Microwaves vs. Ovens: The Battle of the Cook Times

 

If you’ve ever cooked dinner in the microwave, microwaves cook food much faster than ovens. So why is this? Why are microwaves so much more efficient at cooking food than an oven? There are a few reasons for this, and the main difference between microwave and oven cooking is their wavelengths. Let’s break it down by talking about how microwaves work first, and then we’ll dive into why they cook food so quickly and efficiently!

 

How microwaves work

Microwaves are produced by magnets spinning at a very high rate in a metal box. These microwaves hit your food and make its molecules vibrate, causing them to heat up. This is called dielectric heating—it’s not unlike what happens when you shake a can of spray paint. When you cook something in an oven, on the other hand, it heats from both above and below (convection), which means that there’s more energy coming into contact with your food overall.

 

How convection ovens work

Convection ovens circulate heated air throughout a chamber so that food cooks evenly from all sides—no need to rotate things or turn them over mid-way through cooking. Convection ovens also use fans and multiple heating elements to spread and intensify the heat. These elements distribute heat via hot air rather than radiation like conventional ovens do. They don’t require preheating, so you can cut your cook time significantly by using a convection oven instead of a conventional one.

 

Which is faster?

When it comes to cooking, microwaves, and ovens are two very different beasts—they cook food by completely different methods. Although they both use hot air to do their work, microwaves rely on electromagnetic waves while ovens rely on convection heating; hence why your leftovers sometimes taste a little off when you reheat them in your microwave (that’s because microwaves don’t transmit heat very well). That being said, which one is faster?

 

Microwave and Convection Oven Tips

One downside to a microwave is that it heats food unevenly, leaving portions undercooked or even burnt. But there are a few simple tips you can use to make sure your food is evenly heated in as little time as possible. First, cut your food into smaller pieces to heat up faster and more evenly. Second, cover any liquids (like water or soup) with plastic wrap before microwaving them; otherwise, they might boil over and create a mess. Third, rotate any large pieces of meat every minute or two to ensure even cooking. And finally, don’t try to cook frozen foods in a microwave—it takes too long for them to thaw out!