Microwaves and food molecules- does the structure change?

Question

I have heard that microwaving your food changes it and robs nutrients, I have also heard that it saves nutrients that get lost with conventional cooking- which is true?

Answer 1

Microwave cooking is very dangerous and should always be avoided. Here is one of many links explaining why:

http://www.relfe.com/microwave.html

Answer 2

The radiation used in microwaves is absorbed almost entirely by water. Things like sugar and oil heat only very slowly in the microwave oven. Some damage to food molecules will occur on heating in a microwave, but food molecules are also damaged by heating using conventional heat sources. If you don't like microwave ovens then don't use them, but remember that they have been in wide use in the US for more than 30 years, if there were really something wrong with them it would be apparent by now.

Answer 3

I am a former chef from Canada and I have been using a microwave at home and professionally for over 20 years, as microwaves heat the food from the inside out, changing is not an issues, as the foods heated that is what cooks it, and any one who is still preaching doom and gloom about microwave is still in the horse and buggy age, grow up??

It actual keeps the nutrients and flavours in, as boiled foods and baked are robbing them of the vitamins because of the intense heat.

Now they are using a form of microwave to treat foods like meat and vegetable to kill bacteria and food bourne diseases, so now you don't know if your food has been nuke before you buy it, there are not health effects or it would be more known.

Answer 4

Microwaves are not going to hurt your food. Often doesn't taste as good, especially meat. But meat that is exposed to very high heat like broiling is supposed to be bad for you too. I know people who think the " radiation" from microwave ovens stays in the food and will cause mutations. Bunk. Microwaves are just high frequency radio waves.
Microwave ovens have been shown to actually preserve vitamins in veggies compared to boiling. No water to leach them out, shorter cooking time.
By the way, the ovens have been in use for over fifty years. It was in the 1970's that they became available for home use, previously the were too expensive and used in commercial kitchens.

Answer 5

...I don't know about molecular structure changing... but micro-waves do kill just about all the good nutrients in the food. As far as saving nutrients that are lost while conventional methods... I'd have to say no.

But, due to the 'unknown' about microwaves, it is best to avoid it. (...freezing and microwaving in plastic releases toxins...etc... google it.) BUT, I use them, and the food is good.

Answer 6

Well can not remember where I saw this but it got me thinking. For a science experiment a girl took two plants. Water one with distilled water and water the other with water that had been previously microwaved and then cooled down. The microwave water plant died!