HOW MICROWAVE OVENS WORK A microwave oven works by bombarding food with electromagnetic radiation in the microwavefrequency spectrum That may sound scary, but bear in mind that not all electromagnetic radiation is bad Both heat and visible light, for instance, consist of electromagnetic radiation in a frequency spectrum that our eyes or heat-sensitive nerves are able to detect Charged molecules—such as water molecules— will have a tendency to try to align themselves with the electric field created by a microwave, so as the long waves of a microwave¶ ¶ pass by them, they will rapidly flip back and forth as they try to stay aligned The resultant friction cooks your food Microwaves can penetrate deeply into solid matter— up to several centimeters—though the denser and thicker the food, the less penetration a microwave will get Dense, relatively dry items, like, say, your sister’s My Little Pony dolls, can take a long time to heat up (not that I’d know through personal experience) Porous, moist slices of eggplant, on the other hand, are microwave gold, cooking evenly and rapidly Because microwave ovens allow so little energy to be lost to the outside environment (unlike the way, for example, a gas burner will heat up the room), they are extremely efficient at heating water But there’s one thing to be aware of: it’s called superheating, and it is as cool as it sounds Heat up water in a blemish-free container with minimal disturbance, and because of a lack of nucleation points (see here), it’s possible to heat it well beyond its boiling point without it ever boiling As soon as some turbulence is introduced, though—a little wobble from the turntable, for example—bubbles burst forth, sending hot water all over the inside of your microwave This doesn’t happen on the stovetop, since heating from the bottom of the pot creates lots of convection currents (the movement that occurs between relatively hot and cool regions of liquid or gas) You can avoid this by sticking a wooden spoon into your cup of water in the microwave to provide nucleation sites It’s a lot like my lovely wife, who will quietly suppress tiny annoyances until suddenly the slightest disturbance sends her into an all-out rage Unfortunately, the wooden spoon method does not work on her ...Because microwave ovens allow so little energy to be lost to the outside environment (unlike the way, for example, a gas burner will heat up the room), they are extremely efficient at heating water But there’s one thing to be aware... sending hot water all over the inside of your microwave This doesn’t happen on the stovetop, since heating from the bottom of the pot creates lots of convection currents (the movement that occurs... nucleation points (see here), it’s possible to heat it well beyond its boiling point without it ever boiling As soon as some turbulence is introduced, though—a little wobble from the turntable,