Energy Required to Heat Convenience and Home-Prepared Foods with an Electric Range and a Microwave Oven

Abstract

AbstractEnergy required to heat twenty convenience foods and their home-prepared counterparts with an electric range and a microwave oven was measured. The majority of foods (63.4%) required more energy to heat with the electric range than with the microwave oven. Exceptions were foods normally heated on a surface unit of an electric range. Most home-prepared foods (78.3%) required more energy to heat than did convenience foods. However, some convenience foods stored in the frozen state needed more energy for heating than did comparable home-prepared foods.