Experts' Expert: Why microwave meals need to 'rest' after nuking

Robert L. Wolke, the Washington Post's estimable longtime food writer, addressed this topic, noting that it's one question that repeatedly comes up.

Here's the Q & A.

Q. Why do almost all microwaveable frozen meals instruct you to leave the meal in the microwave for two minutes or so after the cooking period? What happens during those two minutes?

A. Microwaves deposit all their energy within a half-inch or so of the food's surface. It takes time for that heat to work its way inside and heat the interior to the same temperature as the surface. Surprisingly, microwaves don't melt ice crystals very well, so any remaining ones need to be melted by contact with already heated food.

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Okay, that's all well and good, thought I, but why do you have to leave the meal in the microwave instead of letting it finish outside on the counter?

Then the penny dropped: it's much hotter inside the box than outside, so that final internal heating is going to be far more efficient inside the machine.

Cool.

I mean —