A Great Little Appliance

The microwave oven is one appliance that really earns its keep.  So today since it's so cold and nasty outside, it seemed like a good day to take a closer look at how it came to be.

The oven was invented by Percy Spencer from technology that came about during World War II.  The first oven, known as a "Radarange" was sold in 1947.  Then Raytheon developed an oven under the Tappan brand in 1955 for home use, but it was too large and bulky for most families.  The more familiar countertop microwave oven was introduced by Amana (bought by Raytheon) in 1967.

My brother-in-law was in the vending business and learned about microwave ovens in that way.  He bought one and it was quite the topic of conversation!!  This was in around 1975, I think.  When I got pregnant with Greg, it was the one thing that I really wanted.  They weren't available in just any store, so my brother-in-law bought one and then we paid him back.  It cost around $400 which was a tidy sum in 1976 but it was a great purchase.

I used it to heat formula and then later Greg's cereal, and we saved time, energy and money by reheating leftovers much more efficiently.  We were early adopters but very pleased with the purchase.  The oven performed great for years until the handle broke.  That's all that was wrong with it.  And of course, the number of watts was probably fairly low.

How does it work?  The oven heats food by bombarding it with electromagnetic radiation in the microwave spectrum causing polarized molecules in the food to rotate and build up thermal energy in a process known as dielectric heating.  The particles bump into one another, causing friction and heat.  Heating is fairly uniform and even. 

One of the neat things about the microwave oven is that even gourmet cooks can use them, especially for bringing butter to perfect consistency and for heating chocolate. 

Today, we made eggs.  Here's how it goes -- take a coffee cup (or a bowl but it will be hot to handle) and add a scrambled egg and a little butter.  Microwave for about 30 seconds and then mix it a little, add cheese if you like and microwave again for about 20 more seconds or to taste.  The eggs are fluffy and delicious.  No pan to clean and no extra calories from oil.  It's great for dieters.  We had toast with the eggs.  Just keep a good watch on what's going on in the oven for the first time, because I'm not 100% sure of the timing.

So that's our little posting for today.

The microwave oven -- it's hard for me to use one without thinking of my brother-in-law who died six years ago.  He was so kind.  One of these days I'll write about him. 

Have a wonderful day, and let us all thank God for a new beginning, a fresh start.