Microwave Ovens – Simple but efficient

Every sector of the market from the humble greasy spoon to major big name retaurants use microwaves – even though many may not admit to it!

Microwave ovens offer simple, space-saving, energy efficient ways to defrost, reheat and cook food.

Types of Microwave Ovens

There are four types of microwave ovens.

• Standard – these heat only with microwaves and can be used for defrosting, reheating and general cooking.
• Microwaves with a grill – these have a built-in grill that allows food to be browned and crisped within the same unit.
• Combination microwave – a microwave oven and a convection oven in one unit. In convection mode hot air is circulated through the oven cavity with a fan which also bakes and browns the food. Many also have a grill fitted.
• Turbo microwaves – these combine microwave energy with fast-blown hot air and often an infrared element for grilling.

Energy section

Microwave ovens are extremely energy efficient, and a typical one uses about a third of the energy of a conventional oven.

Microwaves heat up the food directly, so there is no energy wasted heating up the oven cavity as there is no need for a pre-heat period.

They are designed to only operate when there is food inside so they are never left running when empty, or during loading and unloading, as happens with conventional cooking appliances.

Need to know

Microwave ovens cook foods at different rates and moist foods cook faster than less moist ones.

Microwaves can’t ‘brown’ or ‘crisp’ foods on the outside – use a grill or a combination microwave for this.

Don’t cook foods in metal containers in microwave ovens. The metal blocks the microwaves and can result in damage to the oven.

Gourmet restaurants often find microwaves useful for reheating sauces where a bain marie would not be suitable.

Keep the inside of the cabinet clean to ensure efficient opertaion and to stop food carbonising on the inside of the oven.

Getting the best from your microwave

Manual or programmable – with programmable controls you can pre-set cooking times for popular menu items to simplify kitchen procedures or offer self service options.

Manual controls are better for more experienced kitchen staff.

Power output – this is the amount of microwave energy available to heat and cook food. The output range is usually broken down into light duty (800 to 1000 Watts), medium duty (1300 to 1600 Watts) and heavy duty (2,000 Watts).

Check with your suppliers about the best power level your site needs

Commercial or domestic – don’t be tempted to think you can get away with domestic microwave models in a commercial environment. Domestic microwaves are just not up to the job. Their power outputs can drop with prolonged usage and food may not reach safe cooking temperatures.

Using a domestic machine in a commercial site may also invalidate your gaurantee. However this may be the least of your worries as you may find you have critical food safety issues.

The above is exraction from the CESA equipment buying guide 2009. See the December issue of Eat Out magazine for more details.