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What is it inside them that cooks your food? Is it bad for you? Does it go away (where to?) once you open the door and eat your food?
Mine broke.
Wondering whether to get another one.
No.
the microwaves are tuned to the water molecules in the food. They basically cause them to move more quickly, leading to heating up. When the machine turns off, they are no produced any more, and food starts to cool down.
It's not bad for you.
i thought this was sorted in 1985?
anyway try: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave_oven
"The radiation produced by a microwave oven is non-ionizing. It therefore does not have the cancer risks associated with ionizing radiation such as X-rays and high-energy particles. Long-term rodent studies to assess cancer risk have so far failed to identify any carcinogenicity from 2.45 GHz microwave radiation even with chronic exposure levels, i.e., large fraction of one's life span, far larger than humans are likely to encounter from any leaking ovens"
You know how you feel warm when rays of sunlight hit you?
It's like that, but a different type of ray(diation) that can penetrate inside stuff to heat it.
It's not bad for you unless the rays escape from the box, that's why it won't work when the oven door is open. The rays can't escape because of the design of the door & materials. The energy from the rays are transformed into heat, just like sun on your face.
They're a useful kitchen tool, get another one
I think that:
Microwave radiation isnt bad for you it is the likes of gamma and such that are the bad ones.
And that microwaves heat up the H2O molecules in food and that they dont work directly on the rest of it. That might be utter crap but im not sure.
Those in the know feel free to rubbish my statement.
Agreed, all good.
What is it inside them that cooks your food?
[url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave ]Microwaves. [/URL]
Is it bad for you?
No.
Does it go away (where to?) once you open the door and eat your food?
Yes. The microwaves vibrate water molecules in the food (like a big speaker vibrating your body). That vibration makes them warm and cooks the food. When you open the door it stops producing microwaves.
yes they are bad, they change the molecules in the food which the body then has difficulty breaking down.......dont use them, not even for defrosting.
Yoshimi, that's bollocks.
No its's not, somebody told me in the gym once, so there, fact!
My dad always told me not to stand directly in front of one when it's on, but I've no idea why!
I'd have to change most of the things I eat if I didn't have one. That's bad isn't it?
Have you not seen the film 'pump up the volume'? - you could end up with pearls embedded in your face! 😯
Hippy-type people don't seem to like them.
My friend told me if you surround an egg with four mobile phones and keep them ringing constantly for four minutes the egg will be hard boiled.
I've only got three phones, wonder how much longer that would take (lol) plus, phones ring off.
No its's not, somebody told me in the gym once, so there, fact!
Thats one further up the bullshit scale form "It's on the internet so it's true"
If anything its better for you than using a conventional oven because unless your stupid it can't burn stuff.
likes of gamma and such that are the bad ones.
Not true, alpha and beta radiation are bad for you in different ways, gamma depends on the intensity, small doses will be fine, higher intensity stuff is what they use for burning off cancers etc without having to cut you up (which kinda makes them good).
It's odd that people are still scared of microwaves after decades of use, and yet took to mobile phones, WiFi and Bluetooth without a second's hesitation, despite it being the same stuff that makes all those things work. Highly illogical, captain.
[Edit: I stand corrected, people are scared of mobiles too, apparently. Yeesh.]
My dad always told me not to stand directly in front of one when it's on, but I've no idea why!
The grill/mesh stops the radiation, in the same way that the distance between molecules in most solids is just the right size to stop visible light (make the gaps big enough like they are in liquids and gasses and they become transparent to visible light).
TINAS
Yes I agree - it was my trainer who was telling me about the evils of microwaves, he tells me that pretty much anything I eat is bad - I've no idea whether they're good or bad for you but how else are you supposed to make porridge quickly in the morning!?
alpha and beta radiation are bad for you in different ways
Well yes, but they're not electromagnetic radiation, which is what we're talking about.
My friend told me if you surround an egg with four mobile phones and keep them ringing constantly for four minutes the egg will be hard boiled.
GSM handsets output a couple of watts of transmitted power, compared with 800-1000W for a microwave oven. (The frequency is a bit lower as well). So no, you can't cook things with mobile phones.
And the point of microwave ovens *is* to cook things...
My friend told me if you surround an egg with four mobile phones and keep them ringing constantly for four minutes the egg will be hard boiled.
I'm picturing Ray Mears doing some sort of urban survival show based around tips like this: "First, mug a few businessmen. Blackberries are by far the best mobile phones for cooking food with..."
