At first glance, a microwave and an oven look precisely the same. Both are in a beam shape and have a clear glass cover on the front. No wonder it’s hard for many people to tell the difference between the two. There are many differences between the microwave and the oven if you look closer.
Let’s look at some of the differences between a microwave and an oven to find out what the difference is:
1. Procedure
Electricity is the primary source of energy for both microwaves and ovens. These two cooking tools are very different in how they work.
Microwaves use electromagnetic waves to work. Later, the food will take into the microwaves that were sent out. The water molecules in food will keep moving and crashing, making heat.
This can cause the temperature of the food itself to go up. Foods that have a lot of water, like vegetables, cook and warm up quickly in the microwave.
Even though the oven and microwave work differently, most ovens have a heating element that sends heat to the food, which is then cooked. But now there are ovens with fans inside to spread the heat around.
2. The Functions
The way they work is another difference between a microwave and an oven. The only thing you can do with a microwave is heat food. Still, there is now a type of microwave that can both heat and bake food.
While the oven’s purpose is to cook food by baking or grilling it, most ovens are used for baking things like cakes, bread, and other baked goods. But there is also an oven that can grill foods like fish or chicken.
3. The Types
Over time, ovens and microwaves have come in many different styles and features.
In the past, microwaves were only known for warming food. The name for this kind of microwave is “basic.” There are different kinds of microwaves based on what they do, like a microwave grill that can bake food and a convection microwave that can make food more crispy and crunchy.
Ovens can be powered by more than just electricity. But some ovens heat with fire from the stove. This type of oven is called a “manual oven.” There are also other ovens, like gas ovens that use LPG cylinders and convection ovens, which have a fan inside to spread the heat evenly.
4. Cooking Time
When you look at how they work, it’s clear that the time it takes to cook with a microwave and an oven is different. The microwave only works for a few seconds to a few minutes. You can change the time to suit your needs because the main purpose of a microwave is to heat food.
The oven is different because it takes a long time, depending on the type of oven. For example, baking takes longer in manual ovens than in electric ovens. Depending on the type of food, it usually takes between 10 and 45 minutes to cook a meal.
5. Size and Capacity
Most microwaves are smaller than ovens in terms of size. Even a microwave that is no bigger than 30 liters can be found. Of course, the microwave’s capacity is smaller than that of the oven.
Also, ovens come in different sizes and capacities, from small ones to big ones often used in the baking industry and other places. It makes sense that the bigger the oven, the more it will cost.
6. Containers Used
The tool or container used is the next difference. Most of the time, food that will go in the microwave or oven needs to be put in a container to be moved easily.
If you want to heat food in a microwave, you can use ceramic containers or heat-resistant glass. But you can also use a plastic container as long as it says that it can go in the microwave.
In the oven, you can’t use plastic as a container. A baking sheet made of zinc, Teflon, aluminum foil, or another heat-resistant material is used in a particular oven container because the oven is hot and has a high temperature, which can melt the plastic.
7. Electricity Needs
Compared to a microwave, the amount of electricity an oven uses is much less. But since the oven takes a long time to heat up and cook food, it makes sense that it uses a lot of electricity when it does so.
When it comes to using electricity, a microwave needs a lot of power. But the time it takes to heat food isn’t that long, which makes electricity more efficient and cost-effective.
8. Food Results
Most food from a microwave is dry, especially on the top. This is because the microwave works by reducing the amount of water in the food, making the food dry out. Even so, the food that comes out of it is not crunchy.
While food that came out of the oven was evenly cooked on the outside and more brown and crispy, for example, the inside of cakes or bread will be soft and tender but crunchy and not dry.
You need to know about the differences between a microwave and an oven. Make sure that what you buy meets your needs.