INTRODUCTION<br >How Microwaves Work<br >Invisible Light Wa~es... And Is Safe To Use...<br >There s nothing mysterious about micro- The microwave is one of the safest appliances<br >waves， even though they can t be seen. They in the home. According to government re-<br >are simply a form of radiant energy， much like ports， after more than a quarter of a century<br >radio and television waves. They are emitted of in-home use， the microwave has yet to result<br >by all objects in the world -- from plants to in a single documented instance of injury re-<br >humans to the kitchen sink. lated to microwave exposure. Strict limits on<br >Uncontained， microwaves spread out in every the level of energy" emitted have been estab-<br >direction. Their energy diminishes rapidly， lished by the government to assure tile safety<br >like the heat from a little birthday candle. In of microwave cooking.<br >fact， at a distance of 10 inches from their With Proper Operation...<br >source of energy， they contain only 1/100 as Like other cooking appliances， the microwave<br >much energy as they do at a distance of I inch. must be operated properly in order to provide<br >Generated In Your Oven... safe usage. Be sure to follow the manufactur-<br > er s instructions for operation and cleaning.<br >Microwaves for cooking are produced by the<br >magnetron tube which converts household But Not Yet Standardized.<br >electricity into microwaves which bounce off the Although microwaves operate the same way，<br >metal walls of the microwave. They pass through they are af the stage conventional ovens were<br >nonmeta/materials such as glass， paper， plastics many year s ago. All microwave units are not the<br >and wood， and are absorbed by food which con- same! They differ from each other in:<br >rains moisture. 1. Wattage (see Testing for This Book on<br >Cook With Friction Heat... page 8).<br >The microwaves agitate and vibrate the mois- 2. Power setting descriptions.<br >ture molecules in foods at a speed of about 21，z2 3. Cooking patterns， even within brands.<br >bilfion times a second， which causes friction， Moreover， cooking time may vary with peak<br >which in turn heats and cooks the food. Micro- and low loads of electric power from your area<br >waves only penetrate 1 inch into the tbod from going into the microwave. Therefore， you will<br >top， sides and bottom， so the rest of the cook- want to adjust recipes to the workings of your<br >ing is done by conduction of heat into the own microwave:<br >food. The hot food heats the container as well， 1. Check for doneness at mininmm cook-<br >so potholders may be necessary， ing time given in the recipe.<br >Which Stops Automatically... 2. Add more cooking time after doneness<br > test only if necessary.<br >When the set time has elapsed or when you 3. Give less or more attention (stirring，<br >open the door of your microwave， the mag- rotating or elevating) depending on<br >netron turns off and microwaves are no long- your microwave s cooking pattern.<br >er produced -- similar to your radio or televi-<br >sion set， which no longer receive signals when<br >the station has signed off.<br >