Inverter microwave how does it work

In a conventional microwave power is supplied through a transformer, which turns the power on and off you'll usually hear the microwave cutting in and out , giving the food a chance to distribute heat. On the other hand, in an inverter microwave power is supplied through an inverter circuit to supply a steady and constant amount of power throughout the cooking time without cutting in and out.

Not all foods should be blasted with maximum power in a microwave. Foods with high amounts of sugar and fat, as well as foods sensitive to heat like dairy, chocolate and meat when defrosting require lower power levels to effectively heat and reheat evenly. Even if you're using a lower power level, heating delicate foods in a standard microwave can cause areas to overheat especially around the edges during periods of high power.

Checking the manufacturer's instructions and recommendations will go a long way towards getting power levels right for different foods. In our latest test of microwaves we put this to the test by melting chocolate — a very heat sensitive, high fat, high sugar food.

In this case, all the inverter microwaves passed the test, melting the chocolate perfectly. One inverter model was able to do the job with no user interaction whatsoever.

The other inverters all beeped part way through to prompt the user to check and stir. The normal microwave failed the test — it didn't beep to prompt checking and stirring and the result was unusable chocolate. In this case the inverter teamed with auto cook functionality microwaves performed better than the conventional microwave. Infographic: Inverter microwaves provide a constant stream of power for the entire cooking time to avoid overheating. There are many claims regarding the superiority of inverter technology, all of which generally praise the steady stream of power delivery.

Panasonic says that inverter technology "delivers a seamless stream of cooking power — even at lower settings — for precision cooking that preserves the flavour and texture of your favourite foods". According to LG, "Inverter technology enables more precise temperature control to help defrost foods and avoid overcooked and unthawed areas.

Some of the top performing models in our microwaves review have inverter technology, however, there are some recommended conventional microwaves that perform just as well.

These microwaves are then passed into the cooking compartment of the microwave via something called a waveguide. Once inside they are able to cook food. Both an inverter microwave and regular or solo microwave use magnetrons to create these microwaves, which are in turn passed into the cooking compartment of the microwave.

So how exactly is an inverter microwave different then? This sounds quite weird, but the magnetron in a regular microwave can only operate at full power.

That means if you have your microwave set to full power , it is working all of the time to cook food at full power.

So it will be on full power for say 10 seconds , then on no power for ten seconds , and so on until the timer runs down. So the microwave constantly cycles between full power and no power for the full cooking time. The main difference between a regular microwave and the inverter microwave is in the way it distributes power.

While the regular microwave constantly cycles between full power and no power, the inverter microwave does not. Instead it is able to provide a constant and steady power supply whilst cooking. The reason an inverter microwave is able to cook at a steady heat rather than alternating between on and off lies in the power supply. In a regular microwave power is supplied using something called a transformer. When a regular microwave is set to less than full power, the transformer will increase and decrease the amount of power sent to the microwave.

An inverter microwave relies on something called an inverter circuit rather than a transformer to supply power. This is where the microwave gets its name from. The inverter circuit does not need to cycle between full power and no power. Instead it can provide a steady stream of power to the microwave. This means that it is able to cook at the chosen power level for the full cooking period. An inverter microwave still cooks food in the same way a regular microwave oven does.

As microwaves are passed into the cooking chamber they bounce around, reflected by all sides. When food or liquid is placed in the microwave and it is turned on, these microwaves pass into the food or liquid. When this happens, the microwaves are absorbed by whatever is being cooked. Once absorbed, these microwaves excite the water molecules inside of the food.

When these molecules are excited they begin to vibrate extremely quickly. Once this happens heat is generated. This heat then in turn cooks the food. Food is cooked from outside to inside. This means that the first part of the food to be cooked is on the outside , with the inside of the food being heated up last.

One of the problems with this in a regular microwave is that the outside edges of food can end up being overcooked , whilst the middle parts of the food can be left with cold spots. Due to the consistent supply of microwaves in an inverter microwave oven, food is cooked more evenly and consistently.

In my experience you get what you pay for with most things in life. Welcome to Our Appliance Blog! Package Deals ». Guaranteed Low Price. Request Repairs ». Your Cart There are no items in your shopping cart. Should You Buy One? What is an inverter microwave? Who makes them? Should you get one? We've got answers! Subscribe to Email Updates. Related posts. The 7 Best Countertop Microwaves for The 5 Best Convection Microwave Ovens for Follow Us Socials Socials. Our Pricing We make every effort to keep our pricing as accurate as possible.