How Much Power Does A Microwave Use? Different Usages of Microwave

If you want to know how much power a microwave use, read this post till the end, as it will tell you all that you should know about the different uses as well as the power consumption of the microwave. 

The microwave oven is no more a luxurious item but an essential part of every kitchen. There are different types of microwaves available in the market, and they are classified based on their price, use, specifications and other factors. A microwave can serve many purposes depending on the user. 

Different Usages of Microwave

How Much Power Does A Microwave Use
How Much Power Does A Microwave Use

Use it to reheat food 

The most common use of a microwave oven is to reheat pre-cooked food. A microwave oven can reheat food very efficiently by retaining all the significant nutrients and also doesn’t let your food be soggy. You should know that the microwave can work wonderfully to reheat any type of food.

Cooking

People mostly prefer their stoves and cooktops to cook, but you must know that you can cook different kinds of food in your microwave oven. Many multifunctional microwave ovens are available on the market, and they can perform multiple functions at once. You can blanch, roast, grill, bake, steam and boil different food items. It is very versatile, and it lets you perform all of this without any other kitchen appliance. 

Garlic roasting 

Roasted garlic is immensely loved by people who are foodies in their dishes. It takes almost 45 minutes to roast a garlic bulb using a microwave. It can be done in 8 few minutes only. You just need to season the garlic bulb, cover it using plastic wrap, and start roasting it. 

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Disinfecting kitchen items 

You might not know this, but microwave ovens can help you in disinfecting kitchen related items like sponges and plastic cutting boards. You just need to soak the sponges as well as cutting boards in a bowl of lemon juice before heating them in the microwave for some time. This will not only disinfect your kitchen items but will also deodorize them. 

Yeast proofing 

The process of yeast proofing can usually take more than an hour, but with the help of a microwave oven, you can do it in 15 minutes only. But, to perform this action, you not only have to set the timer of your microwave to 15 minutes. As an alternate option, you can set the microwave to 3 minutes before allowing the dough to remain as it is for 3 minutes. Then, start heating it again for 3 minutes and allow it to rest for 6 more minutes. This will increase the bulkiness of your dough. 

Honey de-crystallisation 

If honey becomes solid, it is very difficult to bring it back to its original consistency. However, with the help of a microwave now, you can de-crystalize honey just by grabbing the honey jar, opening its lid and microwaving it for almost 1 minute. 

Squeeze more juice out of citrus fruits 

Another good use of the microwave oven is to make citrus fruits mote juicy. Though this is a lesser-known way of using the microwave, it is highly effective. You should microwave the orange or lemon after taking it out from the refrigerator to get more juice than you usually get. 

Heat beauty products 

A few beauty products can give you a better feeling on the skin when they are heated up before application. When you warm up these products, you might find it a bit difficult, but things can become simple with the help of a microwave oven. It can also keep you away from the mess and increase the beauty product’s potential. 

Working principle of microwave oven

Microwaves heat the food inside by heating the water particles present in the food. A microwave’s magnetron produces powerful radio waves, called microwaves. The microwave oven has a transformer with the function of changing the current in the house. With a standard voltage of 120V/220V to a voltage of 4000V or higher. This voltage heats up the filament in the center of the magnetron, firing electrons.

The electrons will shoot out in a straight line towards an anode, or anode, surrounding the filament, but the two magnets above and below the anode will break the flow of electrons back into the filament and send them flying circle. Microwaves will be emitted when Electron rays sweep through holes in the anode.
Microwave ovens have a “stirr” at the top that functions like a fan, sending microwaves throughout the oven cavity. As they pass through food, they vibrate the water molecules present in it.

At that time, the water molecules begin to move back and forth at high speed. Here the oscillating waves will be emitted at a certain frequency, usually around 2.45 GHz. The generated microwaves are transmitted to the cooking chamber by an antenna. There they will move back and forth to gradually penetrate the food.

Do microwaves consume a very high amount of power?

The power consumption of a microwave can be measured in terms of wattage. The wattage is dependent on the volume of the microwave. Microwaves with bigger volumes consume more wattage of power, and the power consumption will be higher. On average, most microwave ovens have a power consumption of almost 800 watts- 3000 watts. 

It is not right to say that microwaves consume a very high amount of power because that can vary from one microwave to another. It largely depends on a few factors, including the size and volume of the microwave. However, there are many energy-efficient models designed to meet people’s needs without comprising power and energy. You can switch to such models if you’re concerned about the power consumption of your microwave. You should also note that power consumption, to an extent, depends on how you use the microwave too. 

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How Much Power Does A Microwave Use?

What should be the ideal power consumption of a microwave?
What should be the ideal power consumption of a microwave?

Mostly, microwave ovens consume about 1.2kWh energy every hour they are used. This means that if you use it for just an hour, the cost will be about 14 cents. It functions on the concept of bipolar heating, which is a result of changes in the magnetic field. The water molecules which are present in food are nothing but electric dipoles. 

These dipoles can align themselves near the magnetic field. As the field in a microwave oven is changing in nature, the molecules consistently try aligning themselves to the nearby field. This is what leads to an increase in the temperature of food. 

That’s all you should know about the power consumption of a microwave and the mechanism in which it works. Power consumption is an important factor you must consider if you’re about to purchase a microwave oven. Make a wise choice and buy a microwave oven that uses energy efficiently and consumes a minimal amount of power.

By Luong Tan

Luong Tan, the creative and passionate founder of Bourbono, is a multi-talented individual with a deep love for the culinary arts. An accomplished food blogger, cookbook author, and former Ambassador of US cuisine in Vietnam (2015-2016), Luong has been on a mission to share his appreciation for food with the world.

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