Why does heat from the microwave make bread floppy while heat from a toaster makes bread crispy?

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I made a toaster waffle for myself this morning. Growing impatient, I popped it out before it was all the way done. As I was buttering it, I noticed parts of the waffle were still cold. Since there was already butter and syrup on it, I couldn’t put it back in the toaster. I threw it in the microwave for 20 seconds and it came out floppy instead of crispy. What gives?

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23 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

A microwave does not produce heat.

A microwave is kind of like a radio, but it broadcasts a frequency that water molecules are very sensitive to. As a result of being “blasted” water molecules wiggle around and produce heat, and that heat created from the water molecules is what heats or cooks the food.

Bread has a decent amount of water, and when you microwave it you are essentially steam cooking the bread. Yes, it will get soggy as a result.

In a toaster, heat is produced by heater elements and the warm air and infrared light blasts the bread. This removes water from the bread in addition to warming/toasting, so you get dry crunchy bread as a result.

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