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Title: Microwave Ovens: The Facts
Author: Alex Daniels
Article:
In today's society, microwave ovens have become ubiquitous. We
have embraced this means of technology as a necessary part of
our lives. How could we ever warm up that cup of coffee or soup
if we did not have a microwave?
Some people might not recall that life did exist before the
microwave. When the microwave oven first was introduced many
people thought that all this radiation going around penetrating
food to cook it was somewhat frightening and that eating it just
had to be unhealthy somehow. How could a mother heat up her
infant's formula with the contamination of the microwaves? The
horror!
Today most people own microwaves and many cannot imagine life
without one. As time passed though, people came around and
recognized the innovative microwave oven as a welcome addition
to the home. When it came Thanksgiving and they could warm up
all those leftovers quickly -- it was pretty awesome.
Some basic facts about microwave cooking
* In a microwave oven, food may be heated for so short a time
that it is cooked unevenly, since heat requires time to diffuse
through food, and microwaves only penetrate to a limited depth.
Microwave ovens are frequently used for reheating previously
cooked food, and bacterial contamination may not be killed if
the safe temperature is not reached, resulting in food borne
illness.
* A second problem is due to food composition and geometry, and
must be addressed by the cook, who should arrange the food so
that it absorbs energy evenly, and periodically test and shield
any parts of the food that overheat. In some materials with low
thermal conductivity, where dielectric constantly increases with
temperature, microwave heating can cause localized thermal
runaway. Uneven heating in frozen foods is an example. Ice
absorbs the microwave much slower than liquid water. Defrost in
the microwave to bring your food to the same temperature. The
cooking will be a much better even temperature.
Some dangers:
* Liquids, when hated in a microwave oven in a container with a
smooth surface, can superheat; that is, reach temperatures that
are a few degrees in temperature above their normal boiling
point, without actually boiling. The boiling process can start
explosively when the liquid is disturbed, such as when the
operator removes the container from the oven and a steam burn is
the result. A common myth is that only distilled water will do
this; this is not true.
* Putting anything metal in the microwave is still dangerous for
it will conduct the radiation from the metal. Some cases have
been documented where Chinese food warmed in the oven with its
metal handle have caused microwave fires.
* Homemade microwave popcorn bags have been sealed using a metal
staple, which is then heated and sets fire to the bag. This type
of accident can pose a dangerous situation because of the
extremely flammable mixture of popcorn and oil in the bag.
* Metal wire-containing twist ties are notorious for microwave
sparking. Thus, it is a good practice to remove any
metal-containing objects from a microwave oven.
What about Radiation?
* In the United States of America Microwave ovens produced after
1971 must meet the Food and Drug Administration safety
requirements for radiation leakage; less that 5 mW/cm2 at 5 cm
from the surface of the oven. This is far below the exposure
level that is currently considered to be harmful to human health.
* The radiation produced by a microwave oven is non-ionizing. As
such, it does not have the cancer risks associated with ionizing
radiation such as X-rays, ultraviolet light, and nuclear
radioactive decay. Any cancer risk from microwave oven would
necessarily occur by an unknown mechanism.
Following the instructions supplied by the manufacturer is the
safest way to determine if your microwave is safe. Whether there
will be a long term effect or not is hard to measure until the
test of time. The information supplied at this time is that it
is relatively safe if it is used correctly.
So the bottom line is that there is a slightly different skill
to using a microwave oven instead of a conventional oven, and
there are some fire-hazards to consider -- but we're all smart
enough not to put a box of tissues in a conventional oven, we
just need to get used to thinking of metal as a fire hazard in a
microwave.
And the radiation thing is totally busted. Microwave radiation
causes liquid water to heat up and not much else. Being inside a
microwave that was cooking would be a bad thing, but the same
could be said for a conventional oven. From the outside, they're
equally safe.
About the author:
Alex consults for Metro Guardian, a retailer of commercial-grade
<a href="http://www.metroguardian.net/shop/">leather repair</a>
products for clothing and furniture, as well as <a
href="http://www.metroguardian.net/shop/leather-cleaner-c-1.html"
>leather cleaner</a>.
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