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Microwave ovens are so quick and efficient because they channel heat energy directly to
the molecules (tiny particles) inside food. Microwaves heat food like the sun heats your face—
by radiation.
A microwave is much like the electromagnetic waves that zap through the air
from TV and radio transmitters. It's an invisible up-and-down pattern of electricity and magnetism that
races through the air at the speed of light (300,000 km or 186,000 miles per second).
While radio waves can be very long indeed (some measure tens of kilometers or miles between one wave
crest and the next), they can also be tiny: microwaves are effectively the shortest radio waves—and the
microwaves that cook food in your oven are just 12 cm (roughly 5 inches) long. (You can read more about
electromagnetic waves in our article on the electromagnetic spectrum.)
Photo: Cooking microwaves are about 12cm (~5 inches) long—the length of this pen.
Despite their small size, microwaves carry a huge amount of energy. One drawback of microwaves is that
they can damage living cells and tissue. This is why microwaves can be harmful to people—and why
microwave ovens are surrounded by strong metal boxes that do not allow the waves to escape. In normal
operation, microwave ovens are perfectly safe. Even so, microwaves can be very dangerous, so never
fool around with a microwave oven. Microwaves are also used in cellphones (mobile phones), where they
carry your voice back and forth through the air, and radar.
Photo: The "cooking cavity" of a typical microwave oven. This strong metal box stops harmful microwaves
from escaping. The microwaves are generated by a device called a magnetron, which is behind the
perforated metal grid on the right hand side (just behind the lamp that illuminates the oven inside). If you
peer through the grid, you might just be able to see the horizontal cooling fins on the magnetron (which
look like a stack of parallel, horizontal metal plates). Note also the turntable, which rotates the food so the
microwaves cook it evenly. The back of the door is covered with a protective metal gauze to stop microwaves
escaping.
How do microwaves cook food?
Photo: A microwave oven has a protective metal grid on the inside of its door. You can see into the oven
when the door's shut because light can get through the holes in the gauze. Microwaves, however, are much
bigger than light waves, so they're too big to get through the holes and remain safely "locked" inside.
Even if your microwave is "leaking," it's unlikely to do you any harm. Although microwave ovens can
produce very high power inside (up to 1000 watts in a typical large oven), the power drops off very quickly
the further away you go. Outside the cooking cavity and some distance away, even a leaky microwave
would produce only tiny amounts of electromagnetic radiation—less than you'd pick up from a cellphone.
According to the US Food and Drug Administration, at a distance of about 5cm (2 inches), the amount of
power a microwave can leak is about 5 milliwatts per square centimeter, which is "far below the level
known to harm people," while at a distance of about 50cm (20in), it's about 1 percent as much again. Even
standing right up close to a leaky microwave, you'd need to be exposed to much higher levels of radiation
for much longer for there to be any real risk to your health. The World Health Organization is reassuring
on this point: "thermal damage would only occur from long exposures to very high power levels, well in
excess of those measured around microwave ovens." In other words, there's simply too little power to heat
your body tissue up enough to do damage.
And if you've ever wondered why you can't microwave your dinner with a cellphone (which, remember,
uses similar-sized waves), the explanation is exactly the same: there isn't enough power. Even if you stood
your cellphone right on top of a frozen dinner, it wouldn't release enough power to generate the heat required
for cooking, no matter how long you left it there.
Following are the disadvantages:
• The first and foremost disadvantage of a microwave oven is; it cannot be used for deep frying or
making roti or chapatti.
• It is dangerous to health as the studies show that using microwave could cause cancer as it
produces cancer-causing agents. It weakens the immune system, which will lead to abnormal
changes in the human blood.
• It is not advisable to stand in front of the microwave as it is harmful while cooking. Radiation it
emits is dangerous.Even plastic used in microwave cooking is dangerous as it emits Bisphenol
which is also again very harmful. It is more dangerous for cooking baby food.
• Though microwave retains the nutrients, the texture of food, color, and taste will change, compared
to cooking in a stove.
• It leads to dehydration, as the water content decreases and food are more prone to drying, and the
cooked food is sometimes unevenly cooked.
Conclusion:
Almost 75% of the household has a microwave oven, most of the hotels use a microwave for faster heating
and cooking.The microwave may be a health hazard if continuously used. One can take precautions and use
glass or ceramics to avoid the release of chemicals which would affect the food and the health.Though not
healthy and safest but it is a time-saving and convenient method.