A microwave oven today is a very important and necessary thing in the kitchen. It serves for heating food, defrosting meat, and fish products, it cooks dishes according to the latest recipes. One of the main characteristics is microwave power, which depends directly on the work of the device.
General information on microwave power
- Its source is a magnetron, which is the most important element of any microwave oven and is something like a light bulb. When the device is on, this element of it produces ultrahigh-frequency waves, thanks to which the food is heated.
- The power determines the capabilities of the microwave oven. Its value depends on how much and how fast you can heat the food and what you can cook in this device.
- The unit of measure of power is presented in watts or kilowatts.
- The power figure depends directly on the size of the design. The bulkier the oven is, the greater its power requirements. Consequently, in this case, the electricity consumption increases.
Power of different types of microwave ovens
The market for modern household appliances is constantly updated with new models. Microwave ovens are no exception. Manufacturers regularly bring to the consumer arena new items equipped with additional features. From their extensive list, you can choose several options for microwave ovens.Solo microwave
This is the most common and affordable option, small products with small capacity. Suitable for heating cooked meals, cooking desserts, hot sandwiches, and defrosting foods. Thanks to its small size, it doesn’t use much electricity.With grill
With this appliance, you can cook dishes according to different recipes. The amount of power of the device, respectively, and the energy consumption, increase significantly.With convection
Oven with built-in grill functions with convection – the main assistant of the hostess in the kitchen. This model of the device is suitable for cooking a wide variety of dishes and different baking. Its efficiency is ensured by its high power.With steam generator
The microwave with the addition of a steam generator is the most expensive of all. It includes four devices at the same time: – Microwave element; – grill system; – oven; – steam cooker. The appliance has a built-in inverter mechanism, thanks to which the power is regulated. Consequently, here you can save on electricity. When choosing an oven, it is necessary to take into account for what purposes you need it. If you just heat up cooked food, you do not need to spend on an expensive model with many features. A solo-type microwave is perfect for your case. Note! Since the magnetron begins to function when the microwave oven is plugged in, there is a consumption of electricity. Experts advise disconnecting the technique from the mains for its downtime.How to know the microwave power
Each electric appliance is accompanied by an instruction for use, which specifies the technical data and other parameters. Among them is the power of the purchased microwave oven. Its value is also displayed on a sticker on the body of the product. There is also indicated its model and volume. If the thing was bought out of hand and the documents are missing, and the label from the body is torn off, then you can try to find the necessary indicators of the device on the Internet, typing in the search engine the model of the oven and its type.How the operating mode affects the power of the microwave oven
The consumption of electricity depends directly on the set mode of the microwave oven in the working process. When you include additional functions in the device, the upcoming load on the power grid is necessarily provided. The performance of the microwave corresponds to the selected mode of operation. For example, to heat up a portion of soup, it makes no sense to set the power on the device more than it should, compared to cooking a whole dish, where both the power must be high, and it takes more time. The microwave oven has several levels of heating, the choice of which depends on what the user wants at the moment.The main levels of oven operation are
- Low. The energy consumption is minimal. This is where food is heated and defrosted (meat, fish).
- Less than medium. Used to thaw foods.
- Medium. Rapid reheating of foods also can be used for stews or stewed foods.
- Above medium. At higher liquid temperatures boil sauces, and drinks, as well as bake meat dishes.
- Maximum. This level is not often used. It differs in the speed of cooking. When you choose it, the magnetron functions quite intensively, respectively, and the power increases significantly, and with it the electricity consumed.