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Additional information related specifically to microwave cooking

Why I have included this information

It can be scary hearing all the stories out there about microwave cooking.

I have been cooking in my microwave for over fifteen years and have heard just about every story you can think of.

The following points are intended to inform those who have concerns about the effects of microwave cooking on food and human health with information based on 30 years of study and research.

One of the articles that started the fears

In a 1994 article entitled, The Hidden Hazards of Microwave Cooking, the author suggests that the process of microwaving food poses a serious health risk to humans. It claims microwave cooking causes “severe molecular damage” in food and when consumed causes “abnormal” changes in human blood and immune systems.

What Research Has Proven

1. Microwave ovens heat food by oscillating waves of energy through food at a rate of 2450 million times per second. As these waves pass through food, water and fat molecules generate heat caused by the friction produced by the waves. It is this friction that heats the food.

2. Heating baby formula in a microwave oven poses a risk due to the potential for the temperature to exceed an acceptable level for consumption by an infant. Microwaves tend to heat the upper area of the liquid more than the lower area. As a result, there can develop hot spots in the formula. It is recommended that consumers shake the bottle thoroughly and check the temperature before giving it to a child.

3. Glass, paper and plastic are considered to be “transparent” to the microwave energy and cannot generate heat. Thus, the only way plastic containers can become heated is through food-contact. Conventional cooking in an oven happens just the opposite way. The hot air heats everything in the oven, including the container that holds the food.

4. A microwave oven heats food in a more energy efficient manner than conventional cooking. In fact, some methods of conventional cooking can increase the presence of theoretically harmful substances, some of which are known to be mutagenic or even carcinogenic. There is no credible scientific evidence to support the conclusion that cooking in a microwave alters the molecular structure of food cells, thus reducing the nutritional value of food any more than conventional cooking.

5. The Food and Drug Administration, one of the world’s most respected regulatory bodies, has conducted research on microwaves to assure that consumers would be safe. For 30 years, microwave ovens have been in use. More than 90% of American households now use microwave cooking to prepare food for their families - keep in mind heating food is widely considered an effective way of eliminating harmful organisms.