Who Invented The Conventional Microwave Oven

One of the greatest kitchen appliances ever developed is the microwave oven. Indeed, it’s hard to think of a kitchen appliance that is so versatile. You can use it for everything from boiling water to reheating cooked foods to thawing, baking and even heating water. Did you ever wonder who invented this little kitchen god?

Just as is true with any other type of invention, the microwave has roots that go back several decades in the past. To wit, while conducting a RADAR research project in 1946, Dr. Percy Spencer, an engineer with the Raytheon Corporation, noticed that as he was performing tests on a new vacuum tube called a magnetron, a candy bar he had in his pocket completely melted.

Surprised by the outcome, be began to study in detail about the process that happened and did several other experiments. One of the experiment was that he put some popcorn kernels near the tube and was surprised to see the popcorn cracking and scattered all over the room.

In another experiment along with his colleague, he placed an egg near the magnetron tube.

Due to extreme pressure the egg began to shake. The heat inside the egg rose so much that it exploded. The yolk was scattered all over his colleagues face. Thus they realized that other food articles can be cooked using low density microwave energy.

Next, Dr. Spencer constructed a metallic box, the opening of which he connected directly to the source of the microwave energy. As the power could not escape the box, it remained concentrated inside the given space. When he put food inside the box and applied the microwave energy to it, the food cooked almost instantaneously. This was the first time food was cooked using low-density microwave technology.

Shortly thereafter, other experiments were made to refine the techniques. In 1946, the Raytheon Company offered a proposed patent for this new invention. Another oven that was similar to that invented by Dr. Spencer was placed in a Boston restaurant and was successfully tested.

In 1947, therefore, the first microwave ovens were introduced to the general public. These first units were substantially larger than the ones we have today, weighing in excess of 750 pounds and measuring six feet in height. Moreover, at $5,000 a pop, they weren’t exactly a low-ticket item. The first microwaves also had to be water-cooled, so that meant that scientists had to augment them with plumbing fixtures.

If you’d like to learn more about this, then you need to check out Panasonic Stainless Steel Microwaves.

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