The Technological Breakthrough of the Microwave Oven
Ever wondered how the microwave oven came to be? The invention of the microwave oven was more of an accident. The purpose of the microwave oven invention was not to find a better and faster way to cook food. During World War II, two scientists invented a tube that produces microwaves, known as a magnetron. These magnetrons were installed into the Britain’s radar system to spot the Nazi warplanes on their way to bomb the British Isles.
Several years later, it was discovered that microwaves can be used to cook food. The first microwave oven to go on the market was called the Radar Range and was as large and heavy as the refrigerator.
Percy LeBaron Spencer from the Raytheon Company was the one to come up with the idea of using microwave energy to cook food after he found that the radar waves had melted a candy bar in his pocket. Microwave heat could raise the internal temperature of many foods much faster than the conventional oven. The first commercial microwave oven was the 1161 Radarange, which was marketed in 1954. Rated at 1600 watts, it was so large and expensive that it was only used mainly for restaurants and institutional uses.
In 1967, a subdivision of Raytheon, Amana, introduced a domestic Radarange microwave oven, which would be used for home kitchens. The sales were quite slow for the first few years due to it being too expensive. However, as years pass, Litton and many other companies joined the countertop microwave oven market. By the end of 1971, the price of countertop microwave ovens began to decrease and their capabilities were expanding. By the mid-1970s, they were selling in the millions.
Ever since then, the microwave has made a great impact on the way foods are prepared, and what kinds of foods are eaten, although they are now commonly used to reheat food rather than cook it. The use of microwaves eliminated the demand for prepared means (or “TV” dinners”) in aluminum trays, which were used in the 1950s and 1960s. With using the conventional (electric or gas) oven, many foods took a long time to cook or heat, whereas now it is prepared in minutes.
However, there are limitations to microwave ovens. It cannot produce crispy brown crust on food like a conventional oven can. Also, since it can heat things so quickly, it can sometimes overheat and some items can even explode, creating a big mess. The same thing can happen to conventional ovens, but it is easier to make a mistake with a microwave as it happens so quickly.
Clearly, microwaves have come a long way and life would not be the same without it.
