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`BOREALIS EXHIBIT 1055
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`Microwave Ovens
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`A Microwave Oven is an electric oven that cooks food items through the use of radio waves.
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`These ovens can be used for melting, thawing, reheating, softening and cooking. They are mostly used
`for thawing, heating leftovers, and (in North America, at any rate), popping popcorn.
`
`Those who dismiss microwave cooking as too "high tech" or "mechanical" don't realize that the same
`amount of mechanics and engineering now go into regular stoves.
`
`Convection microwaves are ovens that are combination convection ovens / microwave ovens, so that
`they can be used either as a microwave or a small oven, or to first to cook something quickly, then brown
`it. Countertop models are very popular in the UK, to the point where it's becoming hard to find
`microwaves that don't have convection added to them, but in North America, such combination ovens are
`still very rare (as of 2011), mostly only found as part of a unit that also includes a draw fan, and meant to
`be built in and mounted over top a stove.
`
`For lab use, you can buy top loading microwaves.
`
`Microwaves are good for:
`
`most vegetables both steaming and braising them;
`melting ingredients such chocolate, butter and lard;
`softening ice cream and butter (if you're careful);
`making small batches of preserves such as jams or jelly;
`heating jams for glazes;
`making quick steamed puddings, though the flavour is never as nice as steamed ones that allow the
`flavour of the pudding's ingredients time to marry;
`slowly simmering sauces on low power.
`
`How a Microwave Oven Works
`
`Electromagnetic waves such as microwaves go from a positive value to zero to negative and then back to
`zero. The microwaves pass through food, and as they do, they pass through the molecules that make up
`food. Most molecules have a positive charge at one end, a negative one at the other. As the radio waves
`pass through a food molecule, the negative part of the molecule rotates to align itself to the positive
`charge of the wave, and then as the radio wave changes to negative, the molecule rotates again, the
`positively charged end this time being attracted to the negative charge. This in effect causes the
`molecules in the food to rotate, which causes them to have kinetic energy, which they get rid off as heat.
`
`The next part is dependent upon the assumption that all foods have some water in them, even if we're not
`aware of it. The heat is picked up by the water in the food, and that heat is transmitted to other things
`making up the food item. To assist in this, the microwave oven frequency is tuned specifically to the
`length of the OxygenHydrogen bonds in water.
`
`Because the moisture in food is the first thing that gets heated in a microwave, it's ready to start escaping
`from the food right from the start. This can mean that food cooked or heated in a microwave can get drier
`than when using other heating or cooking techniques. Consequently, it's best to cover food to keep the
`moisture in: ideally, in such a way that allows a bit of the moisture to escape so that the food surface
`doesn't go overly soggy from trapped moisture on it.
`
`The length of a microwave is about 5 inches (12 cm.) The frequency of the radio waves is 2450
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`megahertz (2.5 gigahertz.)
`
`At this frequency, radio waves get absorbed only by fat, sugar and water. This makes the process very
`energy efficient, because the radio waves will heat only the food: not the air, nor the cooking vessels.
`They will not get absorbed by such thing as glass, ceramic or most plastics, and they are reflected by
`metal.
`
`In conventional cooking, the heat migrates from the outside to the inside. The air is also hot in
`conventional oven cooking, so that as moisture evaporates, it causes browning and crispiness on the
`surface. In microwave heating, everything gets heated all at once, both outside and inside. Heat inside the
`food migrates out, though of course in some thick places the microwaves might not make it all the way to
`the middle. In fact, the microwaves only penetrate 1/4 to 1/2 inch (1 to 2 cm) in. So in effect, it's only the
`outside of things that get heated. This is why you have to stir soup or sauces halfway through, as the
`centre will still be lukewarm. If you made up a ball of mashed potatoes with an ice cube at its centre, and
`zapped it for a minute or two, then took it apart, you'd find the outside of the mashed potato hot, and the
`ice cube still an ice cube. Consequently, you could say that in effect, microwave cooking ends up being
`"outside in" cooking anyway.
`
`The bottom line is that microwave ovens can heat food irregularly. If you have several dishes or a big
`bowl of soup in a Microwave Oven, you have to stir the food about a bit at intervals. This is why the
`turntable carousels in microwave ovens became popular, to move things around and help even out the
`unevenness.
`
`When placing food on a microwave turntable, place it a bit off centre so that it will actually travel
`through different parts of the oven if you just place it in the centre, it will just spin in one place, which
`won't do as good a job in heating the item evenly.
