As in stove-top heating, vibrating water molecules get hot. The more vibration, the hotter the water gets. If you put a bowl full of frozen peas into a microwave oven, the water in the peas heats very quickly to thaw and then steam heat the rest of the pea.

The vibration that happens within the molecules of the food leads to the heating of the food. The fast they vibrate, the hotter the food gets. Once it is done, you get a bowl/plate of fresh hot food! The key to microwave cooking lies entirely in determining the right amount of time and energy you need.

Is Cooking in a Microwave Oven Safe?

The short answer? 

Yes, studies show it is safe to cook with a microwave, and doing so retains more nutrients than with stovetop cooking.

Any form of cooking will destroy some nutrients in food, but the key variables are how much water is used in the cooking, how long the food is cooked, and at what temperature. The cooking method that best retains nutrients is one that cooks quickly, heats food for the shortest amount of time, and uses as little liquid as possible.

Microwaving meets those criteria.

Using the microwave with a small amount of water essentially steams food from the inside out. That keeps in more vitamins and minerals than almost any other cooking method and shows microwave food can indeed be healthy.

Nutrients are primarily lost by leaching into the cooking water, which tends to make microwave cooking healthier, given the shorter cooking times it requires. Vegetables like spinach retain nearly all its folate when cooked in a microwave; in comparison, it loses about 77% when boiled, leaching out nutrients.

Bacon cooked by microwave has significantly lower levels of carcinogenic nitrosamines than conventionally cooked bacon. Steamed vegetables tend to maintain more nutrients when microwaved than when cooked on a stovetop. Microwave blanching is 3–4 times more effective than boiled water blanching in the retaining of the water-soluble vitamins folic acid, thiamin, and riboflavin.

Hearing some faults about the modern cooking sensation microwave oven might make us not to buy it. Something you ought to know is that the Microwave Oven offers so many advantages that make it worth considering. These advantages prove that the microwave oven is the best among the kitchen appliances.

Advantages of using a microwave oven to cook.

• The biggest advantage of microwaves is its convenience. Microwaves cook and heat food at the touch of a button in no time at all with no mess and no fuss.
• Unlike normal ovens or gas stoves that produce more smoke and heat in the kitchen, the microwave oven is the best over the smoke and heat in the kitchen. Some microwave comes with a child lock features to keep it away from the children.
• The direct heat of other types of kitchen appliances can fry the surface while the inside stays cold. Microwave radiation penetrates deeper than that and, in combination with a turntable, it allows for more even heating of the food.
• If the food is pre-heated in a microwave oven before putting it into the grill or pan, the time needed to heat the food is reduced as well as the formation of carcinogenic char.
• The microwave aids us to bake the food without causing any mess in the kitchen.
• The oven turns off automatically because it has a time that is set when the cooking begins, so you don't need to worry about leaving it unattended.

There are so many other advantages of this amazing kitchen appliance but let me stop there.

Now, we all know that it is common to have advantages as well as disadvantages of an electronic device. So, it’s better to decide by first knowing the pros and cons of the microwave oven whether to buy it or not.

Disadvantages of the Microwave Oven.

• The first disadvantage of the microwave oven is that it cannot be used for the process of deep-frying, roti making, etc.
• The microwave oven cooks’ food by water molecules and reduces the water content in it which results in the formation if dry food. So, make sure that your food should have enough water content.
• Plastics heated in the microwave can release very high amounts of Bisphenol A, (BPA) which is believed to be a very harmful substance. And so microwave wares like ceramic plates are advised.
• It is not recommended to microwave breast milk, baby formula, or baby food because it destroys the nutrients and lives cultures that are required for a baby for normal growth.

You should know that with Microwave ovens, there is a large choice that you can select from. They differ in form as well as functionality. Based on the kind of requirement you have in your kitchen, it is easy to pick up one, which would be comfortably in your budget.

To make sure that you get the best Microwave oven for your family, I have compiled a list of the basic types of Microwave ovens.

Here are the basic types of Microwave ovens;

• Solo Microwave Oven.

• Grill Microwave Oven.

• Convectional Microwave Oven.

Want to know more about them?

