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Microwave myths: Spanish consumer group OCU fact-checks this kitchen staple
08/03/2022
MICROWAVES: Where would we be without them? Take away our hob, our oven, if you will, but don't touch this little cube-shaped object on the worktop that probably cost between €50 and €100 and without which we probably couldn't eat, except cold stuff like tortilla and salads.
Hard to believe they were not even mainstream until 30 or 35 years ago, and that many older and middle-aged adults resisted buying one – they'd managed decades of household life without one and never starved as a result.
Of course, urban myths would soon ensue once they started hitting the shelves – and, surprisingly, over a generation later, still abound. Turns out there's still a lot we didn't know about these must-have appliances that looked just like our TV sets until a decade ago when screens turned flat.
Luckily, one of Spain's leading consumer organisations, the OCU, is here to unravel the mysteries that have hung around microwaves since the beginning of the 1990s.
“Electrical appliances sold in Spanish shops are, in general, very safe, because they'll have passed through rigorous quality control processes,” the OCU assures.
It also lists what's true and false in a handy little guide just released.
Does the radiation from a microwave affect the food being cooked?
“No. It's one of the most common myths about microwaves, and it's completely false,” stresses the OCU.
“The radiation emitted simply causes molecules to vibrate, which produces heat and warms up the food, but does not modify the atoms or turn food radioactive.”
So you won't suddenly turn green and nobody will be able to see your insides at a glance. What a relief.
And there's no truth in the rumour that cooking in a microwave destroys the vitamins and nutrients in the food in a way that would not occur with baking, roasting, grilling or frying, according to the OCU – almost the opposite, in fact, given that cooking time is reduced by using a microwave, meaning the good qualities in foodstuffs are less likely to be eroded by long-term exposure to heat.
That said, some nutrient loss is inevitable through heating, but not all foods can be eaten uncooked and some are actually healthier for you after cooking than when raw.
Do the micro-waves that give the microwave its name leak out of the appliance?
“This is also false. If the appliance is in a good condition, the waves cannot filter through the 'walls' or the grate or mesh on the door,” the OCU explains.
“During our latest research, we measured the emissions from microwaves, and the values found were practically nil.
“And in fact, if the appliance is broken or has holes in it or 'leaks', the waves emitted into the open air very quickly lose their intensity, meaning there's no danger from them.”
Microwaving mobile phones (really?!)
One bit of potentially perilous 'fake news' that has been doing the rounds for a while is that if you put your mobile phone inside the microwave, if it rings without being called, it means the appliance is leaking radiation and is unsafe.
The dangerous part here is that those who follow these 'instructions' might believe you have to turn the microwave on for it to work.
Microwaving your phone is not advisable or safe, and calling your mobile whilst it's inside a closed microwave which is not in motion proves nothing.
Has anybody actually fallen for this one? Surely it can't be true?
“No. It's absolute rubbish,” says the OCU.
Filters: To clean or not to clean?
“Very few microwaves actually have any type of filter,” the OCU reveals.
“They normally have an extractor fan built in, on the 'ceiling' above the cooking plate.
“If you do have one of these, we recommend you clean it now and again, but always follow the instructions for doing so in the manual that came with the appliance.”
Make sure you keep the manual somewhere you'll remember, then – and especially keep it, and the box and receipt, for the first three years after purchase, since it'll still be under guarantee and you might need it if the appliance breaks down.
Is it true you shouldn't put plastic in the microwave?
“That is, actually, true,” says the OCU.
“Not all containers can be used in the microwave.
“Unless the instructions on the food packet say it should be placed in the microwave in its existing plastic container, or you're using a bowl or plate that's specifically marked as microwave-safe, you shouldn't put plastic in it when heating food, as particles from this material can migrate into the food itself during the warming process.”
In the case of, for example, plastic cups or polystyrene, microwaving them will cause them to melt, leaking plastic particles all over the food, and giving off toxic fumes, says the OCU, so they should never be warmed in these appliances.
Boiling water in the microwave: Is it dangerous?
Not so much in terms of blowing the appliance up, clearly not in terms of radiation, but if your kettle breaks and you're gasping for a cuppa, it's best not to put a cup of cold water in the microwave to heat up. A new kettle can probably be found at a local electrical appliance shop, hypermarket or Chinese bazaar, and will set you back about €10 to €20, so it's best to just replace it.
“When water boils in the microwave, you don't tend to get the same type of bubbles as you would when boiling in a kettle or on a hob,” says the OCU.