`
`Microwave Oven Parts
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`Magnetron tubes are still in use to produce the microwaves, though the current holy grail amongst
`product developers is to replace its use with transistors. This would both reduce the weight of the oven,
`enabling portable ones to be made, and reduce the amount of electricity used. It might also mean that
`transistors could be placed around the inside of the oven, to allow more uniform cooking.
`
`The magnetron tube is usually housed in the side of the oven where the control panel is, above the
`control panel. These tubes are about $10 US (2006 prices) of the manufacturer's cost in producing the
`machine. The tubes should provide 10 to 15,000 hours of normal household use (10 to 15 years.)
`
`The microwaves enter the actual oven chamber through top vents (called the "waveguide section") on
`that side. The fan at the top of the microwave, called a "mode stirrer", is designed to stir up and distribute
`the microwaves evenly. The idea is that the microwaves are directed out at the fan, which then distributes
`them throughout the microwave.
`
`Microwave oven doors have glass windows with metal screen in it. The metal screen reflects the
`microwaves back in.
`
`One of the most common things to go wrong with a microwave is breaking the glass plate that sits on top
`the turntable.
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`Microwave Heating Power
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`Precise temperature control per se is missing in a microwave.
`
`Instead, cooking calculations are based on time, and energy output of the oven.
`
`Sadly, energy outputs per microwave oven vary wildly. In microwave ovens for home use, the figure
`ranges from 300 to over 1,200 watts (as of 2006.) In commercial ones, the power is about 2,000 watts.
`
`In general the ranges are based on bringing to a boil at high power 1 cup ( 8 oz / 250 ml) of water whose
`starting temperature is 75 F / 24 C:
`
`Time
`3 to 4 minutes
`2 to 3 minutes
`Less than 2 minutes
`
`Category
`Low wattage
`Regular wattage
`High wattage
`
`Wattage range
`400650 watt
`650850 watt
`8501000 watts
`
`It can be hard to know what the wattage output is on a Microwave Oven if it doesn't say on it and you've
`lost the booklet or your Microwave Oven is a handmedown. Here is a simple test that should be
`accurate within 50 to 75 watts:
`
`Put 1 litre (34 oz) of water into a microwavesafe jug or container. (Ideally, the water will be
`somewhere around 70 F / 21 C it doesn't matter if it is somewhat over or under.) Record the
`starting temperature in Fahrenheit;
`Zap on high in the microwave for exactly 2 minutes and 3 seconds 2:03;
`Measure the temperature that the water is now;
`Subtract the end temperature from the temperature that you started with;
`Multiply that result by 19.4.
`
`When you lower the power on a microwave through its user interface, it doesn't mean that you lower the
`"heat of the microwaves." Rather, it means that the microwave generation is cycled on and off. For
`instance, 40% power means that the microwaves are only being generated for about 40% of the cooking
`time.
`
`For instance, the thaw setting of a Microwave Oven operates at a low power setting. It cycles the
`microwaves being emitted off and on, to allow the warmth being generated on the outside to migrate
`inside, instead of just blasting the outside and cooking it.
`
`In Europe, there has been since 1992 a standard Microwave Oven rating scheme, based on heating 350g
`of water. Ovens get assigned a heating category ranging from A to E. This allows people to give you
`more precise cooking directions in recipes for your microwave. As of 2006, there is no such similar
`standard anywhere in sight for North America.
`
`The energy output in microwave ovens actually drops after 10 to 15 minutes of usage.
`
`One advantage of Microwave Ovens is particularly apparent in summers: the heat they cause to be
`generated stays in the oven, and doesn't heat up the kitchen.
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`All Microwave Ovens are designed to shut themselves off at the end of cooking time.
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`Safe Microwave Oven Usage
`
`Don't put any tightly sealed dish in the microwave just as on the stove, you need to allow steam to
`escape.
`
`It's recommended by most health authorities to microwave food in plastic whether a bag, a container,
`or plastic wrap only if the plastic in question has been labelled as safe for microwave use. The issue is
`that foods, particularly high fat foods (e.g. even cheese) may absorb chemicals from some plastics during
`microwave heating.
`
`To test if older glass dishes such as Pyrex are microwave oven safe, heat the dish empty for 1 minute.
`
`if the dish gets warm, it's not safe;
`if the dish is somewhat warm, it can be used for quick reheating;
`if the dish stays cool, it can be used for cooking.
