Whats Cooking

Michael Sheridan


Despite the fact that microwave cookers have been with us for over 30 years, they still tend to be treated as a secondary method of cooking in many kitchens.

Part of the reason for this stems from some ill-informed comment made about them when they first appeared, much of which persists to this day and is still often repeated by those who should know better.

First of all it’s important to understand that microwave cookery is perfectly safe. In fact, it’s probably the safest form of cooking, given that the oven never heats up and has no sharp edges. You cannot burn or cut yourself on a microwave oven.

Food is cooked by exactly the same source of power that is found in sunlight; i.e. short waves of electro-magnetic energy that, in the case of a microwave oven, are converted from electricity. And although this can be described as a form of radiation it is not, as some people seem to think, radioactive.

On the contrary, this is the same short-wave energy that is used in TV sets, some medical equipment and even FM radio. It’s also found in ordinary light bulbs, sun lamps and fluorescent tubes.

It cooks food because the microwaves are attracted by water molecules as well as those of fat and sugar. In turn, it causes them to vibrate, creating friction and therefore heat. It’s a process not unlike someone rubbing his, or her, hands together.

In many cases, only a part of the food is cooked in this way because the microwaves only penetrate up to a depth of about 5cm. Heat is spread to the rest of the food by convection and distribution, which is why stirring the food is important, as well as leaving it to stand for a few minutes after the oven switches off.

The speed with which microwaves cook has also given rise to the idea that they are unable to change the appearance of food and in particular that they fail to brown meat.

The truth is that most of the time meat is cooked before it has time to brown. This is particularly true of poultry and small joints. Using cooking bags can help to overcome this problem – if that’s what it is – as well as ‘painting’ with soy sauce, paprika, butter and the like.

On the plus side, meat cooked in the microwave will remain moist and succulent, retaining most of its nutrients, which in turn will give rise to enhanced flavor.

Vegetables, too, will benefit from the rapid cooking in very little water, which keeps both their color and their nutrients intact.

In short the microwave is not just for reheating leftovers and cooking TV dinners. It has a respectable place in any modern kitchen and has many benefits to offer, not the least being the fact that, while it may not entirely replace a conventional oven, it is a lot cheaper to buy, economically far superior and a good deal more versatile.

Ron Garner


Foods that have been subjected to microwave radiation are dangerous to our health. Microwave ovens heat food with high-frequency microwaves that force water molecules to heat up by violently vibrating them. This causes a fracturing of the molecules, and a rearrangement of the chemical composition of the food.

Besides irradiating food, electromagnetic fields and invisible microwave emissions can bypass the built-in shielding in microwave ovens, and can leak through aging door seals, allowing them to travel to other rooms of the house.

The history of microwave ovens dates back to World War II, when the Nazis began research and development of these devices. They were searching for ways to overcome the logistical problems of producing edible food in a short time, and to be able to reduce the amount and bulk of cooking fuels that would be required to support their planned operations for the military invasion of Russia.

At the end of the war, the United States’ War Department and the Soviet Union obtained the German microwave research and some of the devices. They took them home for further study.

Adding to the German research from the early forties, the Russians continued to research the biological effects of microwave ovens and microwave-cooked food. Their findings led them, in 1976, to issue an international warning concerning the biological and environmental dangers of using such ovens and similar electronic frequency devices.

German and Russian researchers found that cooking food with microwaves: Produces cancer causing agents. Destroys nutritive values. Reduces the food’s vital energy field content by 60-90%.

Humans who had direct exposure to microwaves but had not eaten irradiated food experienced:

Long term cumulative loss of vital energies. Destabilized metabolism. Cell damage. Degeneration of electrical nerve impulses. Nervous and lymphatic systems damage. Hormone destabilization. Brainwave disturbances. Psychological disorders.

Conclusions on the effects of eating irradiated food included:

Long term permanent brain damage. Alteration or loss of hormone production. Permanent damage within the human body. Stomach and intestinal tumors. Increase of cancer cells in human blood. Immune system deficiencies. Loss of memory, concentration, emotional instability, and a decrease of intelligence.

The use of microwave ovens is almost universal in restaurants and homes in North America. Considering the foregoing information, it is likely that serious damage at the human cellular level is being wrought throughout the western world.

Yet, as with many other aspects of our food, medicines, and environment, the cumulative effects of microwaves are gradual; when the onset of illness occurs, it is very hard to make the connection with the original cause.

For these reasons, in my opinion, the use of microwave ovens, and eating food and drinks that have been heated in them, is not advised.

