With all the day’s bustling and scurrying, who in this day and age would not appreciate a quick, healthy, and fast way of preparing their favorite dish?
This article brings you up to speed on matters microwaves and ovens: time conversions between the two appliances, and much more. Thumb through.
5 minutes in the microwave is how long in the oven?
In the general run of things, microwaves have to all intents and purposes been proven to cook in up to 75% less time than regular ovens and other cooking appliances.
Essentially, a microwave (depending on the wattage of course) requires around ¼ of the oven’s cooking time.
When we add up the math, 5 minutes in the microwave should round up to 20 minutes in the oven.
How do you convert microwave time to baking?
As previously mentioned above, the average microwave’s cooking time is one-fourth( ¼) of a regular oven’s time. In light of this, when converting microwave time to baking time:
1. Find out the cooking/baking time of your recipe
You first of all are supposed to point out your recipes’ cooking time.
This is normally indicated at the back of the food’s wrap or box. If you fail to spot the indicated time at the back of the wrap, consider turning to your cookbook or the web.
2. Multiply the cooking time by 4
Now that you’ve put your finger on the microwave time, to get the baking time, multiply the microwave’s time by 4.
To give you an idea, if the microwave time is 10 minutes, the baking time should be 10*4 which will give you 40 minutes.
To understand the vast time difference between the two, we need to understand how both work.
How do microwaves work?
Microwaves work by sending out waves of energy that cause water molecules to vibrate. This vibration produces heat, which then cooks the food.
There are three types of microwave ovens on the market today:
Solo Microwaves: These microwaves are the most basic and are only good for reheating and defrosting food.
Grill Microwaves: As their name suggests, grill microwaves can be used to perform the basic microwave functions of reheating and defrosting food, however, in addition to these, they can be used to grill, roast, or sear your food.
Convection Microwaves: These microwaves are the most advanced and can be used to perform all of the functions of a grill or solo microwave, plus they can be used to bake or brown your food.
The convection microwave is what you’ll need if you hope to do any baking or if you plan to your use your microwave as an oven.
How do Ovens Work?
An oven is basically a sealed chamber that uses heat to cook food.
The heat can come from various sources, but most commonly, it comes from electrical coils or gas burners.
The heat is circulated throughout the oven chamber by fans, ensuring that the food is cooked evenly.
There are two main types of ovens: convection and conventional.
Convection ovens circulate the hot air around the chamber, while conventional ovens rely on radiant heat. Both types of ovens can be either gas or electric.
Can I substitute an oven for a microwave?
It can be quite tempting to replace your oven with a microwave. I mean, hey, who wants to wait a lot longer for a dish to be ready when you can just wait a quarter of the time?
To answer your question, yes, you can substitute an oven with a microwave, however, there’s a caveat.
You can only substitute an oven for a microwave on the assumption that the presumed microwave is a convection microwave and has two modes to;
- Perform the microwave’s function of heating, reheating, and cooking food,
- Bake, roast and broil using the convection mode that makes use of the heating element and the fan to evenly distribute heat throughout the appliance.
On the contrary, if you own a solo or grill microwave, it can in no way act as an oven’s substitute.
What can I use instead of a microwave?
So what if you don’t have a microwave? It doesn’t mean that you should feast on your cold leftovers or takeaways.
There are dozens of alternatives that can do just as good a job as the mighty microwave.
While it’s certainly a must-have for many people does not necessarily mean that you should break your back trying to own one.
Below are some microwave alternatives that you possibly already have in your kitchen. Use them instead!
Oven: did you know that it’s possible to reheat your food in the oven? In fact, the oven is considered the best place to reheat most of your food ahead of the microwave, but it won’t be as energy efficient.
Stovetop: if you didn’t know about this, then you haven’t fully explored your stovetop’s potential.
Crock Pots: an added advantage that the crockpot has as a microwave alternative is that you don’t even need to be present during reheating.
Air Fryers : Yep, you can use an air fryer to heat left over food too. All you have to set it to a certain temperature and watch it do its magic. Of course, its best for crispy food.
Toaster Ovens: Yep, everything you can cook with a toaster oven can be reheated in there too.
Conclusion
If you’re stuck at home with just a microwave or are considering replacing your oven with a microwave, it’s important to understand the different types of microwaves available.
If you want to do any baking or use your microwave as an oven, you’ll need a convection microwave.
Just like convection ovens, convection microwaves circulate hot air around the chamber, and will give you a good baked dish in a shorter period of time.
