About 30 years ago, microwave ovens first appeared in our kitchens, and we immediately became addicted to quickly reheating food. The younger generation most likely cannot even imagine how to cook oatmeal, hot chocolate or popcorn without it. And yet, many of us use the microwave incorrectly. Of course, we know that it is impossible to put aluminum foil, metal or plastic, but there are equally dangerous risks associated with heating certain foods.

To begin with, it is worth understanding that a microwave does not heat food evenly, which often means that any bacteria present in it will be able to survive. There is another problem with the appearance of carcinogenic toxins. To minimize the risks associated with the microwave, resist the temptation to use it to cook or reheat these six foods.

Hard boiled eggs

If you try hard boiled unpeeled egg warm up in microwave oven, the moisture inside it will create steam, like in a miniature pressure cooker. You risk that the egg may explode! Even more scary, this will not happen inside the microwave during heating, but later. This means that an egg heated to boiling point can flare up in your hand, on a plate, or even in your mouth. In order not to turn your dinner into a steam bomb, cut it into small pieces before reheating, or better yet, do not microwave.

Breast milk

Many young mothers freeze and store breast milk for later use. This is good idea, until you decide to reheat it in the microwave. As already mentioned, microwaves heat plates of food unevenly, and the same will happen with a bottle of breast milk. Uneven heating creates "hot spots" that can severely burn a child's throat and mouth. In addition, there is a danger associated with carcinogens that comes from reheating the plastic. Breast milk is best thawed and reheated in a saucepan on the stove or using hot water from the tap. As a temporary solution, you can heat a cup of water in the microwave and then dip a bottle of breast milk into it.

processed meat

It contains chemical substances and preservatives that extend its shelf life. Unfortunately, microwaves can worsen the effects of these substances on your body. Heating processed meats in the microwave promotes the formation of cholesterol oxidation products, which are known to be more damaging to the arteries than pure cholesterol. They are also directly related to the development of coronary heart disease. Compared to other cooking methods, heating processed meats in the microwave is much more likely to cause problems.

Rice

Using a microwave to cook rice can easily lead to food poisoning. raw rice contains spores of bacteria that can survive in a microwave oven. After you take the rice out of it and leave it at room temperature, spores can multiply and cause diarrhea and vomiting.

Hen

All poultry meat, including chicken, can contain salmonella, so it must be cooked carefully to eliminate any existing bacteria. Since the microwave cannot cook all parts of the meat evenly, it is likely to have surviving bacteria in it. What's more, chicken has a very high protein density, so it's important to cook it at the same temperature. If some proteins are broken down more slowly than others in the same food, it will most likely lead to indigestion.

Greenery

No matter how much celery, kale, or spinach you keep to eat your lunch later, it's better to throw it away than reheat it in the microwave. The nitrates in greens are highly toxic when heated. During microwave heating, naturally occurring nitrates become nitrosamines, which are carcinogens. The same is true for reheating nitrate-rich beets and turnips!

Microwave is a handy item in everyone's arsenal modern man, which has become so familiar that it is impossible to imagine our life without a stove. It seems to be universal, but no matter how it is! There are things and products that are not only not worth warming up in it, but even dangerous!

Meat from the freezer

The meat in the microwave is defrosted unevenly: it remains cold in the middle, and almost cooked on the sides. In addition, the important vitamin B12 almost completely disappears in it and the protein is destroyed.

Correctly: thaw the meat gradually, laying it out of freezer into the refrigerator.

Dairy products

Sour milk contains beneficial bacteria, which are almost completely killed after heat treatment in a microwave oven. Yes, and the products themselves can deteriorate and lose all their palatability.

Correctly: put the product out of the refrigerator, it will warm up at room temperature and will be ready for use no longer than in half an hour.

Eggs

Many have tried to cook an egg in the microwave, and everyone was waiting for the same result - the egg exploded! And all because its contents exerted such strong pressure on the shell that it could not stand it. But also with boiled eggs you should not conduct such an experiment - during heating, protein structures are destroyed and can provoke digestive problems.

Correctly: eggs should be boiled traditional way- on the stove, in a container with water.

Hen

If you decide to microwave the chicken cooked the day before, then you should not do this. Under the influence of microwaves, the structure of the protein, which is very rich in poultry meat, changes (there is more protein in chicken than in red meat!). As a result, you risk getting digestive problems.

Correctly: it is better to heat the chicken in a pan, in the oven, or eat it as it is - cold. You can also use the chicken to make a salad.

Frozen fruits and vegetables

Do not heat up in the microwave purchased products, and frozen independently. When heated in a microwave oven, the natural glucose contained in them turns into a carcinogen. At a minimum, such a product ceases to be useful and loses its vitamins.

Correctly: Defrost gradually at room temperature.

Honey

Many housewives decide to melt honey in the microwave when they see that it has become candied. Alas, after such processing, most useful substances will be lost.

Correctly: try melting honey in a water bath at an approximate temperature of no higher than 40 °.

plastic containers

As a rule, such food containers are made of cheap plastic, which contains harmful chemicals. When heated, the "chemistry" gets into the food. Also, do not use metal utensils, utensils with a shiny edging, cling film and foil.

Correctly: Transfer food to a plate before heating in the microwave.

Microwave ovens have become almost a mandatory attribute of every modern kitchen, greatly simplifying the life of the hostess. But if you do not follow a number of rules, then the microwave can become a huge problem - a miracle stove can explode and stain the entire kitchen.

In this review, what should never be done with a microwave so that a pleasant purchase does not become the root of trouble.

No metals!

