A microwave oven does not warm food evenly from the outside in. Its magnetron produces microwaves that reflect around the metal cavity. When food absorbs this electromagnetic energy, it is converted into heat. Reflected waves overlap, creating regions with different field strengths, so some parts of the food absorb more energy than others.
The turntable helps by moving food through different energy regions, but rotation cannot remove every difference. Shape, thickness, water content and composition also affect absorption. Moist and dry parts heat differently, while heat in a thick portion must still spread by ordinary thermal conduction.
That is why standing time after microwaving is useful rather than ceremonial. Heat continues moving from hotter regions into cooler ones. For larger portions, stirring, turning or rearranging the food halfway through actively reduces the unevenness. A microwave does not make every point warm at once; it creates an uneven pattern of energy absorption, then movement and conduction help even it out.
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