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Microwave Magic

I have stared at the baked potato button on my microwave for a long time. Would it really work? Would it undercook the potato? Would it blow up? I tried it the other night and was treated to a perfect potato with just one push. But how on earth does the microwave know how to cook the potato? It wasn't just a set time of cooking. The display just said "sensor" until it was done. Magic!

Not quite. It turns out that all the different automatic reheating options on your microwave are accomplished with a humidity sensor. As your food warms up, it releases moisture and changes the humidity level inside your microwave. By monitoring that, the microwave can adjust power levels and cooking time to perfectly reheat (or cook) your food.

Published Monday, November 17, 2008 12:30 AM by bwmartens

Comments

# re: Microwave Magic

I am glad that you blogged on this topic. All this time I'd thought that there were little baked-potato-microwave elves that checked on the cooking tuber. I thought they were in some sort of union with the download-the-newest-podcast trolls. Thanks Ben!

Monday, November 17, 2008 4:37 AM by Luke

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Monday, November 17, 2008 4:54 AM by Microwave Magic | dairyfactory.com

# re: Microwave Magic

Well, Luke just dated his origins. The "little baked-potato-microwave elves" were used in the earlier versions of microwave technology. The little guys were even taught to give a little friendly wave, which sparked the now common term "Micro-wave".

However, as with all successess, there's always another entrepeneur that's keen on jumping on the bandwagon. Keebler came along and hired all the elves away from the rather confining and monotonous duties of the microwave, offering spacious trees to work in, with great views and aroma therapy as a standard part of every worker's environment. It’s a sweet deal.

Monday, November 17, 2008 3:14 PM by Dudley