Unobstrusive determination of hotspots as a function of spatial area inside a microwave

Abstract

Hotspots have always been a challenge with heating and cooking of food and microwaves are not immune from this problem. Microwaves have a unique problem because, at the cavity where the food is cooked, the temperature doesn’t change. Microwaves rely on the oscillation of water molecules within food to cook and heat. Where there is a concentration of this resulting heat, elevated temperatures exist relative to surrounding area. This is the definition of a hotspot. This project investigated if these hotspots occurred as a function of the spatial area inside a microwave cavity. Hotspots were identified via experimentation of 240 areas with a microwave. Statistics were performed to determine if one area was significantly hotter than another area. This research suggests that hotspots do exist in this microwave (P≤0.001)