`
`At first, the focus on microwavesafe dishes was on making them safe in both regular ovens and
`microwave ovens. This is still the focus for frozen dinners, to give the consumer buying them a range of
`choices as to how to heat them, but for home use, many manufacturers now make dishes exclusively for
`use in microwaves.
`
`*Never* ever attempt to deep fry in a microwave; the oil would super over heat too fast.
`
`Microwave safety exploding water in a microwave
`
`Water being heated in a microwave can explode it's not an urban myth.
`
`The process of bubbles forming in water is called "nucleation". It occurs when water molecules break
`apart, releasing gas. This happens naturally at the bottom of pots or kettles, where the heat source is
`concentrated.
`
`Water in a microwave, however, can heat up to its boiling point without bubbles forming, thus, it doesn't
`appear to be "boiling." In fact, microwave heating allows water to "superheat" past its boiling point.
`
`But, when the water is finally moved or disturbed in some way, such as adding something to it,
`nucleation occurs all at once and the water appears to "explode."
`
`To avoid this, stir the liquid before heating, and, keep zapping the water in the microwave until it actually
`does boil for 5 to 10 seconds.
`
`It's a myth that this can only happen to distilled water it can happen to any water.
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`Cooking Tips
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`When making mashed potato, some prefer to cook the potatoes in the microwave as opposed to in water.
`They say they are less waterlogged.
`
`Purists sniff that you can't actually bake a baked potato in the microwave you steam the potato. A
`microwave baked potato, they point out, is missing both the crispy crust and the truly fluffy interior that
`comes from baking in a dry heat environment.
`
`Vegetables can be braised on low power with a small amount of stock. Many people feel that a
`microwave can braise vegetables better than a pot on the stove top can.
`
`Many people swear by cooking rice in microwaves to produce fluffy rice every time.
`
`To microwave veggies, wash them, but don't shake the water off them or drain them very well. Let the
`water clinging to them be the water you use to cook them with. Cover, and microwave, which then in
`effect steams them.
`
`Fish and seafood can toughen when overreheated, so you may wish sometimes to remove them from the
`food being reheated, reheat that food most of the way there, then pop the fish or seafood back in for the
`remaining time.
`
`Quick onion sauté: put chopped onion in a bowl or measuring jug, with half as much oil as you'd think
`you'd use in a pan. Zap. No stirring is necessary, and there is no need for a frying pan taking up a burner
`on the stove.
`Nutrition
`
`Microwaving, some studies contend, tends to cause a somewhat higher loss of vitamins B1, B2 and B3.
`Some microwave fans don't accept these findings.
`
`History Notes
`
`Microwave Cooking was the first completely new method of cooking food that man had come across in
`thousands of years.
`
`Magnetron tubes were invented in 1921 at the General Electric Company's Research Laboratory in
`Schenectady, New York by Dr Albert W. Hull (19 April 1880 to 22 January 1966) for use as an
`amplifier, power converter, etc. Magnetrons were vacuum tubes to produce microwave radiation.
`
`In 1940, Henry Albert (aka "Harry") Boot (29 July 1917 to 8 February 1983) and John Randall (23
`March 1905 – 16 June 1984) at the University of Birmingham in England adopted the design of
`magnetron tubes to create a device called a "cavity magnetron" to produce microwaves for wartime use
`in radar devices.
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`The main person is the story is a Dr Percy LeBaron Spencer (19 July 1894 to 8 September 1970.) He was
`born in Howland, Maine. When he was 18 months old, he and his older brother John ("Al") Alby lost
`their father when he died. His mother then abandoned them in the care of an aunt and uncle, who raised
`them. When he was 7, that uncle died. Consequently, he was only able to stay in school until he was 12
`years old. In 1906, he left school, and got a job in a mill that made clothes pins and spools, where his
`brother already worked. Later in life, he would be given an honorary Doctor of Science degree by the
`University of Massachusetts. His brother, John, also became an inventor. In 1925, he sold the rights for a
`thermostat he had invented to Westinghouse for 1 million dollars US.
`
`In 1910, aged 16, Percy upgraded his job at the mill to doing electrical wiring for it, learning as he went.
`Then in 1912, at the age of 18, he joined the US Navy.
`
`After the navy, he went to work for the Wireless Specialty Apparatus Company of Boston, and in 1925,
`he started work at the Raytheon Corporation in Cambridge, Massachusetts, recommended by his brother
`who was friends of the owners.
