National Microwave Oven Day – December 6, 2026

Expected National Microwave Oven Day Deals

While we await official 2027 promotions, history shows retailers like Best Buy, Walmart, and Target often feature discounts on new microwave ovens and small kitchen appliances. Food brands such as Pop Secret, Hot Pockets, and Lean Cuisine may offer special deals on their microwave-ready products. Look for promotions from grocery stores like Kroger or Whole Foods on microwaveable meals. We will update this page with confirmed live deals as December 6 approaches.

History of National Microwave Oven Day

Percy Spencer, a self-taught American engineer, developed a means to prepare food with microwaves safely. In 1945, he realized a candy bar in his pocket was melting while working with active radar. Amazed by his discovery, Spencer set out to make popcorn in the microwaves. He then attempted to cook an egg. The egg test performed far worse than the popcorn test, and blew up in his coworker’s face! Nowadays we know that we can use microwave ovens to cook or even poach eggs.

Spencer, who worked at Raytheon, experimented with numerous ways to cook food with microwaves safely. He discovered that he could direct the magnetron’s power into a metal box and trap it there. He also noted that food placed in the box quickly heated up. Raytheon submitted a patent for a microwave oven on October 8, 1945. Raytheon introduced the Radarange microwave in 1947, which stood nearly 6 feet tall and cost $5,000. In 1955, Raytheon outsourced its patents to Tappan, which launched a microwave that still wasn’t applicable for domestic use, and cost $1,295 at the time. Raytheon bought Amana in 1965 and released a countertop microwave for $495 in 1967. Shortly after, Litton invented a microwave oven with a design similar to those used today, which helped promote home microwaves even more. In the United States, there were around 40,000 microwaves in use in 1971, rising to one million by 1975.

Although some early models leaked, giving them a negative reputation, their popularity grew. Recipes for microwavable meals were abundant throughout the 1980s, as were consumer goods like cupcake kits but the majority of these items were of poor quality. Nonetheless, by 1986, around 25% of American households owned a microwave, and by 1997, that figure had climbed to 90%.