Thing is though, you'd need four other phones so you could keep the first four phones ringing
I'm picturing Ray Mears doing some sort of urban survival show based around tips like this: "First, mug a few businessmen. Blackberries are by far the best mobile phones for cooking food with..."
😀
And in the eighties you only needed one phone and you could do a roast dinner...
My friend told me if you surround an egg with four mobile phones and keep them ringing constantly for four minutes the egg will be hard boiled.
Your friend shouldn't believe every video on YouTube!
There was a video on youtube showing popcorn cooking when surrounded by several mobiles. It was fake, and its spawned lots of copycat videos now.
Anyway microwaves are dangerous as they allow you to eat microwave meals, which are awful.
I think they are actually good for you as they degrade less of the nutrients in your food.
Thing is though, you'd need four other phones so you could keep the first four phones ringing
Oh, whatever.
If do you somehow get enough microwave energy beamed at an egg, then yes it will eventually cook.
Which, as I said above, is *exactly the point* of a microwave oven. 🙂
But it takes a lot more concentrated energy than you'll get from phone handsets.
The door locks to prevent them from escaping. Not inherently dangerous as such, they do have a tendancy to drain the ink out of your pens, change tv channel to make you watch anything with that fat bloke who was in gavin and stacey and hide your car keys. They also interfere with your computer's internet browsing history to make it look like you watch a whole load of pron.
On the plus side, they are fairly small and almost undetectable, so if you do catch a few, you can stuff them in an envelope and send them to dvla, hmrc or whover else has been bugging you about stuff
I believe they reproduce over the internet as well, so if you can video them and stick the result on youtube, you are almost certain to bring down western civilization - apart from my mum who still claims the internet in her house has been switched off, probably because of microwaves
If anything its better for you than using a conventional oven because unless your stupid it can't burn stuff.
Not true, I once reduced a potato to a lump of charcoal in a microwave...
...ah, right. I see what you're saying.
It's ok - I'm not frightened of my phone.
The microwave oven question was because someone said on here a few weeks ago that it was gamma radiation and I wasn't sure but I am happy now that STW has pronounced its verdict.
YOU ARE ALL MISSING THE POINT
It depends how fast it's falling when it hits you.
FOOLS
microwave ovens have been banned in sweden.
the welsh have 2 words for microwave oven; micro-don and 'poppity-ping'.
at least one of the statements above is false.
They are bad for you,ask any gremlin 😆
I've tried standing next to microwaves for 20 years,and I've yet to develop super powers. YOU LIED TO ME, STAN LEE. I WILL NOT FORGET THIS.
LOL at Mrs Toast
Don't do it Karin! They're bad...... What's to be trusted about something that cooks a jacket potato in 7 minutes when it should take 1 1/2 hours of normal heat? Wrong I tell you. I don't have one, but also cos I love cooking. Also don't like wifi.
I also don't trust built in web cams - if you have one and wifi, isn't that another step towards Orwell's constant surveillance via remote access? If I sound like a crank - great, I don't care 🙂
I've tried standing next to microwaves for 20 years,and I've yet to develop super powers. YOU LIED TO ME, STAN LEE. I WILL NOT FORGET THIS.
Your kids might have superpowers though, if glowing in the dark is a superpower. But it can make you a rubbish burglar
If you put a phone in a microwave, shut the door and ring it (from another phone of course) then it will ring.
If you wrap your phone up in foil and put it on a table and call it, it will not ring. Faraday or something.
I heard this once and tried confirmed the above.
Don't know what that all means as I am a bit fick.
Anyway, Mrs B has one and she has been known to be a dozy bint on occasion, my mate does and he admits he is a nutter, I don't have one...
If you put a phone in a microwave, shut the door and ring it (from another phone of course) then it will ring.
Whatever you do, DO NOT MICROWAVE YOUR PHONE:
Like a little morph ejeculating on the inside of your oven........................................, how do you clean up the mess though.
If you had a really big microwave and crawled inside it and then a "mate" turned it on then yes, it would be bad for you.
Don't think microwave ovens are bad for you but they're not an essential item anyway.
Felt a bit sorry for a friend, he stayed with us for a bit whilst he was temporarily working in Nottingham. After his first day, he got back from work really late one night, gone 10pm, and he'd picked up a ready meal type thing, one of those ones that takes 6 minutes in the microwave or 90 minutes in the oven. He asked where the microwave was...
Double post
Not essential (what is?) - but very useful.
I wouldn't be without one in a kitchen.
