Short · Kitchen science
Why does microwave food heat unevenly?
Microwaves overlap into a standing wave: fixed hot bands about 6 cm apart, with weak spots between. Spinning the plate evens it out, but not at the very center.
Try it yourself
Opens Microwave Lab. Change the same thing yourself.
Transcript
Why does microwave food heat unevenly? Microwaves bounce around the metal box and overlap into a standing wave: fixed bands of strong heating, about six centimeters apart, with weak spots in between. Food sitting in a hot band cooks. Food in a gap barely warms. Now spin the plate. Each bite drifts through strong and weak spots, so the heat evens out. Not perfectly: the very center barely moves. That's why you stir, then let it stand. Try it yourself at Explainer Tools dot com.