“This means that when you stir it or add anything to it [like a teabag], the bubbles can shoot up very suddenly and violently and send boiling water splattering everywhere – you're likely to scald yourself.”
Other stuff you shouldn't heat in a microwave
At best pointless and messy, and possibly a scalding hazard, eggs should not be boiled in a microwave – however tempting it is if the gas bottle supplying your hob has just run out at the very moment you fancy a plateful of yolk-dipped soldiers. Microwaves heat food from the inside, and steam accumulates inside the shell, explains the OCU, meaning the eggs can explode whilst being warmed up – a cleaning nightmare and a waste of an egg – or, worse, do so as you take them out, covering you in boiling yolk. Ouch.
Leafy vegetables such as spinach or lettuce (yes, you can cook lettuce, many recipes involving warmed lettuce are out there, and it takes on a pleasantly-exotic flavour midway between bean-sprouts and spinach) should not be heated dry. If you microwave them, make sure they're in a certain amount of water, since otherwise they shrivel up and can produce sparks, which might cause a fire, the OCU says.
The same applies with grapes, which can explode either during heating or as you remove them, and which can spark a fire if they are not in water.
Anything wooden, such as spoons, spatulas, rolling pins and so forth, should be kept out of the microwave, given the flammable nature of wood, according to the OCU.
The organisation also advises against cooking chicken in a microwave – this white meat needs to be thoroughly cooked to eliminate bacteria that can cause serious food poisoning, and microwave heat will not cook it uniformly or completely, inside and out. If it's cooked inside, it's likely to be overdone on the outside, and there could still be patches that are almost raw, which is dangerous to health if eaten.
Chilli peppers are not advisable for microwave heating, either, the OCU warns – the main problem here is the capsaicin content, the chemical which gives chillies their hot, spicy flavour. Capsaicin leaks out into the air inside the microwave during heating, and once you open the door, can cause you serious eye-burns or throat-burns.
And, of course, any element with metal, such as aluminium foil or plates or cups bordered with a metallic material, or standard metal cutlery, should be kept out of the microwave due to the sparks it sets off, as it creates a fire hazard.
When microwaving ready meals, potatoes and anything else where steam is likely to build up inside, pierce the container lid, or the potato skin, with a fork to release the pressure during cooking and prevent a messy explosion.
Related Topics
MICROWAVES: Where would we be without them? Take away our hob, our oven, if you will, but don't touch this little cube-shaped object on the worktop that probably cost between €50 and €100 and without which we probably couldn't eat, except cold stuff like tortilla and salads.
Hard to believe they were not even mainstream until 30 or 35 years ago, and that many older and middle-aged adults resisted buying one – they'd managed decades of household life without one and never starved as a result.
Of course, urban myths would soon ensue once they started hitting the shelves – and, surprisingly, over a generation later, still abound. Turns out there's still a lot we didn't know about these must-have appliances that looked just like our TV sets until a decade ago when screens turned flat.
Luckily, one of Spain's leading consumer organisations, the OCU, is here to unravel the mysteries that have hung around microwaves since the beginning of the 1990s.
“Electrical appliances sold in Spanish shops are, in general, very safe, because they'll have passed through rigorous quality control processes,” the OCU assures.
It also lists what's true and false in a handy little guide just released.
Does the radiation from a microwave affect the food being cooked?
“No. It's one of the most common myths about microwaves, and it's completely false,” stresses the OCU.
“The radiation emitted simply causes molecules to vibrate, which produces heat and warms up the food, but does not modify the atoms or turn food radioactive.”
So you won't suddenly turn green and nobody will be able to see your insides at a glance. What a relief.
And there's no truth in the rumour that cooking in a microwave destroys the vitamins and nutrients in the food in a way that would not occur with baking, roasting, grilling or frying, according to the OCU – almost the opposite, in fact, given that cooking time is reduced by using a microwave, meaning the good qualities in foodstuffs are less likely to be eroded by long-term exposure to heat.
That said, some nutrient loss is inevitable through heating, but not all foods can be eaten uncooked and some are actually healthier for you after cooking than when raw.
Do the micro-waves that give the microwave its name leak out of the appliance?
“This is also false. If the appliance is in a good condition, the waves cannot filter through the 'walls' or the grate or mesh on the door,” the OCU explains.
“During our latest research, we measured the emissions from microwaves, and the values found were practically nil.
“And in fact, if the appliance is broken or has holes in it or 'leaks', the waves emitted into the open air very quickly lose their intensity, meaning there's no danger from them.”