My company sells really big Microwave (and Radio frequency for that matter) ovens for tempering meat. If you were thin enough (and bypassed the safety circuits) then yes, you could get inside, you'd take about 20 minutes to be done, well, from -20 to about -2 at any rate. Also, sticking your fingers in the control cabinet could get you a belt of 19000V, which would also warm you up nicely.
The emissions levels for these things are set so as not to upset mobile phones. The safe emission levels for people is much higher!
also don't trust built in web cams - if you have one and wifi, isn't that another step towards Orwell's constant surveillance via remote access?
Rubbish.
By the way, your hair's a mess.
If I'm sat in the kitchen with my laptop (sitting approx 15ft away from the microwave) I lose wireless connectivity as soon as Mrs T switches on the microwave. This happens with every laptop/netbook we have. Wireless returns as soon as the microwave stops.
Should I be worried?
Most microwaves emit, at least some, power in the 2.4GHz band. That's where your wifi signals reside. Since the microwave will be between 800W and 1200W output, any leakage from any point is likely to significantly upset the wifi which, IIRC, transmits with a power of notably less than a watt. It's about signal-to-noise ratio, if the microwave leaks even a fraction of a percent of its power, the signal from the router will be mashed. Doesn't mean it's unsafe. Cheaper microwaves do seem to do this, but I never seem to have a problem with ours (Though I've no idea if ours was expensive or not). It could be noise from the transformer/drive electronics that drive the magnetron that's doing the wifi in, not necessarily even the microwave "signals" themselves.
Microwaves are remarkably good at what they do, very power efficient (almost all of the power put into them is converted to heat in the food) in comparison with something like an oven.
Microwaves don't heat from the inside out, they heat roughly evenly throughout.
The microwaves are not tuned "to the frequency of water molecules" - that would be notably higher (approx 5 times higher), they are lower because higher frequency waves wouldn't penetrate the food very far, heating the skin and not much else. It also heats loads of other molecules like fats and sugars.
As for boiling an egg with a phone... Assuming you could direct all of the phone energy in one direction, which you can't easily, to the egg. You'd need approximately 15,000 joules to heat the egg to about 80 degrees average temp. At 2W (2J/s, the power limit for moblies) that would mean it would take approximately 2 hours to cook. But that's all assuming no heat leaves the egg at all, through conduction/convection/radation. Which is virtually impossible too. So in answer to the egg question - no.
HTH
Microwave ovens are very dangerous/bad for you, when you put half a dozen eggs still in their shells, in a bowl of water and then heat them up to produce "hard-boiled" eggs.
When the pressure within the eggs reaches a critical level, they will all simultaneously explode blowing the ****ing door right off, and showering your kitchen with glass and pulverised egg from ceiling to floor.
The time it takes to clean up the resulting mess, needs to be seen to be believed.
/goes off to find a few eggs
Rubbish.
By the way, your hair's a mess.
LOL! you must have been looking through the window then.
They're also rubbish at drying cats.
I wonder how many people who are concerned about microwave ovens are happy to eat food cooked with gas. Anyone mention carcinogens?
Years ago one of my jobs was to go round our site checking the various Microwave Ovens in the messrooms for leakage with a microwave detector, what a waste of time. The door seal would have to be pretty badly damaged to allow any leakage and by them the chances of the door interlock allowing the oven to start would be pretty slim.
People have been killed by microwave ovens, its the DIY idiots that try to fix them it and getting a belt off the internals (before working on them various bits need to discharge-preferably overnight in case bleed resistors have burnt out).
he he. I've never used a microwave oven. Ever. I worked in a kitchen for a year and despite them having one, I never used it, (commie chef you see, sauces and veg).
Anyway, this week my wife gave me the chilli leftovers and suggested I heat them up in the microwave at work. So I'm there with a tupperware container of chilli in my hand and the microwave in front of me....
How the hell does this thing work? Now at home I'd heat the chilli up in a pan, maybe quickly reboil the rice. So a microwave must do it in half the time or something, so I put it on for five minutes. It has an auto heat button but that can do one.
After five minutes I pull out the nuked mess. It's insanely hot and the plastic is melting. Freaking hell! Nice though.
get a grip. use it, eat food, move on. Or don't.
no, sorry.
EDIT: My uncles brothers sister had a microwave in 1986 that, when switched on, cooked the cat "fluffy" that was in the living room having a nap.
Sometimes I wake up in a pool of sweat thinking about Fluffy and her terrible microwaved demise.
She glowed, you know.