I think I can smell the food inside my microwave. Is that bad?
I figured it's not necessarily unsafe, since you only need a cage to block the microwaves from escaping, but I'm not familiar with the precise architecture of a microwave oven.
Is the microwave damaged if I can smell the food inside it
cooking-safetykitchen-safetymicrowavesafety
Related Topic
- How to know if a food or recipe can be made in a microwave oven
- Oven – the difference between microwave and convection microwave combo
- Microwave Surface Temperatures too hot
- How to reheat leftovers without a microwave
- Is microwaving bad for your food
- Why doesn’t a microwave heat the air around food, in addition to the food itself
- How to avoid microwave-safe covers melting in the microwave
Best Answer
Microwave doors don't have an airtight seal; the window between the electronics and the cooking compartment is also not airtight, and the electronics are cooled by a fan. It would be surprising if some cooking smells didn't escape. In practice, every microwave I've ever had allows me to smell the cooking, from the very cheapest to some rather fancy ones with grill and convection.
This means that being able to smell the food cooking says nothing about the safety of the microwave, and you have no need to worry (unless there are other indications such as damage)