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June 04, 2024

The Difference Between Microwaves & Conventional Ovens

How do microwaves compare to conventional ovens? This article will run you through all the differences, from how they work, to cost and performance. We’ll look at the pros and cons of each appliance, and round things off with a general comparison between the two. Let’s dive straight in and look at how they each work.

by Appliance City

Home Cooking Microwaves The Difference Between Microwaves and Conventional Ovens

Close up of a NEFF combination microwave installed into a tall housing unit. The microwave door is open fully to show the spacious interior.

How Does A Microwave Oven Work?

A microwave oven is a cooking appliance that uses electromagnetic radiation from microwaves to heat and cook food. Microwaves are a type of electromagnetic radiation. They are shorter than radio waves and longer than infrared waves.

Microwave ovens use the heat from this electromagnetic radiation to heat only the food, rather than the whole space inside it. The way they generate microwaves is with a special component called a ‘magnetron’. It sounds like one of the Transformers, but what it does is agitate electrons with a heated filament. This generates the microwaves needed to cook the food.

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Lifestyle image of three built in ovens, fitted into a deep red coloured tall housing unit. The centre oven has its door ajar, releasing steam from the oven cavity

How Does A Conventional Oven Work?

A standard oven has the same purpose as a microwave but goes about cooking differently. Instead of electromagnetic radiation, they may use metal elements, an electric current or wood as a heat source.

With a conventional oven, you will find a temperature gauge, so you can choose which temperature you are going to cook at. Ovens will most commonly use a fan, also known as a convection oven, to evenly distribute heat. A conventional oven will heat up the chamber of the oven, rather than just the food itself. This will then cook the food inside it.

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Pros Of A Microwave

Ease Of Use

Microwave ovens are incredibly easy to use. You put your food in it, set the timer for how you want to cook it, and that’s it! It’s this ease of use that makes it a consumer favourite.

Faster Cooker Time

Microwaves cook food much faster than a conventional oven. You’ll rarely need to microwave anything for longer than 10 minutes. There’s also no need to preheat; it cooks at full capacity the moment it’s turned on.

Energy Efficiency

Microwave ovens generally use much less energy, and more efficiently, than a conventional oven does. The food absorbs the radiation, so time and energy aren’t wasted on heating the space around it.

Affordability

Microwaves are generally more affordable than conventional ovens.

Cooking Hygiene

Pros Of A Conventional Oven

Versatile

You can use a conventional oven to do many different things. You can bake, toast, and grill as well as cook. Microwave ovens don’t afford you the same choice.

Faster Cooker Time

Temperature Control

Conventional ovens offer specific temperature control. Different foods cook at different speeds or require certain temperatures. With microwaves, you’re normally only afforded a choice of vague heat settings from ‘Defrost’ to ‘Very High’.

Temperature range

An oven can reach higher temperatures than that of a microwave.

Performance

Internal Capacity

A conventional oven has a much wider range of capacities, allowing you to cook more things at once.

What Are The Disadvantages:

Microwaves

Cooking limitations. Microwaves aren’t effective on thick foods. Whilst they have a very even heat distribution, they can’t cook foods that are around an inch thick or more. If you’re simply reheating something, it’s not so much of an issue. If you’re trying to cook meat, then it is. For instance, you shouldn’t cook a chicken fillet in the microwave.
Microwave safety. There’s more potential for mishaps with microwaves. For example, some foods can explode in a microwave, such as eggs. Also, you can’t put any metals in the microwave. Metal reflects the microwaves and can cause sparks to fly or combustion.

Conventional Ovens

Uneven heat. If your conventional oven doesn’t have a fan or convection setting, it is likely to heat unevenly. This can lead to an uneven cook.
Ovens generally take much longer to cook food than microwave ovens.
The largest downside of a conventional oven is its price. Ovens are more expensive than microwaves.

Should You Buy A Microwave Or Conventional Oven?

When we compare microwaves and conventional ovens side by side, how do they shape up?

We wouldn’t recommend picking one over the other. In fact, they are best when they work in tandem with each other. However, if you must choose, we’d recommend you buy a conventional oven. Due to the limitations, a microwave oven shouldn’t be your cooking method of choice, despite how convenient it is.

Although the price of an oven may be hard to stomach, it’s a very worthy investment. Ovens can come with a wide selection of features, so ensure it has all of the features you need.

A microwave can then be bought separately. Together, they give you all the choices you need to cook fantastic meals. Whether you’re going for a quick and easy ready meal, or need to defrost some meat that you forgot to take out of the freezer, a microwave oven is extremely handy to have. Its speed and convenience can’t be matched!

FAQs

What is the difference between a microwave and a microwave oven?

There is no difference between a microwave and a microwave oven. “Microwave” is short for “microwave oven”. Both names refer to the appliance that uses microwaves to heat food.

Can an oven be used as a microwave?

An oven can be used to reheat food as you would with a microwave, however, it will take longer to do so. Some ovens come with a microwave function, so you can use this function to do anything a regular microwave can do.

Can a microwave be used as an oven?

Standard microwaves have more cooking limitations than ovens. Although you can use a traditional microwave to cook certain foods, it cannot completely replace the functions of an oven. However, a convection microwave can perform many oven functions such as baking, grilling, and roasting.

Is it cheaper to use a microwave oven or a conventional oven?

A microwave oven is cheaper than a conventional oven in both price and running costs. This is because microwaves use energy more efficiently, and don’t need as much energy to operate.

Can you bake in a microwave?

Yes, there are many baking recipes that you can follow for baking in a microwave. However, although these recipes are quick and convenient, the quality of your baked goods will not be nearly as good as they would be if baked in an oven.