Infrared saunas have been gaining popularity for their therapeutic heat, but this leads to another curious question:

Can infrared light actually cook food — like an oven does? And if so, why doesn’t visible light do the same thing?

Let’s break down the science behind infrared heating, how it compares to visible light, and what that means for cooking, heating, and your health.

Why Infrared Cooks Better Than Visible Light

You can absolutely cook food using infrared light — in fact, many high-end ovens do exactly that. Infrared ovens use intense infrared radiation to sear meats and bake food evenly. But you don’t see anyone roasting a chicken with the light from a regular lightbulb.

Infrared is absorbed more deeply:

Infrared light carries energy in a way that is absorbed directly into the molecules of the food — particularly water, fat, and protein molecules — creating heat from within.

By contrast, visible light doesn’t behave this way.

Why Visible Light Doesn’t Cook Food

Let’s compare your kitchen lightbulb to an infrared oven:

• Typical lightbulb output: 30 to 100 watts

• Infrared oven output: 3,000 to 4,000 watts

To cook with visible light, you would need a blinding amount of brightness. Think of the sun on a hot summer day — powerful, yes, but even then, you’re not cooking a steak by leaving it on your patio table.

The power difference is massive:

It would take an extremely high-wattage, focused visible light source — so bright it would be dangerous — to even begin cooking food.

The Science of Photon Absorption

When light — whether visible or infrared — hits an object, one of three things happens:

1. Transmission – the light passes through the object.

2. Reflection – the light bounces off the object.

3. Absorption – the object absorbs the light energy, converting it to heat.

With visible light, most objects reflect some portion of the spectrum. For example, a red apple reflects red light — that’s why we see it as red. But that reflected light is lost in terms of heating.

Visible light is for seeing, not heating:

Most of its energy gets scattered or reflected before it can be absorbed and turned into heat.

Infrared light, on the other hand, is absorbed more easily by organic matter — skin, water, muscle, fat — which makes it a far more effective wavelength for heating.

Is Infrared Cooking Like a Microwave?

In some ways, yes — but with major differences.

• Microwaves excite water molecules at a specific frequency, causing them to vibrate rapidly and generate heat.

• Infrared ovens radiate heat that’s absorbed by the food’s surface and interior, depending on wavelength.

Microwave cooking is fast but can result in uneven heating. Infrared cooking is more natural, offering direct heat transfer that’s closer to how fire or the sun warms things — but without the harmful UV rays or electromagnetic field concerns.

So… Can You Really Cook with Infrared?

Yes. Infrared cooking is real — and efficient.

From a culinary perspective, infrared ovens can:

• Preheat faster

• Sear more evenly

• Lock in moisture

• Reduce energy use

That’s why infrared broilers are common in commercial kitchens. And it’s why far infrared light is used in saunas — because your body absorbs the energy as heat, efficiently and safely.

Infrared is heat you can feel — not see.

This safe, natural wavelength gently elevates your core body temperature, improving circulation, oxygenation, and cellular repair.

What This Means for Your Sauna Experience

When you sit in a far infrared sauna, the same principles apply. Your body doesn’t need hot air or visible light — it needs deep, penetrating infrared heat that gets absorbed directly into your skin and tissue.

Far infrared sauna therapy offers something better:

safe, consistent, whole-body healing. Whether you’re dealing with chronic back pain, fatigue, or stress, infrared helps restore vitality from the inside out.

And just like a precision cooking tool, an infrared sauna delivers just the right amount of heat, at just the right depth — no gimmicks, no guesswork.

Final Thoughts: Infrared Light Is for Feeling, Not Seeing

So can you cook using infrared light? Absolutely. It’s not just possible — it’s efficient, natural, and widely used in both the kitchen and the wellness world.

Here’s the takeaway:

Visible light helps you see your food. Infrared light helps you cook it — and in a sauna, it helps your body heal.

If you’ve ever felt the soothing, deep warmth of an infrared sauna session, you’ve already experienced what makes infrared different. It’s not just heat on your skin — it’s energy absorbed and transformed into deep, cellular relief.