In article >,
Sqwertz > wrote:


> I not only use the power settings, but the "Cooking Stages"
> features as well. Nuke on Medium power followed by a resting period
> where energy is still bouncing around inside, followed by another
> Nuke-Rest sequence.

I don't understand. When you say "power", is that like the 60% setting
where it is on for 60% and off for 40%? And is a "resting period" where
the microwaves don't come on at all for some period of time? And when
you say "energy is still bouncing around", are you referring to heat
conduction? There are no microwaves bouncing around after the tube
shuts off.

> Especially for something like a Stouffers large lasagna with Meat
> Sauce which is a frozen solid block of goo that is very hard to
> heat evenly (cue Food Slob).

I read an explanation for this somewhere on the internet (I believe the
URL was posted on this group, sometime in the dim past). Different
substances absorb microwaves at different rates. Water is really good.
Metal generally reflects microwaves and doesn't absorb them. Ice is not
good. Food with corners is not good because the corners absorb
microwaves from several directions whereas the flat parts only absorb
microwaves from fewer directions. So a big rectangle of frozen lasagna
presents problems. There's no water in it, and the ice doesn't absorb
microwaves well. There's enough fat to absorb the microwaves, and the
ice does absorb some. However, the corners start to thaw first. Now
there's water there, and they get really hot. The only way to heat the
whole thing evenly is to stop the microwaves and let ordinary conduction
transfer heat away from the hot spots to melt more ice. Once enough ice
is melted, then the microwaves will be more evenly absorbed and there
won't be such a problem with uneven heating.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA