Microwave question

[Steve Helmick]

Wife bought a dome food cover for the microwave from the grade school's Fundraiser. That's cool, BUT this dome has magnets in it, that you're supposed to stick to the roof of the microwave...four magnets. Magnets are steel, generally, particularly cheap ones. The item is made in China, of course.

Is there any hope that it will work ok, or will it make a light show when the microwave is in operation? I'm betting that it will be quite the spectacular light show, but thought I'd just ask the resident Stunt Hangar Physicists and get the straight scoop, before we peel the wrapper open.  Steve

[Fredvon4]

Ha I saw that device advertised on my 46" Tube...thought to self ----so how often do I need to clean the gunk n spatter off the plastic food hood and perimeter of the rotating glass table...>>>>?   Then Nah! I will just keep on keeping on with our method of heating stuff with our own covers and clean the MW oven as usual

My advice...re gift that junk device

[paw080]

Wife bought a dome food cover for the microwave from the grade school's Fundraiser. That's cool, BUT this dome has magnets in it, that you're supposed to stick to the roof of the microwave...four magnets. Magnets are steel, generally, particularly cheap ones. The item is made in China, of course.

Is there any hope that it will work ok, or will it make a light show when the microwave is in operation? I'm betting that it will be quite the spectacular light show, but thought I'd just ask the resident Stunt Hangar Physicists and get the straight scoop, before we peel the wrapper open.  Steve

Hi Steve, My friend(graduate degrees in various engineering fields); uses one, but he said to remove the magnets.

He simply stores it in the microwave oven when not in use; no need to stick it onto the inside oven top!!

Tony G

[Gerald Arana]

Hi Steve, My friend(graduate degrees in various engineering fields); uses one, but he said to remove the magnets.

He simply stores it in the microwave oven when not in use; no need to stick it onto the inside oven top!!

Tony G

I would probably remove the magnets too however, they probably won't cause a problem unless they form a circle.....all touching each other.

I had a coffee cup with a gold rim and now I don't! Yep, sparks flew! I put a spoon in al the time with no problem.

Cheers, Jerry

[Elwyn Aud]

I remember heating up some sort of ready to eat food from a convenience store once that was in some sort of little  metal cup and didn't even think about till it was done heating. Don't recall any sparks flying.

[Istvan Travnik]

There is no problem, if there is no some metal rings or closed loops inside.
Think that the microvawe oven (inside) is nothing else but some approx. 2,4 GHz frequency radio transmitter.
This frequency is the resonance frequency of water moleculas, furthermore that chemicals, which contains similar groups like water. (Carbon- hydrates like sugar, cotton). Resonance -> molecular vibration -> heat.
When some closed loop conductive (metal) object is in, it works like an 1-thread coil, forming a transformer, producing several thousand Volt high voltages -> nice big sparks...

[Steve Helmick]

I guess we'll give it a try, along with some careful observation during the first go. The wife brought home some burgers once, wrapped in foil/paper stuff...quickly caught the paper bag on fire. The fire wasn't fatal to the burgers, but the smoke was considerable and set off the smoke detector, which was a PITA.  Steve

[Istvan Travnik]

Yes-yes!
Paper contains cellulose, a giant (long) kind of carbon-hydrate molecula.
Just like socks, made of cotton.  Once upon a time I tried to speed up drying of washed wet socks...

[Steve Helmick]

Istvan, it was the foil layer on the paper the burgers were wrapped in. The sparks lit up the paper bag that they were sent home in...probably some paper napkins were also incinerated. It was awhile ago, but I'd guess that it got the  wife 'upset' with me for a week or more. She's on the warpath as I write this... Steve

[Istvan Travnik]

Let us turn back to the serious pofessionality!
One of my favourite instruments is microvawe oven; when I am not cooking, but modeling I used to use the hot air circulation mode of it.
All my canopies are homemade, since 1969; here is a last work, made for a friend of mine.
Material: PET (Polyethylene-terephtalate)* plate, 1.5 mm ( 1/16" ), temperature: 160° Centigrades.

*this material is identical to most refreshments' bottles, all we know it worldwide...

[frank mccune]

      Hi All:

      I ONCE attempted to dry my wet cotton socks in a MW only to see them burn to ashes.  I thought that MW only excited water molecules and would not reach the ignition temperature of cotton.  Steam became that hot??? I had to work the rest of the day in bare feet! Lol


                                                                                                                                                                  Frank McCune

[Istvan Travnik]

I observed the same with cotton socks,
and afterwards I felt ashamed myself... (in highschool I was learning on chemistry specialized branch...)
Well, cotton is a member of big family of carbon-hydrates, like grape-sugar (C6 H12 O6) or carrot/reed sugar (glucose) (C10 H22 O11), the dextrine (in the beer), the caramel (brown sugar), the starch (in the potato, bread, etc.) and so on.
All these chemicals have the hydrate-group(s), which have same resonance frequency, like water...

Maybe I used not the exact American names, but my English is not too professional, you will know what I mean...