Hey Folks,

I've been wondering about a difference I found between Chinese microwaves and those in the U.S.. I've noticed that they have this plate at the bottom that is marked with a caution message. (They all indicate that the plate becomes dangerously hot after the oven has been on.)

I'm a bit confused. In general, U.S. microwaves only heat the food. The oven and the dishes stay cool. Essentially, food gets steamed from the inside, out.

Question: Do Chinese microwaves work differently?

Is it a combination mw oven?
Or is the plate melamine?

They all look like standard microwave ovens. They all have the white, lightweight interiors that don't look like they are made to handle high, convective heat. They also have the typical fan behind the mesh. The plate I refer to is a square of (I think) thin ceramic or glass that covers most of the bottom of the cooking space. It's fixed to the bottom and I don't think its melamine.

Metal plates in microwaves generate sparks - but hybrid (convection with heating elements a la toaster oven, which can "brown" your food) have existed for over a decade. You're probably looking at a combo convection/microwave - higher price, billions more functions (and buttons).

I don't think so, Laotou. They don't have visible heating elements, or convection fans. (I have a convection oven back home.)

These look like the oddest microwaves, I've ever seen. But, that's how practically all of them are designed...even the cheap ones.

I know the ones you mean, with a static plate in the middle. I have only seen those in China, perhaps they are old tech. All the micro ovens I have seen recently all have a rotating glass dish in the base.

Wow...I just realized there were no turntables, tigertiger. You're right.

I wonder what the logic of that static plate is. It can't get hot by itself. (In order for microwaves to heat up anything, there needs to be some water content in it.)

Generally speaking you need water content. Melamine heats up by itself. It will absorb the microwaves and you heat up the bowl more than it heats the food. That is why melamine is not really suitable for heating food in a mw. Also, it is possible for glass to react and melt and some rocks in microwaves (not modern ovens). See wiki for that one.
Regards the logic of the static plate, I think it will be a function of the mw technology of the type of machine. Perhaps the only logic being, it is how that type of machine works. Like I said, I think this is old tech.

Makes sense, tigertiger. I have noticed how melamine would heat up, in the rare times I'd use it at home.

I'm really curious about this one. Even though the microwave isn't the most idea method for baking, browning, or cooking delicate foods people have developed ways to use it effectively for certain things. I actually love cooking certain kinds of egg dishes in the microwave. I'm really intrigued by what the Chinese do to make the most of their microwaves.

Does anyone out there use their Chinese microwave (with the mystery hot plate at the bottom) in any unusual ways?

I bought a small Siemen's microwave online that uses the glass carousel. It heats food about as unevenly as the ones I used at home. Though it seems better built than most of the local crap, and probably won't catch on fire as easily. I bought it mostly for the simple controls.

I noticed that a lot of the very low end cheap Chinese microwaves still use the carousels. I don't believe Panasonic, for example, makes many microwaves that still use carousels. I think even in the microwaves without the carousel the magnetron is still being rotated around the food, so it shouldn't matter much. At least I owned a Microwave like that from the 1980s and it seems to cook more or less the same.