Microwaving mobile phones (really?!)
One bit of potentially perilous 'fake news' that has been doing the rounds for a while is that if you put your mobile phone inside the microwave, if it rings without being called, it means the appliance is leaking radiation and is unsafe.
The dangerous part here is that those who follow these 'instructions' might believe you have to turn the microwave on for it to work.
Microwaving your phone is not advisable or safe, and calling your mobile whilst it's inside a closed microwave which is not in motion proves nothing.
Has anybody actually fallen for this one? Surely it can't be true?
“No. It's absolute rubbish,” says the OCU.
Filters: To clean or not to clean?
“Very few microwaves actually have any type of filter,” the OCU reveals.
“They normally have an extractor fan built in, on the 'ceiling' above the cooking plate.
“If you do have one of these, we recommend you clean it now and again, but always follow the instructions for doing so in the manual that came with the appliance.”
Make sure you keep the manual somewhere you'll remember, then – and especially keep it, and the box and receipt, for the first three years after purchase, since it'll still be under guarantee and you might need it if the appliance breaks down.
Is it true you shouldn't put plastic in the microwave?
“That is, actually, true,” says the OCU.
“Not all containers can be used in the microwave.
“Unless the instructions on the food packet say it should be placed in the microwave in its existing plastic container, or you're using a bowl or plate that's specifically marked as microwave-safe, you shouldn't put plastic in it when heating food, as particles from this material can migrate into the food itself during the warming process.”
In the case of, for example, plastic cups or polystyrene, microwaving them will cause them to melt, leaking plastic particles all over the food, and giving off toxic fumes, says the OCU, so they should never be warmed in these appliances.
Boiling water in the microwave: Is it dangerous?
Not so much in terms of blowing the appliance up, clearly not in terms of radiation, but if your kettle breaks and you're gasping for a cuppa, it's best not to put a cup of cold water in the microwave to heat up. A new kettle can probably be found at a local electrical appliance shop, hypermarket or Chinese bazaar, and will set you back about €10 to €20, so it's best to just replace it.
“When water boils in the microwave, you don't tend to get the same type of bubbles as you would when boiling in a kettle or on a hob,” says the OCU.
“This means that when you stir it or add anything to it [like a teabag], the bubbles can shoot up very suddenly and violently and send boiling water splattering everywhere – you're likely to scald yourself.”
Other stuff you shouldn't heat in a microwave
At best pointless and messy, and possibly a scalding hazard, eggs should not be boiled in a microwave – however tempting it is if the gas bottle supplying your hob has just run out at the very moment you fancy a plateful of yolk-dipped soldiers. Microwaves heat food from the inside, and steam accumulates inside the shell, explains the OCU, meaning the eggs can explode whilst being warmed up – a cleaning nightmare and a waste of an egg – or, worse, do so as you take them out, covering you in boiling yolk. Ouch.
Leafy vegetables such as spinach or lettuce (yes, you can cook lettuce, many recipes involving warmed lettuce are out there, and it takes on a pleasantly-exotic flavour midway between bean-sprouts and spinach) should not be heated dry. If you microwave them, make sure they're in a certain amount of water, since otherwise they shrivel up and can produce sparks, which might cause a fire, the OCU says.
The same applies with grapes, which can explode either during heating or as you remove them, and which can spark a fire if they are not in water.
Anything wooden, such as spoons, spatulas, rolling pins and so forth, should be kept out of the microwave, given the flammable nature of wood, according to the OCU.
The organisation also advises against cooking chicken in a microwave – this white meat needs to be thoroughly cooked to eliminate bacteria that can cause serious food poisoning, and microwave heat will not cook it uniformly or completely, inside and out. If it's cooked inside, it's likely to be overdone on the outside, and there could still be patches that are almost raw, which is dangerous to health if eaten.
Chilli peppers are not advisable for microwave heating, either, the OCU warns – the main problem here is the capsaicin content, the chemical which gives chillies their hot, spicy flavour. Capsaicin leaks out into the air inside the microwave during heating, and once you open the door, can cause you serious eye-burns or throat-burns.
And, of course, any element with metal, such as aluminium foil or plates or cups bordered with a metallic material, or standard metal cutlery, should be kept out of the microwave due to the sparks it sets off, as it creates a fire hazard.
When microwaving ready meals, potatoes and anything else where steam is likely to build up inside, pierce the container lid, or the potato skin, with a fork to release the pressure during cooking and prevent a messy explosion.
Related Topics
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