Why do microwaves cook food much faster than ovens?

While they sometimes look very similar, microwaves and ovens are two appliances that work differently. If, indeed, food cooked in the microwave oven is often more bland, we can however note that, compared to the oven, it is the fastest option when it comes to reheating or even to cook a dish. The question now is why.

Two similar but different devices

Thanks to the many technological developments that have been made over the past two decades, life in many human societies has become easier, thanks in particular to many conveniences, including microwaves and ovens. If these two household appliances have roughly the same purpose, they work in very different ways. Indeed, if both are used to cook and reheat food, the way in which this happens inside these appliances is very different.

When it comes to traditional ovens, you should first know that there are two types of ovens: gas ovens and electric ovens. In both cases, the ovens operate either by emitting thermal radiation or by convection; two different processes, but which have the same purpose. Part of this purpose is to heat the air so that this heat is transmitted to the food, and this is a relatively slow process.

Microwave ovens heat and cook food by exposing it to electromagnetic radiation in the microwave frequency range. Microwaves are a type of wave sandwiched between radio waves and infrared radiation on the electromagnetic spectrum. In the case of microwave ovens, the commonly used wave frequency is around 2.45 gigahertz. Waves in this frequency range have an interesting property: they are absorbed by water, fats and sugars.

A very fast device, but with more disadvantages

Once absorbed, they are converted directly into atomic motion, that is, into heat. In other words, microwaves create heat directly in the food, while the oven heats the air first, and it is up to the air to heat the food. If the microwave wins over the oven in terms of speed, the use of the oven is not without interest. First, the oven cooks food evenly, which is not the case with the microwave.

Indeed, dishes reheated in the microwave tend not to be cooked evenly, and this is explained by the fact that the electromagnetic waves bounce randomly inside the appliance. Even though the device has a turntable, it is still non-uniform, as the electromagnetic waves quickly agitate and heat the outside of the food without penetrating it any deeper. Adding to this, microwaves tend to make certain foods more bland and less healthy. Not to mention that it is impossible to cook many dishes in the microwave. So, in these cases, the oven wins.