Microwave Ovens: Obstacles to Adoption

Despite the early successes, the microwave oven industry faced serious challenges. The first involved persuading the American public that microwave ovens were safe. Safety concerns were raised after a federal government report issued in 1970 stated that microwave ovens leaked microwaves. New standards were developed, and microwave oven manufacturers developed safer ovens, but consumers remained concerned about potential risks. However, by 1975 microwave ovens were outselling gas ranges.

The second challenge had to do with food packaging. Microwave oven manufacturers had to persuade food processors both to take advantage of microwave technology in their product development and to repackage products for microwave use. Foil wrappers, for example, blocked microwaves and damaged ovens. When Americans began to purchase microwave ovens in the 1970s, food processors began producing microwave-safe cookware and microwavable food products. By the 1980s the number of microwaveable foods on the market was increasing quickly, and a revolution in food preparation was under way in American home and restaurant kitchens. By the early twenty-first century, 90 percent of American kitchens had microwave ovens, and thousands of microwavable products were being sold in the United States. The two major uses of microwave ovens are to reheat food and to pop popcorn. Several culinary experts have encouraged broader use of microwave ovens because of findings that vegetables retain more nutrients cooked in a microwave oven than when cooked in conventional ovens.