Microwaves: Are they really unhealthy and what DO they use to heat/cook food?

Question

It seems as though I've heard that microwaves use radiation to heat/cook food, which would make sense given the whole "nuke" slang. I've also read that using plastic in a microwave is not good since they somehow cook the chemicals in the plastic in the food. (More recently, in the March issue of "Body and Soul" magazine.) Yum. Good eats.

Overall, from those two things I very rarely use my microwave except to melt my SmartBalance spread for air popped popcorn and occasionaly heating up coffee (which I have rarely since my pregnancy).

Anyway, I would just like some information out of curioisity. And, in case the topic ever comes up again with my husband's wife, I have better information. (She once told me that she does most of her cooking in the microwave. That just sounds lazy to me, too.)

Thank you.

Answer 1

Microwave Ovens do not use ionizing radiation. They use radio waves. The source of the radio waves in a Microwave Oven is a Magnetron. It produces short wavelength radio waves at approx. 2.4GHz.

Why 2.4GHz? It's the frequency that water resonates at. 2.4GHz radio waves makes the water molecules vibrate (resonate) very quickly, the produces heat, which cooks the food.

It's perfectly safe unless the door or case of the microwave oven is damaged.

Answer 2

there has been lots of debate on whether the food cooked in microwaves is less healthy. it has been said that radiation breaks down the vitamins and minerals in food. in this sense, food cooked in a microwave is essentially dead. other studies have shown that there is little to no difference in the vitamin/mineral content of food that has been microwaved as opposed to food that has been cooked by traditional methods.

it's true that the extreme heat of a microwave causes plastics to leech chemicals into the food which again, can be unhealthy. however; if you freeze food in plastic bags or containers the extreme cold also causes chemicals to leech into food. if you stick a cheap bottled water in the freezer overnight then let it defrost and drink it, you will notice a strange taste. this has to do with the quality of the plastic. cheap plastics tend to leech more. i assume this is the same with microwaving. when microwaving food in plastic containers, the better quality the plastic the safer the food.

Answer 3

Ok,
Theres radiation and radiation. Microwaves do use radiation to cook food but it is microwave radiation: the waves are on the "micro" scale - about a thousandth of a milllimetre in wavelength. These are smaller than radio waves (which are millimetres to metres long) and so can excite the particles in your food causing heat. There is no radioactivity in the nuclear power or bombs sense in them at all - in fact if you want a proper radioactive emitter, look no further than your smoke alarm (an alpha emmitter if i remember rightly), or (god please no!) your T.V which emits x-rays. The stuff that mutates genes and gives people super powers (or so I've seen in so many cool films) is much, much higher energy than anything your microwave oven can kick out, because your microwave oven has more in common with your domestic radio than a nuclear weapon or power station.

Check out http://home.howstuffworks.com/microwave.htm
for sensible non scaremongering stuff about it.

I'm vegetarian and like to eat healthy, but have absolutely no qualms about using a microwave - although they ruin anything that should be crispy and have a tendency to cook nice veg to death! The vegan/vegetarian militia irritate the hell out of me with this propaganda - sadly they are occsasionally right but most of it is lost within the masses of wrongness they usually spout in the name of furthering their cause.

as far as plasitc in microwaves goes, I'm not sure - I would be surprised if no-one had pointed out to the food manufacturers that the microwave safe packaging is poisonous though, but if you're still unsure, dont use it - its better to cook proper meals in proper dishes anyway and do away with the plastic crap that comes with most food anyhow :-)

Answer 4

First of all, the term 'radiation' includes EVERYTHING from AM radio waves (FM, TV, short wave, cell phones, police radios) to microwaves, to infared radiation, to visible light, to ultraviolet, X-rays, and the dreaded "nuclear" radiation that you think of when the word radiation is used. (although, I could spend another whole Yahoo.answer box on that subject.)

Microwave radiation is NOT nuclear radiation -- not even close. Please don't confuse the two.

Microwave ovens heat food by generating microwave radio energy. Water and oil molecules get excited by the very very short-wave radio waves and heat up. Yes, sometimes it gets so hot in certain portions of the oven that plastic melts, and some melted plastic is not too good for you.

If you are worried about stuff like that, then stick with ceramic (corning ware), glass, and other high-melt-temperature non-metals for heating your food in a microwave oven.

I usually don't actually cook meals in a microwave oven, but it is fantastic for quickly defrosting foods, heating up liquids, and leftovers, and as you mentioned, popping corn.
.

Answer 5

Oh lord...no, they don't use ionizing radiation, no they are not harmful, and they are fine for a lot of types of cooking. In fact, as someone who I'd assume is into energy conservation, you should like the microwave because it is the most energy efficient way to heat food by far.

The only fault of microwaves is that they aren't particularly good for cooking meat, something which you obviously aren't going to have to worry about.

Microwave radiation is not the same kind of radiation that is associated with radioactivity/nuclear reactions. A photon from the 2.4 Ghz magnetron powering your microwave has 1/1,000,000,000th of the quanta energy of even the weakest gamma photon. Microwaves cannot cause cancer, period. They can cause cataracts (in high doses), but you'd have to put your face inside of one while it was running to get that kind of dose (despite what someone's grandma thinks). Take a physics class to understand.

Answer 6

All cooking or heating uses radiation. While a conventional oven uses infrared radiation, microwave ovens uses radio waves. Neither is a lorm of ionizing radiation, which is the bad stuff you might be thinking of. And neither causes any residual effects in food (other than heat).

Answer 7

Microwaves do use radiation to fry the food, thats why you can't put metal in it. my parents were always freakin out about putting plastic in the microwave but generally as long as it is microwave safe it should be okay. Microwaves aren't generally bad for you, just don't stand in front of it when it's on, some raidation may leak out depending on the quality/age/condition of the microwave.

Answer 8

Basic microwave 101. There is a very tiny amount of radiation in the mechanical workings of your microwave used to create very small radio waves, hence MICRO - WAVE.
These very intense waves agitate the molecules in whatever U put in the microwave speeding them up, creating heat. The more moisture that is in wht U are cooking the quicker the heat up. Try this...put a fly in your microwave - won't hurt it a bit, very small mass and moisture. Don't try it with a cat, messy.

Answer 9

I read something about that also.Microwave sends heat of radiation to heat the food. just use it seldom. and remember never ever leave or put utensils an a microwave.

Answer 10

yes. you can be injured by a microwave if you stand to close to it due to radiation.