Now thought to be present in 90% of US households, microwave ovens use a process known as dielectric heating to cook food. Microwave radiation emitted by the oven excites and therefore heats water molecules in the food.
There are many types of microwave oven on the market. You can choose different powers, different styles, and even so-called convection microwave ovens, whose grilling capabilities mean food browns as it would in a normal oven.
A number of myths surround the use of microwaves; one is that you cannot put metal inside them. In fact there are even some microwaves fitted with metal grill trays — metal is therefore clearly OK in certain circumstances, but it has to be the right kind of metal, so don’t go sticking pots and pans in there.
When choosing a microwave oven, your primary consideration will be budget. The most basic microwave ovens feature only a timer and a power control and cost as little as 50 USD. As the price increases, you’ll find higher-power models with digital displays and advanced cooking and defrost programs. You’ll also see models with the grills mentioned earlier, allowing you to cook food such as pizzas and chicken from scratch, just like in a normal electric or gas oven. This brings otherwise-inaccessible cooking abilities to small kitchens with no space for full-sized ovens.