The Future of Microwaves

[eDJ_]

Most of us sort of tolerate Microwave Ovens.  They have their uses but if you know how to cook you probably
don't like to cook in one. 

Back in my School Days one day we had a Man come and talk to us kids about technological stuff.  He was talking about microwave ovens this day and directing this more towards the girls in the class.  Having the imagination I possess I raised my hand with a question.   I asked,  "If you can turn the dial to a number of minutes to head something,   do you ever think that you will have it so your could turn the knob the other way and make things just as cold".   I was thinking of making instant Iced Tea without ice cubes.   The Teacher was about to send me to the Principal's office for embarrassing the man.....fortunately the man stopped him and
explained that he thought that was a very good question.

Fast forward a decade and a few such microwaves were made.  They were installed on the "Space Shuttles". 

But now there is yet another break through in Microwave Oven Technology.......multi frequency micro waves
capable of cooking a whole meal at once.

Story:

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innov...1&spJobID=983459668&spReportId=OTgzNDU5NjY4S0


What do you think of a microwave oven with these capabilities ?

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

I can't believe they are as popular as they are. Haven't used one but a few times in the last 20 years. Soggy, wet, and food not cooked evenly is not my type of food. Ironically I just installed one over the range in my kitchen remodel, but that's strictly for resale and what people want. Not what I'd do if I were staying here.

 

[ArtW]

I do a fair bit of cooking in a microwave, chicken breasts, eggs, stuff like that
the idea of cooking a raw hamburger patty or steak in one would be a horror, but reheating leftovers they are the best
It's all in the usage

 

[ccbreder]

hot dogs work well. my favorite is frozen steam-in-bag vegetables and the same for brown rice. The main reason i installed a microwave in the van is to heat my "bean/rice bag" for my neck pain when sleeping.

 

[TrainChaser]

Simple cooking and reheating is mostly what I use mine for, about the same stuff as ArtW, and very occasional defrosting. And reheating my cup of tea while engrossed online.

 

[DuneElliot]

As above...reheating leftovers, warming butter, occasionally a really terrible microwave meal.

 

[TrainChaser]

DuneElliott: "... occasionally a really terrible microwave meal."

EEEEEEEWWWWWW! I'm really sorry to hear that. . . . . . You don't feed it to the dogs, do you? BCs are the smartest dog on the planet (although just half a notch above Belgians), so they probably wouldn't eat it.

 

[LeeRevell]

Being a lifelong batchelor, living alone, yes, I use my microwave a lot. Still wondering just when they will invent one that actually heats "from the inside out", like the fictional hype says. Tired of food scalding outside and still cold inside!
But I have been doing a lot more with slow cooker and toaster oven.

 

[jimindenver]

Other than a recipe the ex had for scalloped potatoes I think I used the microwave very little and hardly ever in the trailer. Maybe a baked potato or a can of vegies but that's about it.

 

[frater secessus]

MW are, IMO, suitable mainly for melting (butter, chocolate) and reheating.

I do not plan to have one in my build.

 

[ArtW]

well, i sure wouldn't put one in an off grid dwelling, mobile or not

 

[ccbreder]

My 1000watt microwave works fine in my van.

 

[ArtW]

Genny?

 

[blars]

Microwaves are good at some types of cooking, poor at others. Like every other cooking appliance I can think of.

With my new 2kw PSW inverter, I can use my microwave in the evening for a few minutes and keep my batteries happier not being fully charged. (Unlike lead, LiFePo4 don't like being full.)

 

[BluebirdHazel]

The microwave in our C Class is also a convection oven. I love it! I can bake in it and cook veggie pizza. I use the microwave to thaw berries for oatmeal, cook 'puffy' eggs, cook frozen veggies, and heat up leftovers. (And making extra for leftovers is energy efficient, power wise and mine!   )

 

[user 37446]

hot dogs work well. my favorite is frozen steam-in-bag vegetables and the same for brown rice. The main reason i installed a microwave in the van is to heat my "bean/rice bag" for my neck pain when sleeping.

Please let me/us know the details of your setup. Wattage of microwave, size and type or brand of inverter, wire size and distance of inverter from batteries, # of batteries and type, and lastly, have you had any problems with low voltage cutoff alarms, voltage sag, excessive amp hour draw etc.  I'm trying to decide if it is worth it to plan an install, figuring that it will cost me from 6-800 dollars to have the batteries, pure sine wave inverter, cabling and fuse to be able to run a 700 watt for say 5 minutes or less once a night.

Thank you for your reply, if you have the time!

 

[Weight]

My 1000 watt Cuisinart microwave runs very well on my Samlex PST-2000-12 inverter. I have 2/0 cables from GenuineDealz, 3 feet length from the 690 A/H Duracell EGC-2 battery bank. I could get by with 460 A/H, if Peukert doesn't get me. I have had no problem with the operation of my equipment. I thought about a smaller microwave, with smaller inverter and smaller bank. But decided on 1000 watt as 100 amps for 4 minutes is better than 100 for 6. Everything is safely fused. Recharging a large bank is not a problem as I return the energy I use, and don't let the bank get below 75% at the very most.

 

[ganto]

Do you have a link for the cooling microwave? I don't see how a microwave can be used to cool. Years ago I saw a project in an electronics magazine that was claiming to build a cooling microwave but it happened to be in the April edition. HA!

Guy

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...pliance-freezes-food-drinks-flick-switch.html

 

[tx2sturgis]

.... Still wondering just when they will invent one that actually heats "from the inside out", like the fictional hype says.  Tired of food scalding outside and still cold inside!

Inverter microwave ovens solve most of that problem.

They don't heat from the inside out of course, but they actually VARY the power level, not the duty cycle like almost all other microwave ovens.

It makes a difference.

 

[eDJ_]

The "Reversable Microwave" I saw was on an Australian TV show (either)  "Beyond 2000" or "The Next Step".

This was some time back.   But the way they figured out how to make "cold" in a Microwave was by dipping a tube in Liquid Nitrogen and then measuring the sound waves the frozen tube made when it was pulled out of the
liquid Nitrogen.   They reasoned that anything that cold would give off some sound/vibration signal and it did.
So they developed a device that could predictably produce that frequency of sound, so that certain foods or liquids could be chilled.

The development of Radar in the UK during WW2 by Sir Watson-Watt produced a tube called a Magnetron.
One of his assistants had one on a bench an noticed when he had it powered up in an experiment
that it would heat things around it.  And from that tube later the first Radar Ranges were born.  

Later when this experiment of holding a tube in liquid nitrogen was pursued the proof of concept came about
to make a Microwave Oven that could reverse and either heat or cool things.   I don't believe a Magnetron tube is used for the cooling.  A different device that can emit the needed frequency does the cooling.

Here is one link I found for you from the UK

'Reverse microwave' can chill wine bottles and fizzy drink cans in 45 seconds

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/sci...ttles-and-fizzy-drink-cans-in-45-seconds.html

Those Australian TV Shows reported that the earliest of these were used on the Space Shuttles.