Despite both of them being appliances found in the kitchen, microwaves and ovens have always shown their differences. One of the primary definitions of microwaves is that they are a form of kitchen appliance that is used for heating as well as cooking by exposing the food to electromagnetic radiation that relies on microwave frequencies. On the other hand, ovens are kitchen appliances that are thermally insulated and are used for baking, heating food as well as drying wet nonfood substances. Accordingly, the paper compares and contrasts these two kitchen appliances in regard to cost, cooking time, and space needed. Cost Microwaves are cheaper owing to their energy efficiency nature when cooking food as compared to ovens. In a study conducted to determine the energy used for boiling when using a microwave and an oven, concluded that in the case of the microwave, water required less time and energy to boil as compared to ovens.
However, when warming food such as porridge, the two electronic devices use approximately same amount of energy. In this regard it is right to conclude that cooking with a microwave is cheaper than using an oven. Energy consumption of ovens is even greater as compared to microwaves A typical oven consumes about 1000 to 2000 watts, but it doesn’t use all this energy when cooking. However, the electricity consumption varies depending on the size of the oven, and therefore, bigger ovens tend to use more power than smaller ones. Microwaves, on the other hand, depicts better performance in energy efficiency than ovenst. This is attributed to the fact that a microwave uses electromagnetic energy to produce electromagnetic waves, which produce heat. As such, cooking is done by the use of waves as opposed to direct electricity, thus making them more energy efficient as compared to ovens.
Concerning acquisition cost, ovens are more expensive than microwaves. On average, an oven costs about $807$150 while a microwave is about $550-$170. To investigate the difference in average cooking time taken between a microwave and an oven, four cooking potatoes were used in an experiment. Microwaves were found to take 15 minutes to cook the potatoes, while the oven was found to take one hour. Therefore, microwaves require less cooking time than ovensr. Though, one needs to note that larger amounts of food cook better in an oven than a microwave. Space Needed Microwaves are available in different shapes and sizes. The microwaves available in the retail stores include; desktop, compact, built-in, medium and large capacities. Different microwave sizes occupy varied spaces, and therefore, adequate measures need to be taken when installing and purchasing a microwave.
For example, a countertop microwave compact model has a capacity of low as 05 cubic feet, while large models occupy a volume of 22 cubic feet. Freestanding ranges, slide ranges cooktops, and wall ovens are some of the common types of ovens in the market. On average, ovens are about 30 to 32 inches, and therefore they tend to occupy more space than that of microwaves. In conclusion, microwaves and ovens differ in regard to cost, cooking time, and space needed. Microwaves are cost effective due to their energy efficient nature when compared to ovens. They also take much lesser time when cooking food than ovens. However, these electronic gadgets are only suitable for cooking small amounts of food, Large quantities of food cook better in ovens, which tend to occupy more space than microwaves.
