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Infrawave Cooking Equipment: What You Need to Know Before the Purchase

InfraWave cooking equipment is a relatively new technology that allows you to cook your food as you would with a standard oven, but it only takes half the time.

The technology that makes this possible is called infrared technology. It works because it uses the smaller wavelengths of infrared wave to heat up food at a faster rate. In fact, infrawave ovens can cook up to 50 percent faster than a conventional oven without any preheating.

Infrawave vs. Microwave Ovens
While the infrawave oven may sound similar to a microwave oven, but it is different because it doesn't use the microwave radiation that microwaves rely on. Instead, infrawave cooking equipment cooks with technology derived from natural light. As a result, the cooked foods turn out far more similar to those produced from conventional baking methods while still being prepared faster than microwaves and conventional ovens.

Another benefit of infrawave ovens is the fact that none of the rules of microwaves apply. In fact, both metal, ovenproof glass (without lids) and ceramic containers are perfectly acceptable in infrawave ovens. The only thing to watch out for is that the top of the container is at least one inch below the roof of the oven. Besides that simple rule, infrawave cooking equipment is very safe method to use at home.

The Most Popular Model
Of all the infrawave cooking equipment available today, the FC150B from Black & Decker is by far the most well-known and popular model on the market. Available for around $150, the Black & Decker infrawave oven promises "even cooking on all food types, superior browning and crisping, as well as 52 digital settings for one-touch ease."

Equipment Maintenance
Cleaning an infrawave cooking equipment appliance is about as difficult as cleaning a conventional oven. The slide rack, bake pan, broil rack and crumb tray are all dishwasher safe. Clean the glass door must with a nylon pad and soapy water. Avoid using spray glass cleaner. Because the interior walls are metallic, they can be cleaned with a fume-free oven cleaner.

Drawbacks of InfraWave Cooking Equipment
Although this product can produce twice the cooking in half the time, the fast heat comes with its own set of disadvantages. One of the biggest disadvantages is dealing with new recipes and figuring out how to adjust the recommended cooking time. Similarly, while you may have a favorite memorized, making it with an infrawave oven can produce less than stellar results as you experiment and get used to figuring out appropriate cooking times.

Another issue is size. The aforementioned Black & Decker FC150B is about the size of a toaster oven (10.75" x 15" x 14"). The inside dimensions are 10-5/16" x 11" x 6."  Some may find that space rather small for what they intend to cook, especially those that regularly cook for large families.

InfraWave Cooking Equipment Recipes
Generally, foods that can be easily done in a toaster oven generally come out well using infrawave cooking equipment. For example, Bruschetta, fish, baked chicken and mini pizza pies are all well suited for cooking with an infrawave oven.

While infrawave cooking is continually growing in popularity, it hasn't yet taken over the market.