A microwave oven is a kitchen appliance. Microwave ovens are used to cook food in the kitchen
as well as to heat food. If you cook in a microwave oven, it takes very little time. Microwave ovens are used in most homes nowadays.
A Microwave will use from 500 to 2000 watts depending on the capacity of the Microwave, a domestic small Microwave consumes about 500-850 watts While larger, commercial Microwave models may use 2,000 watts or higher.
We recently measured the energy consumption of our Microwave using an energy monitoring device
and we conclude that our Compact Microwave used 550 watts for the most optimal and energy-efficient mode available on the Microwave.
You can find the wattage on the compliance label in the Microwave, using below tool
Calculate How much electricity does a Microwave consume using our Microwave cost calculator.
At what power setting do you use your microwave? If you always use your microwave at 100 percent power, it will consume 100% energy(you can find on the back of microwave.
most microwaves provide settings that allow you to use in energy efficiency mode. In these settings, your energy consumption is slightly less.
How many kwh does a microwave oven use?
Let's take an example. Suppose the power consumption of your microwave oven is 500W. You use the microwave oven one-hour every day.
So Daily Energy consumption of microwave
500W × 1 hour= 500 watts.
Monthly Energy consumption of microwave
So thus 500W × 1 hour × 30 days = 15,000 watts.
Divide by 1000 to convert watts into kilowatt.
500-watt/1000= .5 kWh
15000-watt / 1000 = 15 Kwh.
Let assume the electricity rate in your city is 12 cents per kilowatt-hour.
So thus
Daily cost is:- .5*.12=$.06
Monthly cost is:- 15*.12=$1.8
Microwave Power Consumption Chart
@Assumes electricity cost per unit .12c
The cost of microwaving our favourite foods
@Assumes electricity cost per unit .12c for 800 watts
Does a microwave oven use more energy than a convection oven?
Microwave consumes less power as compared to a conventional oven. The reason is that microwave ovens work for a short time, much less than conventional ovens. Since you are billed for kilowatt-hours, the shorter the time, the lower your electricity bill.
What is Microwave Oven?
Nowadays technology is being used in the kitchen too. This has given women all the comforts.
For example, take the microwave. From heating food to make delicious recipes in a short time, its use has become common.
A microwave oven is a very popular kitchen device used to heat and cook food.This process uses microwave radiation of the electromagnetic spectrum. Due to which, food filled with tasty and nutrients is prepared in a very short time.
Three types of microwaves
Solo (Basic) Microwave
In this, you can defrost frozen food, from reheating food to normal cooking.
Grill microwave
It has separate accessories for grilling so that you can grill everything from mutton to vegetables. The oven also serves as a grill along with a microwave. Grill microwaves have heating coils that help with roasting, browning, and toasting.
Convection Microwave
This microwave is a mixture of standard microwave ovens and convection ovens. It has a fan to maintain the inside temperature. It spreads the hot winds evenly so that the food can cook properly. Grilling and baking of individual items can be done in this. You can also fry food if you want.
Based on a conversation with Rajiv Jain, Business Head, Home Appliances, LG Electronics India.
Microwave ovens are used for reheating food. Microwave ovens are used for reheating food we can also use them for slowly prepared cooking items such as cream, chocolate,cheese, butter, etc.
A microwave is a form of electromagnetic waves whose wavelengths range from 1 meter to 1 millimeter. Their frequencies are 300 MHz (100 cm) and 300 GHz (0.1 cm).
Top Uses of Microwave Oven
1. Reheating -
You can use the Microwave Oven to re-heat the food very easily. The number one use of a microwave oven is to reheat the food.
Therefore microwave oven is used more in homes and bakery shops, for heating different pastries, cakes, and other food items.
2. For Baking -
You can use a microwave oven to bake cakes and bread. It is very easy to use and very soon you can make delicious varieties of cakes.
3. To defrost -
Microwave ovens are used to defrost frozen vegetables and meats.It is also very efficient because it is also helpful in maintaining food in its original form and nutrients.
4. To Roasting -
You can roast garlic, garlic bread, popcorn, etc. immediately from the microwave oven. The process of roasting food is very common and it is a traditional method of cooking.
6. Also for boiling and steaming –
Boiling is a very important way to cook food.A microwave boils food for a few minutes, whereas traditional boiling techniques have a lot of energy wastage and it takes a lot of time as well.
Microwave oven safety precautions
While using a microwave it is necessary to keep in mind some special points, which are described below.Use the oven pad when removing cooked food from inside the microwave, because the pot is very hot at this time.
1. Follow the manufacturer's instruction user manual for recommended operating procedures and safety precautions.
If you do not know how to use a microwave, then avoid using any experiment and read the manual guide carefully.
For instance, Use '
microwave-safe' glasses or ceramic utensils for cooking, Use the metal utensil in the grill or convection mode, etc.
2. Keep the oven door clean, so that you don't have to open it again and again.Do not use an oven if the door of your microwave oven is not firmly closed or is twisted, deformed. Warming can cause an explosion.The Food and Drug Administration recommends that
stop using the microwave oven immediately and calls a repairman.
3. Water-Overheating is likely to damage the oven
If the water is heated in a microwave oven for a long time i.e beyond its boiling temperature, the bubbles that come out when the water boils will spoil the oven. Avoid heating water even in a cup.
4. Milk
According to a study by Stanford University, California, heating milk in a microwave oven destroys the nutrients in it, especially proteins. Milk should not be heated even at low temperatures (20-53 degrees C).
5.The vegetables -Nutrients will destroy, do not keep broccoli at all
Vegetables should be avoided in the oven. Microwaving destroy 90 percent of the nutritional elements of vegetables.When these vegetables are cooked on gas, only 10 percent of the nutrients are destroyed.
Do not cook the broccoli in the microwave oven at all. Cooking broccoli in the oven eliminates 97 percent of the antioxidants while cooking it on gas reduces nutrient content by only 11 percent.
6. Eggs
Do not make the mistake of putting eggs in the microwave. This will not make your work easier but will increase because it will explode when heated in the oven. This way the egg will also explode and it will take time to clean the oven.
7. Frozen Meat-There will be the possibility of bacteria
When frozen meat is cut and kept in the microwave, its edges are cooked while the middle part remains uncooked due to thickening.
It is also more likely to remain bacteria.According to a study by Penn State University Department of Food Science
solids foods partially cook in the microwave, so we would suggest foods such as meats, do not put in the microwave.
8. Aluminum foil
Keeping the food covered inside the aluminum foil in the microwave oven burns the foil. This can also spoil the oven.
When something is cooked by placing it in an aluminum foil, the quantity of aluminum is also found in that food. It works as a toxic by continuously accumulating in the body. It has a bad effect on health.
9.Plastic Container
Not all plastic containers are microwave safe. Use containers that are microwave safe.Avoid heating fat foods in plastic containers, even if the container is microwave safe.
If plastic containers of curd or cream are kept in the microwave, they will melt and the chemicals present in them will spoil your food.
The truth is that 95 percent of plastic containers such as baby bottles, zipper top bags, etc. should not be kept in the oven.
10. Paper lunch boxes
Paper lunch boxes or bags should also not be kept in a microwave oven. Such bags contain ink, glue and recycled material which upon heating emits toxic fumes, which is not good for health.
9. Bone china plates
Bone china or metallic plates should be avoided in a microwave oven. Such plates do not microwave safe.
Save energy
- If not working, switch off the microwave.
- Keep the oven door clean, so that it does not have to open again and again. Open repeatedly causes energy loss.
If you have any doubts about this article or you want that there should be some improvement, then for this you can write comments below.