So the Turntable Turns

So the turntable turns

Because there are hot and cold spots, the turntable spins the food. Each part of the food travels in a circle, passing hot spots and cold spots in turn, so it heats more evenly. The color of the round plate shows the average each part receives in one turn. So what do the waves actually do when they reach the food?

Why?If you drop jam in one spot on toast, only that spot is sweet. Spread it with a knife and it covers everything. The turntable spreads the waves the same way, carrying the food through strong and weak spots alike.

Learn moreBy calculation, the weakest spot on the turntable gets 31% of the strongest spot’s waves; with turning it gets 71%. Spots at the same distance from the center follow the same circle, so ring-shaped differences remain. That is why recipes often say to arrange food in a ring near the edge of the plate.

Weakest spot ÷ strongest spot

31% → 71%

textbook formulas · example oven cavity 31.5 × 21 × 32.5 cm