No two microwave ovens behave the same way even if they have the same power rating and capacity, and over time they show increased randomness in terms of energy usage and solution quality. Each one has its idiosyncrasies and as you move between apartments over the years, it is irritating to adjusted to a new oven. After you invest all the time in figuring out that the optimal settings to warm your cold coffee is 50 seconds in the previous home, using the same timing with the new one results in a lot of spilled coffee. Furthermore, objects get heated slightly quicker when placed in certain locations of the oven. What is a quick way to optimize your vessel placement and minimize your turn-around time? Enter, the Appalam.
The Appalam or the Pappad as it is called in Northern India is a circular, flattened, wafer thin dry mixture of lentils and spices. It is an almost fat-free, delicious snack if you microwave it although it can also be fried. In particular, the best brand for this test is the Lijjat Pappad. This one is hand made (or used to be). The Lijjat company rose from a tiny all-women cooperative start up in rural India (based on Mahatma Gandhi's principles of self-reliance, theirs is a remarkable and inspiring success story) and is still going strong, producing outstanding Pappads in a variety of flavors.
Why the LP works relatively well for such a test:
1. The consistency of the LP mix is quite remarkable. It is neither thick to resist microwaving, nor too thin and very rarely exhibits any significant warping even after 120 seconds of microwaving (it will simply get carbonized before it warps).
2. The material naturally does not conduct heat well and convection doesn't help much either, so the localized heating effects show up visibly.
3. You can make a meal of your experimental subject once your test is complete. No test goes waste!