When using a microwave oven, metal utensils should be avoided. She is a direct threat to any microwave oven. The only exception is the aluminum tray, which can be used to heat food. In addition, in no case should dishes made of light glass and crystal be placed in the microwave - they can simply melt under the influence of micromagnetic waves.

Tableware with a pattern - taboo

The paint used to paint dishes can often contain metals. If, as an experiment, a plate with a rim is placed in the oven, then it begins to glow and even sparkle. Yes, and the smell unpleasant will appear immediately.

No tightness!

There is one simple but very important rule- Do not put in the microwave to heat up or cook food in sealed packaging. The lid of the plastic container must be ajar.

Dairy products

It must be taken into account that when heated in a microwave oven, dairy products lose their value and taste properties: useful lactic acid bacteria suffer, and yogurt and kefir curdle.

Food wrap or foil?

No and no again! Neither foil nor cling film should be used when heating food in the microwave. The first will sparkle, and the second will simply melt.

Chicken and mushrooms are not the best choice for the microwave

Recent studies by scientists have confirmed that protein molecules are destroyed much faster in microwave ovens than when cooking in a pan or oven. Therefore, it is not recommended to heat high-protein foods such as mushrooms and chicken in the microwave.

Save honey!

Another product that should not be sent to the microwave is honey. He will immediately lose all his beneficial features. If it is necessary to return the candied honey to a liquid state, it is necessary to heat it in a steam or water bath, and to a temperature of no more than 40 degrees.

Many cooking enthusiasts consider the microwave oven to be the "invention of the century". And not without reason: it is very convenient and fast to reheat, defrost and even cook food in it. However, there are certain nuances: not all products can be thermally processed in the microwave. And not in every dish. Let's talk about the intricacies of using a microwave oven today.

Excursion into history

The first microwave oven was invented back in 1945 by an American engineer. Percy Spencer during the experiments.

There are suggestions that this happened quite by accident: while working with magnetrons, Spencer either heated up a sandwich, or melted a bar of chocolate. Versions differ, but the fact remains: already in 1946, the first patent for the manufacture of microwave ovens was issued. And two years later, the first microwave oven was released - though it was intended for the military. Serial production was launched in 1962. Since then, microwave ovens have firmly taken their place in many kitchens around the world.

How it works

Microwave

heats food thanks to high-frequency electromagnetic radiation, the waves of which penetrate into the food by 2.5 centimeters and work not only on the surface, but throughout the entire volume, accelerating the heating and cooking of dishes.

It is worth saying that since the invention of microwave ovens, there has been debate about whether it is harmful to use them or not. There is no official confirmation of the negative impact of microwaves. However, there are scientifically proven warnings about what foods should not be put in the microwave.

What is in such an oven no metal utensils is known to many. Metal reflects electromagnetic waves, and this can lead to damage to the device. But not everyone knows about the list not for the microwave.

Protein products

Breast milk

Attention women!

Putting breast milk here is simply dangerous: in milk heated at a low temperature, an increased growth of Escherichia coli is observed. Namely, 18 times more than in milk heated on the stove.

Also, with such heating, the activity is suppressed. lysozyme enzyme which prevents the growth of bacteria.

frozen meat

It takes a long time to defrost a piece of meat. If you often resort to this method of defrosting, then you should know that

at a temperature of 60 degrees Celsius, active reproduction of bacteria begins in the meat. Turning it into a source of microbes. Therefore, it is recommended to immediately cook this meat in order to avoid unpleasant consequences in the future.

In addition, Japanese researchers found that in meat that was in the microwave more than 6 minutes, about half of vitamin B12 is destroyed (the results of this study were published in ScienceNews in 1998). It is believed that The best way To defrost meat is to put it in the refrigerator overnight or place it under a stream of cold running water.

Frozen fruits and vegetables

Every kind heat treatment leads to the destruction of useful substances in them. The microwave in this sense has even more Negative influence than other types of cooking. Particularly sensitive to its effects is such a gentle vegetable, like broccoli: heating in a microwave oven leads to the almost complete destruction of nutrients.

Do not put products with too high water content in a dense shell here. For example, eggs or tomatoes. When the temperature rises, the volume increases sharply, the shell bursts, and the content scatters in different directions.

Good day to all visitors of my blog. Today I want to talk about what dishes can be used in the microwave. It turns out that in the wrong container, food takes longer to cook, it does not heat up well. And it can also be harmful to health. Yes, yes, it is dishes that can harm our body. And not microwaves, which opponents of microwave ovens are so actively trying to prove.

To figure out which containers to use, let's remember how a microwave oven works. As you know, food in a microwave oven is heated by microwaves. This is the electromagnetic radiation that causes dipole food molecules to move. Move fast and a lot. Because of this, friction is created, the food is heated. I have already described this in detail in an article about.

For heating food, as well as cooking, containers must be heat resistant. If you have fireproof cookware, that's even better. Heat-resistant vessels and containers can be heated up to 140 ˚С. This is enough for a conventional microwave. It heats food to the boiling point of water - 100 ˚С. Refractory containers can be heated up to 300˚C.

Heat-resistant cookware can be:

• glass;
• porcelain;
• ceramic;
• plastic;
• paper;
• silicone;
• from thin foam.

Heat-resistant containers made of these materials are used in microwave ovens. Mode - only microwaves. Plastic vessels must have an appropriate icon.

An equally important parameter of microwave dishes is the size, as well as the shape. The height of the containers is better to choose a small one. This will allow you to cook the product faster. If you are going to cook cereals or pasta, the capacity should be with a margin. This is due to the peculiarity of heating liquids with microwaves. When the water boils, its bubbles are at the bottom for some time. After a certain time, the water may splash out. If you choose a bowl that expands upwards, this will not happen. The water won't rise as fast.