Palak Agarwal


At the very outset, to know whether the microwave oven cooked food is safer to use or not, you need to have a clear knowledge of what microwave radiation is. They are a form of ‘electromagnetic’ radiation, that is, they are waves of electrical and magnetic energy moving together.

Microwaves used in these ovens are similar to the microwaves used in radar equipment and in telephone, television and radio communications. They are in the non-ionizing range of electromagnetic radiation, which are very different from ionizing radiation. Ionizing radiation includes the dangerous X-rays, gamma rays, and cosmic rays and is extremely toxic, powerful and penetrating. But again, non-ionizing radiation is what’s used for microwave ovens and cellular telephone devices.

Coming to its cooking qualities, they are convenient for cooking as they pass through glass, paper and plastic and are absorbed by food, producing heat that can reheat or cook the food. Moreover, there are no signs that microwave cooking reduces the nutritional value of food, in fact, some experts believe that microwave cooking may preserve more of the vitamins in food because it cooks food more quickly, leaving less time for the heat to break down the vitamins, and uses less water, which can leach out the vitamins.

Many people are concerned with being exposed to a microwave oven’s radiation. There are studies on the effects of microwave cooking that show both positive and negative effects on food, just as there are current studies on the dangerous effects of radiation from cell phones. So the bottom line is to learn how to use them safely and also follow some safety tips:

- follow the manufacturer’s instruction manual for recommended operating procedures and safety precautions for your own model.

- don’t operate an oven if the door does not close firmly or is bent, warped, or otherwise damaged.

- as an added safety precaution, don’t stand directly against an oven (and don’t allow children to do this) for long periods of time while it is operating.

- you should not heat water or liquids in the microwave ovens for excessive amount of time.

- microwave ovens can heat liquid and solid foods unevenly, leaving some cooler parts and some scalding hot spots. There are two dangers in this:

- Hot spots: Babies who have been given formula heated in a microwave oven have gotten bad mouth burns. For this reason, it is recommended not to heat milk for a baby in a microwave.

- Cold spots: Cooking meat in a microwave can lead to uncooked spots in which bacteria can survive. This can lead to food-borne illness. To thoroughly cook meat, it is safer to use traditional methods.

IC


What I like about healthy chicken recipes is that chicken meat is so versatile to cook with and there are just a multitude of ways that chicken may be used in recipes.

Although great care must be taken when handling chicken, using rubber gloves and disinfecting any area the chicken may have touched during preparation with bleach, it has to be one of the tastiest, containing low fat once skin is removed, and its main function is to provide protein. Chick may be roasted, fried, put in stir fry recipes, casseroles, eaten with almost anything and is low cal once the skin has been removed.

My favorite is chicken breasts, bones removed, easy to cook with Sharwood’s Tandori Butter Sauce and a multitude of healthy vegetables, apples, raisins, potatoes, red peppers, Spanish onions. It is an amazing Curried Sauce that just blends with the chicken breasts amazingly well. This can be done in a crock pot by cooking the breasts ahead in their juice, and one bay leaf and 1 tbsp of olive oil. When breasts are cooked, add Tandori Butter Sauce and your red peppers, potatoes chopped in cubes and Spanish onions and raisins and apples. Wow – this is my favorite healthy chicken recipe.

Aside from being lower in saturated fats then red meat, it is also a good source of Vitamin A, the B Vitamins and minerals. Remember when buying chicken to check for bruises, and very yellow skin – these birds have actually been fed colorants to make them look fat healthy. The best chicken for you to buy for healthy chicken recipes, is organically fed and range free grown. No pesticides and an proper anti-biotic-free fed bird. These can often be purchased at your favorite local meat shop, where you should know the practices of the butcher and grower etc.

Man birds are killed at 5 weeks to 5 months of age after being fed to fatten and given antibiotics in their foods. Much better than shopping at a department store for your precious white bird meat.

All poultry must be washed prior to cooking and your hands washed frequently during preparation as mentioned previously, but safety at all costs is important cooking healthy chicken recipes. Any knives, cutting boards, plates must also be bleached.

Chicken is cooked when leg joints move easily, or when meat pulls apart gently with a fork, when in casserole or crock pot. Note for healthy chicken recipes, remove skin prior to cooking and never refrigerate a stuffed chicken before cooking it stuffed poultry should be cooked at 325 F – lower temp will allow bacteria to multiply and higher temps may cook the outside but not the stuffing on the inside.

Once Healthy Chicken Recipe is cooked, savor the flavor. It is one of the better organically fed and grown tastes to experience.