The Advantages of Microwaves

Safety

• Microwave ovens are a very safe means of cooking food. They don't produce any flames or areas of intense heat during cooking, which removes the risk of burns until you actually take the cooked food out of the microwave. The lack of an open flame means there's little chance of accidental fires, and a microwave won't leave any hot surfaces after you're finished using it.

  Microwaves can also make food safer to eat when users follow the proper procedure. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, covering meats and other animal products with a lid while cooking will create moist heat that kills food-borne germs and will help prevent illness.

Speed

• Microwave ovens heat food from the inside out and cook very quickly. Tasks that would take hours in a conventional oven can be accomplished in a matter of minutes in a microwave, which makes it easier to prepare meals and gives cooks more control over the timing of their food. Microwaves can also thaw frozen food quickly to ready it for cooking in a conventional oven.

Energy Use

• Because of the short amount of time they need to run to cook food, microwaves use less energy than other types of ovens. They don;t require a natural gas hookup like a gas stove, and they use less power than an electric oven for performing the same tasks, which reduces household utility bills and also lowers demand for electrical production.

Cost

• Microwaves are generally inexpensive, with even the most full-featured and large models costing less than conventional ovens, which makes microwaves suitable for hotel rooms, offices and other situations where an oven would be too expensive to install and operate.

Size

• Microwaves come in a range of sizes, but most units are small enough to install in even a cramped kitchen. Some microwaves mount below cabinets or above a conventional oven, meaning they take up no additional counter space, which is another reason that microwaves appear in places where conventional ovens don't.