Since the 1980s, microwave ovens have entered the homes of ordinary people. Using microwave ovens to cook or reheat food is convenient and fast, and has become an indispensable tool in daily eating and living. However, with the improvement of people’s health awareness, many people worry that if microwave ovens are used to cook and heat food, will the microwaves leak and will the nutrients in the food be affected?
As long as the electrical appliance is not damaged, it will not cause microwave leakage
Microwaves are electromagnetic radiation similar to radio waves and infrared rays. Microwave ovens use microwaves to efficiently cook, defrost and heat food.
As far as the microwave oven itself is concerned, both the microwave leakage prevention technology and the production process of the product itself can limit the microwave leakage to less than 10 watts/square meter. For qualified microwave oven products, if they are not damaged during use, they will not cause microwave leakage.
There is not enough evidence that microwave cooking causes cancer
In 2013, the results released by the China Household Electrical Appliances Research Institute at the “Influence of Microwave Cooking on Food Safety and Nutrition” research results conference showed that under the premise of reasonable cooking, as long as the temperature and heating time are well controlled, the molecules of food Structural changes are harmless.
There is not enough evidence to support the claim that microwave cooking may increase carcinogens or cause adverse mutagenesis in food. In the study of the biological effects of microwaves, so far there is no research result or evidence that microwaves can induce gene mutations in animals and plants.
Vegetables and fruits lose fewer vitamins and chlorophyll when microwaved
The National Institute of Household Electrical Appliances, together with a national professional food testing organization, compared the nutritional components of food cooked with microwaves and open flames, including vitamins, fats, proteins, minerals, etc. The results showed that microwave cooking does not improve nutrition compared to traditional cooking. Component loss is faster and more severe.
At the same time, in terms of the protection of nutrients such as vitamins and minerals that are sensitive to heating time, the effect of microwave heating is obviously stronger than that of open flame heating. Studies have shown that when vegetables, fruits, and other foods are cooked with microwaves, the loss of vitamin C, flavonoids and chlorophyll is small when they reach the same central temperature because of the short heating time.
The loss of water-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin C and vitamin B, is related to the amount of water added to the cooking method. Microwave cooking can better retain water-soluble vitamins in food because no water is added or only a small amount of water is added.
Foods with n-3 unsaturated fatty acids are not recommended for microwave cooking
Specifically include: some fish, meat, egg yolk and other foods containing n-3 unsaturated fatty acids, as well as yogurt and other foods containing live bacteria will be affected by microwaves and their nutritional content will be destroyed. Therefore, it is not recommended to heat them in a microwave oven.
Any form of culinary processing, including heating and cooling, will cause changes in the physical properties, chemical composition, and nutritional characteristics of food. Therefore, it is necessary to choose food cooking methods reasonably and scientifically, so as to satisfy the color, and fragrance and at the same time absorb more nutrients in the food.
A few suggestions to keep in mind when using a microwave oven
- Carefully read the instruction manual, use the microwave oven scientifically and rationally, and choose the heating time and microwave power reasonably, not too long or too strong.
- Rotate and stir food during cooking to distribute heat evenly and avoid overcooking vegetables to reduce nutrient loss.
- Do not directly cook foods with hard shells or membranes, such as whole eggs without shells, quail eggs, and crispy sausages. When heating, remove the shell or cut a few knives or poke a few holes in the film to let the steam dissipate to prevent bursting or even explosion.
- Microwave heating itself does not have a sterilizing effect. It is recommended not to microwave food that has been heated overnight or stored for a relatively long time to avoid food-borne diseases.