Check out our article on"High-quality Budget-friendly kitchen appliances"

Microwaves are most peoples ‘go-to’ for heating leftovers. However, if you are only using your microwave to heat leftovers, then you’re not using it to its fullest potential. And, if you don’t own a microwave oven, then you’re missing out on a very handy and useful home appliance.

There are so many things that a Microwave oven can be used for. In this post, I will list the top 5 uses of a microwave oven. Hopefully, after reading through this post you would be strongly inclined to getting a Microwave oven for your home.

Top 5 Uses of a Microwave Oven.

• Reheating food. The number one use of a microwave oven by far is to reheat food. A microwave oven is very efficient at reheating food, retains essential nutrients, and doesn’t make food soggy. Microwaves work great in reheating just about any kind of food. 
• Cooking food.  You can cook a lot of food in your microwave ovens. Certain types of ovens can be used for baking, grilling, roasting, blanching, boiling, and steaming food items. You can make some whole meals with a microwave.

• Making citrus fruits juicier. Another great thing you can do with a microwave oven is to make citrus fruits juicier. So, the next time you take a lemon or orange out of your refrigerator, don’t juice it immediately. Microwave the fruit for just 20 seconds, and you’ll be able to squeeze out a lot more juice!

• De-crystallizing honey. A microwave is an ideal solution when it comes to de-crystallizing honey. Just grab your jar of solidified honey, open the lid, and microwave it for about a minute. You’ll never have to throw away honey again!

• Disinfect kitchen items. You probably don’t know it, but microwave ovens can help to disinfect kitchen items such as plastic cutting boards and sponges. Just soak your sponges and cutting boards in some lemon juice and heat them in a microwave for a minute. This will both disinfect as well as deodorize your kitchen items.

I am sure that by now you are getting ready to go online to get a Microwave oven for yourself. Now you have more knowledge about the microwave oven and the benefits it has to offer.

I know that reading a lot of articles can be a bit tedious for some people. To make things much easier, I would summarize for you the 6 Reasons why buying a Microwave oven is very essential for your home.

Reason 1:

Using a Microwave oven is the best way to retain nutrients in your foods especially vegetables. Microwaves do a better job of preserving nutrients in vegetables than cooking on a stovetop, but you have to use the correct technique.

Because of the reduced preparation time in microwave ovens, food retains more nutrients because they are not destroyed by prolonged cooking.

Reason 2:

Using a Microwave oven is the faster and safest way to defrost or reheat your frozen food items. A microwave oven takes less time to heat food which is perfect if you have a very busy lifestyle and little time for cooking. Now you can cook meals ahead or keep leftovers frozen in the freezer knowing that you can get it reheated in minutes with your Microwave oven.

Reason 3:

Microwave cooking is much lower in fat than many other forms because it doesn’t require a cooking medium like oil. This makes cooking in the microwave a healthy low-fat option compared to frying or roasting. The oil consumption is less and so it offers you a healthier cooking option.

Reason 4:

Microwaves are very convenient and easy to use,they take up little space,and they work very fast and effectively. Because the space used is less, it is easy to place it anywhere in the kitchen. They are easy to maintain and clean. What you need is a damp cotton cloth or a sponge, wipe the oven from inside and you are done.

Reason 5:

Using a Microwave oven offers you recipe and cooking variety. A notable reason to purchase a microwave oven is for its versatility, especially in considering the different foods that can be cooked and prepared using a microwave oven. These include brownies and flourless cakes, potato chips, blanched veggies, and baked pasta, among others.

Reason 6:

A Microwave oven is a very energy efficient kitchen appliance. The microwave oven uses less energy than a cookstove when cooking or reheating small amounts of food. With a Microwave oven, you not only get to save time, but you also save energy and money.

In Conclusion

Women in general who are bored with their kitchen work and daily routine can enjoy quickly making food with more taste within the fraction of a second, thanks to the Microwave oven. In terms of price, they are quite affordable a Microwave oven goes for as low as N20,000in the market.

Are you looking for where to buy a high-quality Microwave oven at a pocket-friendly price?

I recommend the Zit Electronic Online Store. There you are sure of getting your Microwave oven at the best price in Nigeria.

See here to select your favorite Microwave oven and place an order for it now.