 |
Your Energy Watchdog Disclosing privileged Energy & Environmental saving details since 1982. |
KITCHEN APPLIANCES - Microwave “Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people
who have the habit of making excuses.”
- George Washington Carver
WHO
invented the
Microwave oven?A self educated man who is known as one of the top American inventors and engineer.
His name: Dr. Percy SpencerThe story goes something like this:
- At the end of World War II, Percy Spencer had been recognized as an electronic genius for the times.
- In 1946 he stood for a while with some other people next to a Radar unit while having a conversation.
- A chocolate bar melted.Intrigued by this unexpected event, Dr. Spencer began testing and understanding the phenomenon and he invented the Microwave Oven.
Microwaves have changed a great deal over the years. They have become smaller and safer. However, they still use a great deal of electricity. The offset to that is the short cooking time.
So to use a Microwave Oven to save money and energy one needs to determine which appliance is best for the task being performed.
Here are guidelines:
FIRST: DO NOT defrost food in your microwave! At the start of your day think about what you will cook later that is frozen and then defrost that food the old fashion way. (In the refrigerator or on the counter)
When cooking or heating up food for the family (three or more) use your oven. More on this later...
When cooking or heating up food for just yourself or for two people, use the Toaster Oven with foods that don't microwave well. For all other dishes that heat up or cook well in the microwave, then use the microwave because the job is done in a shorter period of time.
Watchdog in Action:
With that said, don't assume that it is energy efficient to always use the Microwave as a second oven or sparingly use your microwave only as a glorified popcorn maker.
As promised, here is the: More on this later...
At times you may be cooking a big meal for many people and the microwave is used for a second oven. Due to the wattage that the microwave will use and the fact that your oven is hot for cooking other foods, consider this:
When you can't fit all the food you are cooking in your oven, cook one or two items (such as potatoes) ahead of time, meaning just before you cook the main meal. So cook your potatoes first in the oven until golden brown, then place them to the side with a pot cover over them to keep them somewhat warm because the pot cover is not a fully closed seal.
(A pot cover can be wiped clean and we don't waste Aluminum foil)Next, cook the rest of your food in the oven. When done, the oven will still be hot to re-heat the first things you cooked such as the potatoes. You can also use the Microwave Oven to quickly reheat previously cooked food.
Now you are really cooking and saving energy!
DON'T FORGET- you can email us with any specific energy question about your appliances for ways to save just by becoming a free member !
Do Microwave Ovens leak radiation?
No they should not be leaking when everything is working correctly. However, microwave ovens do leak radiation through doors that do not close correctly or have built up dirt causing the seals to fail. Also everyday wear and tear from long use will cause microwave doors to leak radiation.
Below are images of a meter that can detect radiation leakage from a microwave.
.
