Microwave Oven

The microwave oven is a device with a high-power tube (magnetron) that sends energy into food to be prepared. It does so by heating the moisture inside the food. That is why the food cooks from the inside to the outside. If you ever happened to put your finger on the center conductor of a coaxial cable with microwave energy propagating along it, you would notice a white mark on your finger. The mark would be below the skin, and the skin would not be broken. The microwave energy would use the moisture in your body and heat it to begin a cooking process below the skin. That is what happens when you put food into a microwave oven and turn it on. (If you look for the microwave oven on a microwave frequency chart, you will not find it designated as such. What you will find is a section called “microwave heating.”)

Sharp leads the countertop microwave oven market with almost 25 percent of sales, followed by GE, Panasonic, Emerson, Samsung and Kenmore. GE sells the most over the range models.

Microwaves come in a variety of sizes, from compact to large. Most ovens sit on the countertop, but a growing number sold, about 25 percent, are mounted over the range. Manufacturers are working to boost capacity wihout taking up more counter space by moving controls to the door and using recessed turntables and smaller electronic components. They also tend to tally every cubic inch, including corner spaces where food on the turntable can't rotate, to gauge capacity.