The History of the Microwave Oven

Weird History Food is going to radiate you with the history of the Microwave Oven.The microwave was invented accidentally by an engineer named Percy Spencer, who was leading a defense radar project. His invention would change the way Americans would eat forever. Peel off the plastic lid and set it on high for 14 minutes, and let's get micro-wavin'

#microwave #foodhistory #weirdhistoryfood

[ztl]

Not owning a microwave feels right up there with not owning a TV in terms of things people like to get weirdly smug about. It’s just a tool, you can use it to make crappy frozen dinners or help in preparing healthy meals.

[MeowO_O]

Sales slowly going into decline since 2006 doesn't mean its popularity is going anywhere.
It's just simply because these appliances literally don't break that easily and people just keep their old ones for longer.

[PlanktonWhisperer]

Please never leave us again Mr. Narrator

[josephgaviota]

I think it was in the late '70s my mom (always an early adopter) got a microwave.
After she passed, I inherited it, and took it to my apartment. That thing weighed a TON (well, not a ton, but amazingly HEAVY).
Modern microwaves are extremely light, easily carried by one person. Mom's was so heavy, I almost had to call a friend for help moving it.
That microwave lasted into the mid 1990s, when it finally gave way.

[bluecrownvic]

Slight correction at 10:53
The microwaves barely penetrate into the food. So thick items do not cook from the inside out, they still cook from the outside inward.
The outside of the food gets hot from the microwaves, but then that heat travels inward like a traditional oven.
Setting your microwave too high on thicker foods will evaporate the water in the outer layer and leave it with at classic rubbery texture.

[adamtschmidt]

Ladies and gentlemen this man was self taught. With only a fifth grade education he has touched everyone's lives. I think a case study on his learning process would help our education system.

[markmcdonald]

One of the greatest inventions of all time in my opinion! It made life a lot more convenient 💯

[Jakek]

Not sure if a decline in sales necessarily can be blamed on 'healthier eating', it could be down to most everyone who wants one already having one and the sales are just for replacement models when old ones break.

[rollout]

My mom bought a GE microwave sometime in the 80's (it was huge and had wood paneling on the outside). That lasted for about 16 years. We've probably bought ten since then.

[samwill]

A microwave can't exactly do you any harm unless you're sitting in it
In which case you sorta brought that on yourself.

[shalom]

Just sitting down to eat my breakfast of microwaved oatmeal and see this in my feed. Thanks Percy! 😂

[DPSFSU]

The exact reason why you should always add a little water to whatever you're reheating in the microwave.

[mattblom]

From a historical perspective, the cavity magnetron used in all small radar systems was the single most important piece of technology in World War II. It was brought to the United States by Britain in a last ditch attempt to give a semi-friendly (at the time) power a technological edge in cases they needed to continue the fight against Germany. The Cavity Magnetron allowed for radar to be smaller and more powerful and then the Americans started making them for everything...Battleship gun rangefinding, anti-aircraft gun aimers, on bombers and night fighters, etc.

[RedShiftMusic]

10:51 Microwaves do not heat from inside out. They heat from outside in, with a little bit of the inside at the same time. The microwaves are able to penetrate the food slightly, however the outside will always absorb more microwaves than the inside which is why food can be cold in the middle while the outside is hot. The inside gets hot primarily from conductive Heating and not microwaves.

[elizabethramsey]

My parents used to have an Amana Radar range that lasted years. In the late 70s we had a Litton microwave that was big enough to cook a turkey. Our next microwave was a Panasonic that lasted less than two years. Then we bought a cheap off label brand from Home Depot that lasted over 10 years. Sometimes I use our microwave to reheat coffee cake.

[FriscoFlame]

I LOVE the fact that when they explain how the microwave works, they use a brief clip from Pinky and the Brain where Brain claims that Nobody knows how Microwaves work and the opposing counsel explains the tech. SMALL blink if you miss it, but this 90s kid appreciated it

[MarkMeadows]

My parents bought their first microwave oven in 1988. It was a sturdy Sharp model that we used until the late 90s. My dad kept it in his garage and used it occasionally. They bought a newer Sharp microwave in 1999 and they still use it to this day.

[giraffesinc.]

I remember my parents buying a 'state of the art' microwave in the early eighties. I remember Dad being so proud that it had a rotating function. Nowadays, every single apartment in SoCal comes equipped with a microwave, even though I use mine to heat water (and that's about it). My parents still use theirs very regularly.

[BrianM_rd]

Ladies and gentlemen, he's back. The return of the king!

[NewMessage]

I dunno.. someone 'breaking into the Navy' sounds like the plot to a Steven Seagal movie to me.