Materials you'll need:

• Microwave oven
• Instruction manual
• Suitable cookware (non-metal)

Tools you'll need:

• Leakage detector

A conventional oven heats food on the surface and the heat has to penetrate to the centre. This takes time. A microwave oven uses high frequency radio waves generated in a vacuum called a magnetron. This energy penetrates all through the food and is absorbed by the water molecules to create heat within the food so it cooks at an incredible speed.

Safety.
One of the main worries new users have with microwave ovens is the word "radiation" which frightens people who associate it with atomic and nuclear problems. In fact the high frequency radio waves used in microwave ovens have none of the risks involved in ionizing radiation such as X-rays or atomic particle radiation. Nevertheless, if the body is exposed to the microwave energy, it is heated in the same way as the food in the oven and burns can result. Fortunately, we are well protected from such exposure with the many safeguards built into modern microwave ovens. Local electrical authorities test all such ovens now on sale in Australia. They incor­porate safety doors and instant power cut-offs when doors are opened and you can also buy a tester, which detects any excess leakage of microwaves. You should also have your oven inspected regularly by an expert.

What cookware to use?
Microwave ovens work by allowing the waves to penetrate the food so metal cookware cannot be used as it reflects the waves. Instead, you can use pottery, china, wood and some plastics. New ranges of cookware designed for microwave ovens are now available· they transmit the microwaves and heat the food.

Which oven to buy?
Which you buy will depend on your budget and cooking requirements. Options include a browning turntable to save having to turn the food by hand, and various choices of heating controls, which give you a variety of temperatures or speeds.
Most ovens have 28- to 30-litre capacity, and a choice of cooking programs.
The ultimate is the convection microwave oven, as it enable you to cook and brown the food in the one unit.

How to use it.
Cooking many fresh or frozen foods in a microwave oven helps retain more of the natural nutritional value compared with other forms of cooking. Less moisture is lost so flavours are retained as well. If your oven does not have a browning device you can either use a special browning dish or start the food under the grill or in a pan and finish cooking by microwave. You can also cook a week's meals in advance, freezing them and reheating as required.