`
`In 1946, Percy was still an employee at Raytheon. He lived in Newton, Massachusetts, just west of
`Cambridge and Boston. At Raytheon, he was working on a radar project that involved magnetrons. He
`noticed that emissions were melting a chocolate bar (a peanut one, for those interested) in his pocket
`(some say shirt pocket, some say trousers.) He wasn't the first to notice this phenomenon, but he was the
`first to twig into the potential. Curious, he sent a boy out to get him a bag of unpopped popcorn kernels.
`He placed them near the magnetron tube, turned it on, and the popcorn popped.
`
`The next day, he brought a dozen eggs and a metal pot to work. He cut a hole in the side of the pot, put a
`whole uncooked egg in the pot, put the magnetron up against the hole and turned the magnetron on. Now,
`of course, anyone could tell him what a bad idea this was: the egg exploded just as a sceptical coworker
`peered into the top of the pot to get a closer look.
`
`Still, this is one time that "egg on the face" was a positive thing. Percy began experimenting in earnest.
`He made a metal box that he directed microwaves from the magnetron into a metal box. The metal box
`trapped the microwaves, raising the intensity inside, and causing the temperature of the food to increase
`rapidly. He had, in effect, just invented the microwave oven.
`
`1945 On the 8th of October, Raytheon filed its patent for a microwave oven. The company
`received US patent number 2,495,429 on 24 January 1950;
`1947 Raytheon introduced the first microwave oven for sale, called the Radarange. Selling for
`$4,000 US, the oven was aimed at the commercial market. It was the size of a North American
`refrigerator, and used water to cool it. The first one was installed in a restaurant in Boston. The
`name "Radarange" was the result of an employee naming contest;
`1952 Raytheon licenced the technology to the Tappan Stove Company;
`1952 Tappan introduced the first microwave oven for homes. It sold for $1,300. It was the size
`of a stove. It also included the first "mode stirrer";
`1964 Smaller magnetron tubes were developed in Japan, which made more compact models
`possible;
`1965 Raytheon purchased the Amana company, and made plans to sell consumer models
`through Amana;
`1967 In Chicago, Amana introduced a microwave oven small enough to fit on a counter top. It
`had 650 watts of power, and sold for $495. It was also called "Radarange". The door opened
`downwards, rather than sideways. It had two buttons. One to start it, one to turn the light on. It also
`had two control dials that you turned: one you used to set the time for up to 5 minutes, the other
`you used for time increments up to 25 minutes. Amana launched a blitz to educate retailers and the
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`press. People in Chicago who bought the first ones got a free visit from an Amana home economist
`to help them cook their first meal in a microwave, and then had her advice services free by phone
`for the first year;
`1971 The American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) laid down safety standards that
`microwave oven manufacturers had to meet. This reassured consumers that they could purchase
`safe ones, so sales took off;
`1976 17% of homes in Japan had a microwave, 4% of American homes;
`1978 10% of homes in America had a microwave;
`1982 27% market penetration in America, 31% in Japan, 10% in Canada;
`1986 60% market penetration in America, 44% in Canada (American figures for this year range
`from 25% to 40% to 60%, depending on which source you consult);
`1991 55% of households in the UK had a microwave;
`2002 87% of households in the UK had a microwave;
`2006 95% of homes in America had a microwave.
`
`In the mid1980s, prepared food manufacturers started making food products specifically for the
`microwave (rather than just sticking microwave instructions on other food.)
`
`By 1993, though, such food products started to be less popular. There was a perception that they weren't
`as good or as healthy, and that they used too much packaging. Most of them were frozen as well,
`requiring premium storage space at the grocery store. They were also seen as very expensive.
`Literature & Lore
`
`"It is ludicrous to read the microwave direction on the boxes of food you buy, as each one will have a
`disclaimer: 'THIS WILL VARY WITH YOUR MICROWAVE.' Loosely translated, this means, 'You're
`on your own, Bernice.'" Erma Bombeck (21 February 1927 – 22 April 1996)
`Acknowledgements
`
`McGee, Harold. On Food and Zapping. New York Times. 2 April 2008.
`
`Murray, Don. Percy Spencer and His Itch to Know. Reader's Digest. August 1958, page 114.
`
`Schiffman, Robert F. Microwave Technology: A HalfCentury of Progress. Northbrook, Illinois. Food
`Product Design Magazine. May 1997.
`
`Print Page
`
`Please share this information with your friends. They may love it.
`
`Also called:
`
`Four à microondes (French); Forno a microonde (Italian); Horno microondas (Spanish); Forno
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`microondas (Portuguese)
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