Advantages and Disadvantages of Microwave Ovens

Speed

• Perhaps the most important advantage of cooking with a microwave is the speed it takes to cook food. A dish that takes 15 to 20 minutes to cook in a conventional oven only takes a few minutes in a microwave. A microwave can reheat food, like a leftover, in seconds while still on the plate you stored it in.

Convenience

• If speed is the most important advantage of the microwave oven, then convenience must be second. People who wish to prepare foods quickly can go to the microwave and have a frozen dinner ready in minutes. Hot dogs can be thoroughly heated in 30 seconds and a bag of popcorn can be ready to munch before the commercial break is over during your favorite television show.

Rubbery Texture

• One disadvantage of using a microwave oven is how it affects the quality of the food. When a piece of meat gets put into the microwave for too long it can come out with a rubbery texture that is tough to chew. The taste of food often changes when it is overcooked in the microwave, turning your favorite snack into something less appetizing.

Unpredictable Heating Times

• Microwaves have trouble heating food consistently when the number of items in the oven changes. In other words, the time it would take to warm up one piece of leftover pizza in the microwave is much different than the time needed to heat up three slices on a plate. This unpredictability can lead to cold spots in the food or food that is too hot to eat.

No Browning

• Microwaves lack the ability to brown meat surfaces. This disadvantage drastically limits what a cook can do with a microwave. This limitation is one of the major downsides to using a microwave because it often means that the stovetop must also be used.

Chemical Dangers

• According to the University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, heating foods in a microwave inside plastic containers not specifically designed for use with a microwave can lead to the transfer of potentially dangerous chemicals from the container into the food.