Three Simple Tips to Extend the Life of Your Microwave
It seems that microwave manufacturers count on owners abusing their microwaves. They have also built them so that the three things that users do most are more likely to cause damage. While most people know not to put metal inside or turn it on when it’s empty, most people don’t even think of these things that are deadly to your appliance. If you can just remember these three things, your microwave can last longer than their average two-year life span. Planned obsolescence is no match for a savvy consumer.
Cover Whatever You’re Heating or Cooking – Even Water
I bought a cheap plastic microwave dish cover at the dollar store, and it’s lasted me for years. It’s important to cover the food you’re microwaving, because splatter is what kills most microwaves. If you look inside, there is a little piece of fiberboard covering something, usually on the right hand side. What it covers is the compartment that holds the element that produces the microwaves themselves — the heart of the machine, so to speak. That little filter isn’t very effective, so if your food is uncovered, and it gets gunked up with food and grease, the waves can’t get through, and the machine literally cooks itself. Most people think it’s safe to heat water, coffee, tea or another beverage without a cover, but that isn’t true. You have to cover everything you heat. The acid in coffee, tea and some other beverages can etch your microwave’s interior and cause it not to reflect the waves properly, which can also cause it to commit suicide. I use a ceramic coaster to cover my coffee cup, but you can actually buy mug caps designed to keep your coffee warm that work well.
Don’t Cook Anything for Over 20 Minutes
Yes, you read that right. It isn’t really safe to cook things in the microwave anyway, because of the uneven heating. Chicken is a real no-no for microwave cooking, because it doesn’t get hot enough to kill the bacteria on the skin. Want tapeworm? Try cooking pork and beef in a microwave. Only an oven gets hot enough to kill parasite eggs and larvae in meat, and all meat has parasite eggs and larvae, especially pork, lamb and game meat. That’s why the USDA recommends heating meat to internal temperatures of 140 to 160 degrees. Microwaves are for defrosting, pre-cooking and re-heating meat, not for cooking it.
Leaving your microwave on for over 20 minutes at a time without a break can warp the inside walls, which causes the waves to bounce around in crazy ways and kill it. Most microwaves these days are programmable, so if you have to cook something for longer than 10 minutes, program it to cook on high for 10 minutes then sit for 5, then back to 10 on high. Food keeps cooking once it reaches a certain heat, so it isn’t necessary to keep it cooking on high for the whole time. In fact, most microwave recipes have a “standing” time at the end for the dish to finish cooking. I do love my microwave steamer and my rice and pasta cooker, but other than that, I never cook anything completely but t.v. dinners.
Cleanliness is Second to Nothing with Your Microwave
Wipe out your microwave after each use, even if the food was covered. Those little vents in the top of the microwave plate covers that let out the steam also let out bits of food and grease. If you don’t wipe it down inside after each use, especially cleaning that filter, it will not last very long at all. Also, clean any spills immediately. I had a tenant who spilled coffee in my microwave, didn’t clean it, then immediately cooked something right behind it. That was the end of that microwave.
I use a 50/50 solution of white vinegar and water to clean the inside of mine. Be sure to let it dry completely before using it again, because fluid, even small water droplets, can deflect the waves and cause damage to your machine, such as in the above example.
So there it is. Three simple things you can do to extend the life of your microwave oven. Just a few minutes before and after use can make a huge difference in how long your microwave lasts. My latest has lasted me 5 years already, and I’m shooting for another 4 at least.
