New microwave oven claims to melt away fat from foods during cooking

• Japanese electronics maker Sharp Corp. (6753.T: Quote, Profile, Research) says it has developed a new fat-busting microwave oven that can melt some of your worries away.
• Unveiling its invention to media on Monday, Sharp said the microwave generates "superheated steam" at a temperature of about 572 degrees Fahrenheit, hot enough to melt fat and reduce oil and salt from steak, chicken, fish and other foods.
• Osaka-based Sharp said the product was developed to address a growing awareness among consumers about the need for a healthier diet, especially with obesity rates climbing to worrisome levels in many countries around the world.
• Sharp said the machine's fat-zapping power derives from a steam generating unit that produces a combination of convective heat and condensation heat so hot that fat liquefies and flows out of the food in a very short period of time.
• The company said the new oven can remove eight times more fat off a 200 gram beefsteak than if prepared in a frying pan, leading to a 13 percent reduction in calories.
• Scheduled to go on sale in Japan next month and to be gradually introduced after that in overseas markets, Sharp's new oven can also reduce salt content in fish and limit the loss of vitamin C in vegetables, the company said.
• Sharp said it expected the "AX-HC1" to sell for about $1,150, or several times the price of a typical microwave oven that might retail in Japan for around $185.
• Sharp said it would continue to make conventional microwave ovens and market the "AX-HC1" as a high-end model for health-conscious consumers.