Microwave ovens - am I right about this?

[feralkid]

My impression, correct me if I'm wrong, is that a MW oven does heat the interior some but heats the exterior at a faster rate. In that way it is like a convection oven but a convection oven is strictly outside to inside while a MW does heat the interior at the same time, just not as fast as the exterior. Right?

Not really...microwaves don't penetrate very far into most foods, therefore they mostly excite the molecules near the exterior. That heat is then carried to the interior by simple convection, just like any other cooking method.

 

[who?]

I think that you mean conduction, not convection.

 

[Muse]

I think that you mean conduction, not convection.

Yeah, right. I'll have to look them up. Conduction for heat isn't seen a lot, it's usually used for electricity. Convection you encounter all the time...
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con·vec·tion
kənˈvekSH(ə)n/
noun
noun: convection; plural noun: convections
the movement caused within a fluid by the tendency of hotter and therefore less dense material to rise, and colder, denser material to sink under the influence of gravity, which consequently results in transfer of heat
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Well, conduction is the means that heat is transferred within the mass that's heated in a MW. I don't know how far the MW radiation penetrates, maybe not more than a centimeter. I suppose it depends on the substance. My impression, though, based on my non-empirical methods (no measuring!) is that there is significant penetration. Very very unscientific! I do have a toaster oven, though, a gas oven as well. If a MW heated just the surface I'd expect a browning effect similar to the other ovens. But you don't get this, which suggests to me that the radiation penetrates the surface a lot.

 

[feralkid]

I think that you mean conduction, not convection.

Nope, I meant convection.

As opposed to "mechanical convection" like with a fan in a convection oven.

 

[Raizinman]

Do you glow in the dark?

 

[Red Squirrel]

That's a myth.

Huh how? Microwaves will penetrate through non metallic objects. It's just physics. Though the properties of the food also affect how it cooks. Non conductive materials tend to not get as hot or be affected by the waves. Ex: ice, vs water. Ice won't really do anything, but water will get hot and boil.

If you were to have a structure made completely of ice, except for water right in the centre, and put that in the microwave, the water inside will get hot but not the ice. At least in theory. Now I'm kinda curious to try that.

 

[Carson Dyle]

If you were to have a structure made completely of ice, except for water right in the centre, and put that in the microwave, the water inside will get hot but not the ice.

Have you never used a microwave in your life? Put a bowl of soup in a microwave and see where it's warmest after 30 seconds. It won't be the center. The bowl will be hotter than the center.

 

[who?]

If you cook a beef roast in the microwave for roast beef sandwiches you will see the depth of the heating.

 

[feralkid]

Huh how? Microwaves will penetrate through non metallic objects. It's just physics. Though the properties of the food also affect how it cooks. Non conductive materials tend to not get as hot or be affected by the waves. Ex: ice, vs water. Ice won't really do anything, but water will get hot and boil.

If you were to have a structure made completely of ice, except for water right in the centre, and put that in the microwave, the water inside will get hot but not the ice. At least in theory. Now I'm kinda curious to try that.

Try it!