The microwave oven, almost everyone has one in their kitchen — and sometimes even in the office.
Unlike a traditional oven, microwaves heat molecules instantly, up to 2 to 3 cm below the surface of the food.
You have to admit that it's very practical for reheating dishes or defrosting a meal.
It is this ease and speed that have made the success of the microwave oven:it allows us to save time.
But beware:here are the 5 foods you should never put in the microwave.
One of the main reasons for feeding a newborn with breast milk is that it has a high content of powerful anti-bacterial agents.
However, a study conducted on breast milk heated in the microwave reveals that the intensity of the heat can have harmful effects on the anti-bacterial agents.
In fact, breast milk microwaved at high temperatures increases the growth of E. coli bacteria.
At high temperature, this development is 18 times higher than warmed breast milk without microwaves.
In breast milk samples microwaved at low temperatures, researchers found a dramatic drop in isoenzyme activity.
In addition, breast milk reheated at low temperature promotes the development of bacteria harmful to newborns.
Broccoli is a food that is often reheated in the microwave. That's because it's easy to find and heats up quickly.
Did you know that food loses nutrients depending on the method you use to cook it? For example, the gentlest food preparation is steaming. Well, even steamed broccoli loses 11% of its antioxidants.
By comparison, if you microwave it with a little water, broccoli loses 97% of its beneficial antioxidants!
We agree, buying frozen fruit saves time and money.
You could even say that frozen fruits are a healthy alternative to fresh fruits, because the freezing process retains their nutrients.
Indeed, the fruits begin to lose their nutrients as soon as they are picked.
As a result, frozen fruit that comes from another region may have a higher nutrient content than fresh fruit picked close to home.
This is because fresh fruit spends time in warehouses, then in transport, and finally in stalls. And with each step, their nutrient content decreases.
Russian scientists studied the thawing of frozen fruit in the 1970s. They discovered that thawing fruit with a microwave oven transforms certain components (glucoside and galactoside).
Indeed, these components, beneficial to the body, become carcinogenic when thawed in the microwave.
The Russians researched microwave ovens extensively until the early 1990s. Their research concluded that microwaves have a significant impact on the immune system.
Conclusion, the best way to thaw fruit is to thaw it in the open air or in the refrigerator.
Microwave ovens that do not have a turntable can cause uneven heat distribution when cooking and defrosting.
Meat is a difficult food to thaw in a microwave oven. Why ? This is because the process takes so long that the meat may start to cook.
The outer portion of the meat cooks to an unappetizing brown color — while the inner portion has not thawed.
When the temperature of the meat is between 5°C and 60°C, it favors the development of bacteria and micro-organisms. If you don't cook the meat quickly after defrosting it, it becomes a veritable breeding ground for bacteria.
In addition, Japanese scientists have discovered that meat cooked for more than 6 minutes loses half of its vitamin B12 content.
The best way to thaw your meat is to put it in the fridge before you go to bed. You can also thaw it with cold water, but this is not very ecological.
Discover another trick to defrost your meat.
If you buy take-out meals, beware of those in plastic containers or wrapped in plastic wrap.
The general rule is that you should never microwave food in contact with plastic. Why ? This is because heating food in plastic is carcinogenic.
Heating these plastic wrappers and containers can release harmful chemicals directly into your meals and food.
Here are some examples of chemicals that can be derived from plastic:bisphenol A (BPA), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), benzene, toluene, and xylene.
We can also make a connection with the problems related to breast milk, mentioned above.
We quickly realize that putting baby milk in the microwave and in a plastic container is a bad idea.
Despite manufacturers' innovations and improvements, reheating food with a microwave oven is a solution of last resort.
The ideal is to prepare meals the “traditional” method and eliminate (or at least reduce) our use of the microwave.
