Today, most homes have a microwave oven as well as a conventional gas or electric oven as standard kitchen appliances. Did you know that the first microwave oven was invented in 1946?
The microwave oven did not come about as a result of someone trying to find a better, faster way to cook. During World War II, two scientists invented the magnetron, a tube that produces microwaves.
The idea of using microwave energy to cook food was accidentally discovered by Percy Spencer of the Raytheon Company when he found that radar waves had melted a candy bar in his pocket. Experiments showed that microwave heating could raise the internal temperature of many foods far more rapidly than a conventional oven.
In 1946, the Raytheon Company filed a patent proposing that microwaves be used to cook food. An oven that heated food using microwave energy was then placed in a Boston restaurant for testing. At last, in 1947, the first commercial microwave oven hit the market. These primitive units where gigantic and enormously expensive, standing 5 1/2 feet tall, weighing over 750 pounds, and costing about $5000 each. The magnetron tube had to be water-cooled, so plumbing installations were also required.
- Soften a stick of butter at 50 percent power for 45 seconds.
- Soften cream cheese.
- Toast a cup of coconut at full power for 2-3 minutes. Spread out thinly to toast.
- Microwave citrus fruit for 20 seconds and you’ll get more juice when squeezed.
- Renew day-old cookies, crackers and potato chips at full power for 10 seconds.
- Cook vegetables on high power for 6-7 minutes per pound. Add butter to the water before cooking. Cook in beef, chicken or vegetable broth for better flavor. Cover dark green vegetables with wax paper for better flavor and color.
- To prevent popcorn from burning, turn over a saucer in the microwave and put the bag on top of it. The inverted plate lifts the food off the microwave floor and allows the microwaves to heat the bottom of the bag. This method also cooks food in a casserole dish more evenly.
- Reheat a fully cooked grilled hamburger in a microwaveable plastic sandwich bag for 1 minute on 100 percent power.
- Wrap cooked steak or prime rib in lettuce and reheat in microwave. Lettuce keeps meat from drying out.
- Wrap hot dogs in plastic wrap or paper towel to keep them from exploding. Cook for 1 minute.
Eleisia Whitney has a Watkins Home Business. She enjoys cooking and baking with Watkins extracts, spices, herbs, and sauces for healthy meals. Eleisia publishes a Watkins Newsletter, Around the Kitchen Table, that brings you recipes, cooking and health tips, and contests for free Watkins products.
Read the current issue at http://www.everydaynecessities.com/dec1-07newsletter.htm
Visit her at http://www.everydaynecessities.com and
http://www.WatkinsOnline.com/eleisiawhitney
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