What products can not be put in the microwave
Tips / / December 19, 2019
Microwave - one of the most popular tools in the kitchen most of us. After all, reheat, defrost and cook food, even it is very convenient and fast. However, scientists have proved that not all products can be heat treated in a microwave oven. For example, garlic. And this cost in mind.
Percy Spencer It considered the inventor of the microwave oven, because it was the first time he noticed that microwave radiation can heat the objects. There are several versions of how this happened. According to one of Percy accidentally put the magnetron his sandwich and then discovered that it is hot, but on the other - while working with the magnetron in his pocket melted chocolate bar. It happened in 1945, and in 1946 was granted the first patent for the manufacture of microwave ovens.
Some facts about the first microwave
Height - about a man's height
Weight - 340 kg
Power - 3 kW (about twice the power of modern microwave)
Price - 3000 USD
The first microwave ovens were used only for the rapid defrosting food in the military hospitals, their production began in 1949.
Why so quickly in the microwave is heated and food is cooked
At that time, when the heat in a conventional oven gradually penetrates the food in the microwave energy penetrates immediately by 2.5 centimeters inside the product, accelerating the heating and cooking.
What can not be put in the microwave
Despite the existence of disputes about whether microwave ovens harmful to humans or not, it does not have formal evidence. However, there are scientifically proven warnings on several products, which should not be put in the microwave.
Breast milk
"Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics' tests conducted 22 frozen samples of breast milk which has been warmed in a microwave oven at high and low temperatures. In the first case, the results showed an increased growth of E. coli in milk, namely, 18 times more than in milk, heated without a microwave.
The milk samples heated at a low temperature in a microwave oven, it was observed that lowering activity lysozyme - an enzyme with anti-bacterial properties, which prevents the growth of bacteria.
Broccoli
Any heat treatment destroys the nutrients in foods, especially fruits and vegetables. For broccoli most gentle method of preparation is the steam treatment, as it is destroyed during the least amount of flavonoid antioxidants (after conventional cooking in water - 66%). While cooking or heating in a microwave oven with a small amount of water leads to to 97% destruction of nutrients vegetable.
Frozen fruit
Freeze the fruit - one of the ways to keep them longer nutrients. But it turns out that they are not in any way be defrosted in a microwave oven. Even in the 70s Russian scientists demonstrated that fruit in the microwave thawing results in the conversion efficiency glucoside (a derivative of glucose) and galactoside to carcinogens. And in the early 90's Russian study confirmed immunological effects microwaves on the body (as a result of exposure to increased antibody formation observed nonthermal radiofrequency electromagnetic field in the brain cells of rats).
frozen meat
In order to defrost a piece of meat in the microwave, it requires a lot of time (about 15-30 minutes), and if the piece is too large, then the edges will have time to prepare before they thawed middle.
At the time when the temperature reaches 60 degrees Celsius, meat begin to actively proliferate bacteria, and if you're not going to cook it once, then defrosted meat become a source of germs.
In addition, Japanese researchers found that meat, which was in the microwave for more than 6 minutes, destroyed about half the vitamin B12 (the results of this study were published in the journal in 1998 ScienceNews year). It is believed that the best way to defrost meat - is to put it in the refrigerator overnight or placed under a stream of cold running water.
Garlic
Adversely affects the heat treatment and anticancer properties of garlic. according to researchConducted in 2001 by a group of researchers from Pennsylvania State University, 60 seconds processing in a microwave oven (or 45 minute - in the oven) garlic can inhibit binding capacity in vivo in breast carcinogen animals. It was also observed that the 10-minute "rest" of crushed garlic before treatment in the microwave oven for 60 seconds to prevent complete loss of anti-cancer properties.
A few more tips
Furthermore, it should also pay attention to general precautions that most of us, even though they know, but do not adhere to while using the microwave.
protein products
Scientists are recommended to be used in a microwave oven for cooking at least protein products. recent Australian study It confirmed that microwaves result in a higher fracture protein molecules than their cooking in the oven.
The food in plastic containers or food film
Using these handy plastic containers in the microwave, we add to the food portion of carcinogens, as some toxic substances transferred from plastic into products.
Products with a high water content in the shell
As it is impossible to put into a microwave oven products in a dense shell and a high water content within (e.g. tomatoes or eggs), as a result of sharp increase in temperature inside the volume increases sharply and the food is simply explodes. Let us recall the unsuccessful experiments with eggs:
And how often do you use a microwave, and for what?