The Red Microwave.com

What Not To Cook In Microwaves

The microwave is an essential part of every kitchen now. Working women and people living alone swear by it, blessing the man who invented one of the greatest inventions of the twentieth century. Microwaves help to cook food very fast, increasing efficiency and convenience and above all saving time, money and energy. They penetrate through the glass or ceramic container and act on the food molecules to make them vibrate enough to create heat. This heat caused by the friction inside, helps to cook food. Thus food cooks in itself and does not get cooked by the additives like oil or water. It is the prefect way to cook vegetables, meats, desserts, bake, roast, steam and reheat. It is quick, saves energy, effort and makes life simpler a hundred times over. The biggest asset of the microwave is it is one cooking appliance even children can use without any fear of getting burnt.

However, since the microwaves internally act on the food molecules and get them to vibrate violently, a handful of things cannot be cooked in them. This is more from the safety aspect to prevent accidents and mishaps. Microwaves deliver the best results if used according to the guidelines prescribed by the manufacturers. This is because a lot of research carried out over a number of years, has gone into compiling these guidelines, and the customer’s safety is paramount. Some of them are listed below.

What not to put in the microwave for cooking

• Eggs. These if placed in the microwave without breaking the shell, will explode.
• Shell fish like prawn, lobster, crab and other similar seafood.
• Whole chicken or turkey because these are too thick and dense and it will take a far too long a time for the microwaves to penetrate the depth of the bird and cook it completely. This may leave some of the bacteria unexposed to heat and this may not be safe for eating then.
• Do not attempt to fry anything in the microwave by putting lots of oil in a bowl, it does not bring the best results
• Bottles with lids closed and containers with lids closed firmly will burst open or explode.
• Vegetables and fruits with tight skins will burst as well.

Solutions and Alternatives

• Eggs if need to be cooked in the microwave for lack of an alternate way of cooking them, can be cracked, emptied into a glass bowl and be poached.
• Shelled foods can be cooked by piercing the shell so that there is an outlet for steam. This will prevent food from exploding.
• Whole chicken and turkey may not be a good idea to cook, but they can be cut into four pieces or more.
• Frying can be substituted with saut?ing.
• Bottles can be placed with lids open and containers with some opening or lid partially open.
• Vegetables and fruits with tight skins only need a partial slit or being pricked by a fork.