Nothing is as convenient as a microwave when you’re busy or don’t feel like cooking. However, there are concerns about whether microwaves are harmful and whether they destroy nutrients. We looked into what types of food are safe to heat in the microwave and whether frequent microwave use could be detrimental.
Rising Prices Drive Interest in Convenient Foods
Due to continuously rising prices, there is a growing interest in premium Home Meal Replacement. The response to frozen meal kits, which can be stored for several months, is better than that for refrigerated meal kits with a short shelf life. Looking at just the supermarkets, over the past year, the average sales of convenience foods have increased by 15%, while the sales of refrigerated/frozen convenience foods have increased by over 25%.
The Meal Kit Market is Still Growing
Unlike other convenience foods, meal kits allow you to eat a balanced meal and take care of your health. They quickly grew in popularity as a replacement for dining out during COVID-19. Although they require cooking, slightly reducing their convenience, their fresh ingredients and minimal nutrient destruction are advantages. There are also expensive premium meal kits, but even these high-end products are cheaper than dining out, so the number of consumers looking for premium meal kits is increasing.
Dangerous Foods to Cook in the Microwave
If you use a microwave for an egg, the internal pressure can rise sharply and explode. Inside the microwave, heat is simultaneously transferred to the inside and outside of the egg. When the water inside the egg absorbs heat, the internal pressure increases, and when it becomes too much for the shell to withstand, the egg explodes with a bang. Using a microwave for frozen poultry can also cause food poisoning, as harmful bacteria can increase more than twice as much as defrosting in a refrigerator.
How a Microwave Works
A microwave uses microwaves to make the water molecules inside the food vibrate. The molecules push and pull or collide with each other, generating kinetic energy that heats the food. This is called the ‘dielectric heating’ method, which uses electromagnetic waves with a frequency of 2.45 GHz. These microwaves are in a frequency range not used for communication, making them cheap and usable worldwide.
You Must Check If the Container Is Made of Paper
You must always check if a paper container can be used in a microwave. The inside of a paper container is coated with heat-resistant polyethylene or polypropylene. The plastic material of microwaveable paper containers is coated to withstand relatively high temperatures up to 132°C (269.6°F), but the plastic material coated on regular paper containers melts at around 106°C (222.8°F), making it unsuitable for use in the microwave.
Cup Noodle Containers Are Particularly Dangerous
For cup noodles, you must always check if the packaging material can be used in a microwave, and you should permanently remove the lid before putting it in. Most cup noodle lids contain aluminum to prevent food spoilage, which can cause a fire in a microwave. It is also dangerous if any aluminum lid is left on the sealing part of the cup noodle container.
You Should Avoid Heating Plain Water
Did you know that you shouldn’t heat plain water in the microwave? When you put a cup of water in the microwave, the temperature can rise above 100°C (212°F), but it looks the same from the outside. If you overlook this fact and put something in or shake it, it suddenly overflows as if it’s exploding, a phenomenon known as superheating. This can lead to dangerous situations, so it is recommended to boil water in a kettle over a gas flame when heating water.
Various Tomato Sauces Are Also Taboo
It may seem more convenient to microwave ketchup or other tomato-based sauces, but this can potentially lead to dangerous situations. Tomato sauces are generally thick, so it’s not easy for heat and steam to escape when heated. If you use a microwave for tomato ingredients or sauces for too long, they can eventually explode inside, making a mess of the inside of the microwave.
When Using a Microwave Can Be Helpful
You may have heard once or twice that cooking food in a microwave can alter and destroy nutrients. However, research has shown that using a microwave for vegetables like eggplants and broccoli results in less nutrient loss than boiling. It can also minimize the formation of harmful compounds when cooking at high temperatures. For example, when bacon is cooked, a carcinogen called ‘nitrosamine’ is produced, but when cooked briefly in a microwave, none was detected in the experiment.
How to Clean a Microwave
Microwaves are convenient to use, but cleaning them thoroughly can be a hassle. In this case, if you put a cup of water and the peel of a citrus fruit like an orange, lemon, or tangerine in the microwave and run it for about 3 minutes, then wipe it well with a dry cloth, you can clean it neatly. If you heat a cup of green tea, it will also deodorize and remove grease.
By. Shin Young Jeon
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