Expert: Donovan Fandre - 3/29/2003

Question
dear donovan,
im sorry if this is out of your area, but im in desperate need of help.
i just used my microwave to heat a sausgae for 3 minutes. then it started to make some dreadful noises. and when i opened the door, the sausage was a bit burnt and there's some sort of a  metal plate on the microwave wall which is a bit burnt as well. now the microwave won't heat anything up! it will still turn on and operate as usual but the food is not warmed at all! please help. i am using hinari lifestyle mx310tc. thanks~

Answer
Hey Fina, you've got a problem with your microwave oven in that it's kaput. The fact that the sausage was a bit burnt indicates that you cooked it a bit too long and that the energy concentrated in the burnt area. the fact that the little metal plate on the oven wall was also burnt indicates that the emmission port wasn't working and the energy wasn't distributed evenly so you have probably killed the magnetron tube and thus the entire oven. But don't fret, it's not worth the effort and expense to try to repair this oven but there are so many on the market today that are so cheap you'll be able to replace your dead oven and get a new version that will cook so much better and won't cost more than 60-70$ and even less if you shop around. Check my web site for info that will help you get the most out of microwave cooking: jumpstartcooking.com  Enjoy!