On Mon, 25 Oct 2010 21:13:20 -0700, Dan Abel wrote:

> 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.

Yes, Yes, Maybe. I was always told there's still some friction(?)
going inside the food after the microwave stopped. Something other
than conduction. which makes the resting period(s) more effective
and less intense. It really does seem that way because food does
seem to heat up more than from just conduction.

>> 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.

Oh, stop the bullshit, Sheldon!

Oh, its not Sheldon. In that case, that seems like a pretty good,
logical explanation to me (seriously).

:-)

-sw