Many office workers will bring their own bento to heat in the microwave oven in the office. Those who often use microwave ovens know that metal utensils cannot be put into the microwave oven, whether it is metal tableware, plates with metal decorations, or even tin foil. . During the heating process of the microwave oven, if there is metal, it may cause arcs and sparks in the microwave oven. The sparks may not only damage the internal structure of the microwave oven, but may even cause a fire hazard. But now there are stainless steel bento boxes on the market that are advertised as microwaveable, so why? The following article will introduce the principle, which bento box uses a microwave oven, and various precautions.
Microwave heating principle Arc phenomenon generated by metal utensils
The heating method of a microwave oven is to generate an electromagnetic field inside, and use microwaves to make food molecules, especially water molecules, vibrate and rub to generate heat energy, which can heat the food, and the heating effect of food with more water content is better, especially for making tea bowls. Milk tea and the like can be heated quickly. However, the microwave oven cannot be used to heat pure water. When the water is taken out of the microwave oven, there will be a sudden boil, which is very dangerous.
The reason why metal products cannot be used in microwave ovens is because the internal structure of microwave ovens has been made of metal materials to reflect microwaves. If metal utensils are placed in them, sparks may be caused by arcing. The arc phenomenon is due to the fact that the microwaves generated when the microwave oven is started cannot penetrate the metal material, and the unabsorbed microwaves will continue to reflect between the interior of the microwave oven and the metal material. Sparks will be generated during the uninterrupted reflection process, which will cause damage to the microwave oven or even explode and catch fire. Moving free electrons gather at sharp points, so sparks most often appear on sharp points on metallic objects.
▲The principle of microwave ovens is that the microwave reflection makes the molecules of food vibrate to generate heat energy. Usually, the food with high water content has a better microwave effect.
Microwaveable stainless steel bento box avoids electrical arcs by design
In order to avoid the arc phenomenon, in order to make the free electrons stable and stable during the microwave process, in addition to the material, the shape of the container must also be taken into consideration during the microwave process. The “designed and tested” all-in-one bento boxes on the market have no dead ends to generate arcs. , it becomes a microwaveable metal container that is relatively less prone to arcing.
This kind of designed stainless steel bento box, the free electrons moving in the microwave will be stable at the edge, but it is still necessary to pay attention to the gradual microwave method when using it, each time the microwave does not exceed 5 minutes to heat in batches, and do not empty the box Microwave, and confirm that the microwave oven rotates normally when heating, so as to avoid danger caused by long-term unilateral heating.
However, although these engineered stainless steel bento boxes claim to be microwaveable, if you are in doubt or cannot ensure the integrity of the stainless steel utensils, it is best to avoid using metal utensils in the microwave, after all, there is no need to microwave stainless steel.
▲The arc phenomenon in microwave, the moving electrons will gather at the edge of the metal vessel to generate sparks, and the integrated stainless steel metal can make the electrons move stably.
There are also shelled, filmed and high-fat foods that cannot be microwaved
In addition to metal utensils that cannot be put into the microwave oven, there are also shelled or filmed ingredients such as eggs, tomatoes, grapes, etc., which will be vibrated by the water molecules generated by the microwave oven, and the heat generated by friction will be caused by the shell and the shell. The film is wrapped in the ingredients and cannot be dissipated, and it may be unbearable and burst open in the end, which is very dangerous. In addition, if high-fat, thick soup, sauce, etc. are really to be heated, it is recommended to shorten the microwave time to keep the ingredients warm. If they are heated to close to the boiling point, there may be concerns about splashing.
▲Eggs with shells, grapes with membranes, and tomatoes cannot be heated in a microwave oven.
