How Does a Microwave Heat Food?

You put some leftover soup in the microwave for two minutes. Ding! You take it out, and the bowl feels nice and warm. But wait... the middle is still ice cold! So, why does that happen? First, a microwave doesn't really heat the air inside. It sends out invisible waves, a bit like radio waves. And these waves are great at one thing... can you guess? Water! And almost all food has water in it. The waves make tiny water molecules spin like crazy! They turn back and forth billions of times a second! As they push and rub against each other, they heat up. Try it! Rub your hands together really fast. Feel that warmth? It's the same idea! But the waves only go a short way into the food, so the outside heats up first. The middle has to wait for that heat to slowly move inward. Oh no, and ice is really bad at catching the waves! That's why the box says, stir it and wait a minute! And what about the spinning plate? Inside, the waves bounce around and leave hot and cold spots. The plate turns, so every bit of food gets some heat! Oh, and never put a metal fork in there! Metal bounces the waves back instead of taking them in. Its sharp edges can even make sparks! Sparks inside a hot oven? Not a great idea! My tip? Use a wide, flat bowl! Heat it in short bursts, and stir in between. Then let it rest for a minute before you eat. No more frozen surprises!