UK statistics indicate that 92% of UK households own a microwave. Their popularity and convenience have never been in question, and yet they still seem to get something of a bad press. However, this bad press is unwarranted and there are actually a number of health and practical benefits of using a microwave in the home and indeed in the commercial food sector. So how could using a commercial microwave benefit you? Could this be something that your kitchen is lacking?
Convenience
One of the main reasons that microwave cooking is so popular is its sheer convenience. Commercial microwaves have many advanced settings that allow you to do so much more than just heating up a meal. They can defrost food in a fraction of the time it would take in the refrigerator and they allow a vast array of foods to be heated up far quicker than in an oven or on a stove.
Space saving
Commercial kitchens are hectic places. A microwave is a staple requirement for many establishments, as they simply don’t have the room to house a full-sized oven. For some venues, it is the only way that they are able to expand their menu to sell hot food, such as small cafes or kiosks who want to branch out to soups and other hot snacks. The fact that microwaves don’t require a ventilation hood is also a key feature.
Use less energy
For establishments wanting to keep their energy costs down, a commercial microwave could be just the thing. Studies show that a microwave oven is far more energy efficient than a conventional oven, because it uses high frequency, electromagnetic waves to heat up water molecules within the food. This is unlike stove cooking, which requires heat to transfer through the burner and your cookware before finally reaching the food. The process takes longer and the unit will retain heat for sometime afterwards, while a microwave does not.
Accurate cooking
All microwaves come with a timing facility, which allows for more accurate cooking. It also means you have more control over the amount of energy you use and aren’t hanging about waiting for an oven to warm up before you can use it. The problem with stove top cooking is that it is easy to become distracted and lose track of how long something has been cooking for. A microwave eliminates this problem and gives you the opportunity to cook in well timed stages, thus reducing the amount of energy used and the risk of overcooking something.
Nutritional value
Many nutrients are broken down when heated, no matter which cooking method you use. But because cooking times are shorter with a microwave, this means they can actually preserve the amount of nutrients left in food. This is especially true for items such as vegetables, which are cooked in the microwave with a small amount of water. This method cooks quickly and essentially steams the food, without zapping the nutrients away.