Microwaves are pretty amazing inventions, used for everything from heating leftovers
to making tea to even baking a cake. But are they totally foolproof and 100 percent safe?
It's time to bust the microwave myths we've heard for too long.
The first microwave was invented in the late 1940s. But it wasn’t
until the late 60s and early 70s, when both the size and the price tag shrank,
that it gained popularity and became the perfect gadget for harried housewives.
Over time, as home cooks embraced a more do-it-yourself mentality in the kitchen,
microwaves experienced a rapid fall from grace. And sure, this kitchen gadget has its share of
problems. But it's far from the devilish dinging box many would have you believe.
When used safely and properly, your microwave can be one of your best friends in the kitchen.
Microwaves cook using radiation, so it only stands to reason that, much like x-rays and
radioactive spiders, they must either give you cancer or a spidey sense, right? Wrong.
Microwaves work by creating a type of low-energy radiation classed as non-ionizing radiation. This
radiation causes molecules within a substance placed into the microwave to vibrate, which
generates heat. As opposed to the ionizing and carcinogenic radiation of x-rays or gamma rays,
non-ionizing radiation is similar to that used by your TV or radio,
according to the World Health Organization.
To top it all off, thanks to the metal walls and metal-lined window of the microwave,
those non-ionizing waves stay safely within the magic box until you hear the ding.
If you or someone you love has a pacemaker, that doesn't mean you can't enjoy some
microwave popcorn safely. The British National Health Service lists a handful
of household appliances that can damage or interfere with a pacemaker when held too
close to it. These include hand-held hair dryers, older electric shavers,
pagers, and large stereo speakers. Not only are microwave ovens not on this list, the NHS even
notes that using properly operating microwaves and electric blankets cannot damage your pacemaker.
This is certainly a relief for anyone who loves a good bowl of ramen.
"It's a Kenmore Microwave. I win! I win!"
Microwaves aren't the most expensive tool in your kitchen, but they aren't cheap, either.
That means folks can resort to unique fixes to keep their microwave a-running
and a-pinging. If the door seal breaks, however, don't pull a Gracie Hart à la
Miss Congeniality and hold it closed with a wooden spoon or any other implement.
While the radiation in a microwave is safe, it can leak,
and while it's not as dangerous as, say, hanging out in a radiation lab,
it's not ideal to have it floating unhindered from your microwave into your home.
We've established that the waves in a properly functioning microwave can't reach you.
But can it reach your food, making it radioactive? The short answer is no.
Remember: the waves used by microwaves are non-ionic. They're not dangerous to
you or your food, and they certainly won't make your food radioactive.
During the microwaving process, the structure of the food itself is not changed any more than it
would be when you boil or steam it. Bottom line? According to the EPA,
microwaved food is not now — nor will it ever be — radioactive.
Here's one of the only actual dangers of microwaves: their effect on plastic. Plastic
contains substances such as phthalates and, in some cases, BPA or bisphenol A. These substances
have been linked not only to endocrine-disruption, which can lead to metabolic diseases like diabetes
and increased risk of obesity, but have also been directly linked to increased risk of cancer.
While reducing your exposure to plastics is always a good idea, it's especially true when
it comes to microwaves. Microwaving food in plastic—even microwave-safe plastic—has
been shown to cause some of these substances to leach into food.
And this extends even to plastic wrap that isn't touching the surface of the food at all!
To reduce any risk of contamination,
only microwave your leftovers in glass containers with silicone lids.
First off, water doesn't have its own DNA—changeable or otherwise. You can't
change something that doesn't exist. Plus, microwaves don't actually change
the structure of anything they heat. Microwaving water just vibrates the
molecules of the liquid, causing it to heat. No structural changes whatsoever.
Some "experiments" seem to show otherwise. One widely popularized one seems to posit that
microwaved water kills plants, for example, and while the "evidence" seems believable,
it's far removed from a double-blind study performed in a lab. We don't purport to know
exactly what's behind these images, but in reality, the only way microwaved water could
hurt your plants is if it's too hot—or if there were pathogens in the container used to heat it.
Microwaving water might not change its structure, but it can overheat it.
This translates to a potential for injuries:
The FDA cautions that microwaving water can cause serious burns and even eruptions.
Sure, a seemingly volcanic eruption of water seems proof positive that
microwaves do indeed change the structure of water. But, let's look at the science.
Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius. But if water is microwaved in a completely clean cup, bubbles
might not form, even at boiling temperature. This means that when you reach for your cup
of hot water, the movement causes the water to actually boil out of the cup and over your hand.
To avoid this, always heat water in an electric kettle or on the stovetop, and reserve microwaving
for liquids like coffee that have particles that keep this false boil from taking place.
Myths about microwaved food being cancerous aside,
some people believe that zapping food saps the nutrients from it. And what's more,
some studies seem to prove this to be the case. At least one study has shown that
microwaving reduces the glucosinolate content of broccoli more than other cooking methods.
But the reality is more complicated and has far more to do with the amount of water in which
veggies are cooked than the cooking method itself. With many vegetables—specifically,
members of the cabbage family, like broccoli and Brussels sprouts—microwaving actually retains
nutrients better than other cooking methods like boiling, according to one 2010 study.
Microwaved mug cakes may well be tasty, but their safety is uncertain when they include eggs.
Microwaves are notorious for cooking food unevenly, which you know
if you've ever dug into a lasagna that's hot on the edges and cold in the middle.
This propensity for cold spots not only means microwaves are not a safe way to cook meat,
processed or otherwise. It also means that other foods that can contain dangerous pathogens when
not heated to an appropriate temperature, like eggs, might not get fully cooked in the microwave.
But if you cook it too long in the microwave, you end up with scrambled cookie. Too little,
and your lava cake could lead to food poisoning. To ensure your mug cake is
as safe as it is delicious, there's a simple fix:
seek out a recipe that is eggless. Presto! Your chocolate mug cake dreams are now a reality.
What's that old riddle? The more it cleans the dirtier it gets?
Sponges are breeding grounds for bacteria, and in an effort to be more eco-conscious,
we've been using our kitchen sponges more and more instead of paper towels.
Enter a cool trick for cleaning a dirty old sponge: dampen it with water and then send it
for a minute-long trip through the microwave. This will kill most bacteria on the sponge,
making it safe to use in your kitchen again.
That said, beware of relying on this trick too often. While microwaving a sponge kills most of
the bacteria—and the most dangerous ones—it won't kill all of them. And the ones that will stick
around may not be the most dangerous, reports NPR, but they are the stinkiest of the bunch.
So when your sponge smells awful, pitch it.
Microwave meals and TV dinners are often full of salt and preservatives,
not to mention sold in plastic trays, which we've previously discussed are not the
healthiest microwave vessel. But just because many microwave meals are typically not great for you,
doesn't mean all microwave meals are awful.
In recent years, a number of companies have shifted to healthier microwaveable alternatives.
While the bad ones are still around, there are now plenty of tasty frozen dinners to choose
from. Alexia makes organic mashed butternut squash that's easy to heat in the microwave.
Amy's Kitchen, meanwhile, produces organic microwavable meals, including a vegan chili mac,
that are packaged in paper trays with microwave-safe overwrap.
Most food is absolutely safe to heat in the microwave. There's only one real exception,
and that's breast milk.
Heating breast milk in the microwave has a number of downsides, the first
and worst of which is that, due to uneven heating,
it can create hot spots that can scald the baby's mouth or tongue, according to the FDA.
If this isn't bad enough, these hot spots can cause breast milk to begin
to deteriorate from a nutritional and immunological point of view,
according to a 2015 study. Breast milk's qualities begin to deteriorate at 104
degrees Fahrenheit. But if you're reheating in the microwave, hot spots can be far hotter.
"Hey, you didn't microwave that did you,
Pheebs? Cuz it's breast milk and you're not supposed to do that."
Nursing moms who want to reheat pumped breast milk should reheat in a dedicated bottle heater
or in a pot of warmed water that's already been removed from the heat,
says the Centers for Disease Control.
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