The secret knowledge of the microwave

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Today, almost every home uses a microwave oven - they defrost and reheat food in it, prepare meals. We can no longer imagine life without this wonderful device and, it would seem, have thoroughly studied it. But still, there are some non-obvious ways to use it, as well as a number of products that are not recommended to be put in the microwave.

How does a microwave oven work

This miracle device was invented by the American engineer Percy Spencer back in 1945, while experimenting with a magnetron. Two years later, the first microwave oven was produced by Raytheon and was used for military needs. Serial production of household microwaves was launched by Sharp only in 1962. In the Soviet Union, microwave ovens began to be produced in the 80s.

The microwave warms food thanks to high-frequency electromagnetic radiation, the waves of which penetrate 2.5 centimeters inside the food and work not only on the surface, but throughout the entire volume. As a result, the heating time is noticeably shortened.

Foods with a high water content heat up faster. Microwaves are absorbed by water molecules, causing them to vibrate. Moving, the molecules collide with each other, and as a result of their friction, the product heats up. There has been a lot of controversy about the harm of microwaves to humans, but official evidence has never been obtained.

What should not be put in the microwave

Everyone knows that you cannot use metal dishes in the microwave, as well as any other that has metal spraying. The heating of the food occurs as a result of the absorption of electromagnetic waves by them. The metal reflects them, which can lead to damage to the device.

Foods with too high water content and tightly wrapped should not be placed in the microwave oven.

Foods with too high water content and tightly wrapped should not be placed in the microwave oven. These include eggs or tomatoes. Due to the increase in temperature, the volume of the product increases sharply, the shell bursts and its contents scatter in all directions.

It is important to remember that any heat treatment leads to the destruction of nutrients, especially in vegetables and fruits. In this sense, the microwave oven is even more destructive than other types of cooking. Such a delicate product as broccoli is especially sensitive to its effects - heating a vegetable in a microwave oven leads to almost complete destruction of its nutrients.

Electromagnetic radiation has a negative effect on defrosting fruits, converting the glucoside (derived from glucose) and galactoside contained in them into carcinogenic substances. The same thing happens when garlic is heated - a minute's treatment can reduce its ability to destroy carcinogens in the mammary gland.

Heating in a microwave oven at low temperatures significantly affects the properties of breast milk, increasing the content of E. coli and decreasing the activity of lysozyme, an enzyme with antibacterial properties that prevents bacteria from multiplying.

Meat is also not worth defrosting in the microwave. As a rule, it takes 15-30 minutes to thaw a large piece, and while its middle is thawed, the edges have time to “bake”. At the moment when the temperature of the outer layers of meat reaches 60 ° C, bacteria begin to actively multiply in them. If meat is not cooked immediately after defrosting, it will become a breeding ground for germs. In addition, with prolonged exposure to electromagnetic waves, vitamin B12 is destroyed in meat.

It is not recommended to reheat food in plastic containers or cling film, because when heated some toxic substances pass from plastic to food, poisoning them.

Unusual ways to use the microwave

In addition to its direct purpose - cooking and heating food, the microwave can be used in unexpected ways. For example, it can be used to disinfect kitchen utensils in order to clean them after contact with meat. Add lemon juice or table vinegar to the water and soak a dishwashing sponge with it; Rinse the remaining meat off the plastic board and rub it with half a lemon. Scroll the items in the microwave for 1 minute.

With the help of a microwave oven, it is convenient to melt honey, it is enough to heat it at an average temperature of 30-60 seconds. Also, butter and lump sugar melt easily (you first need to drip water on it).

In a microwave oven, yeast dough is ready in just 15 minutes! Place the dough in a large bowl and cover with a plastic lid, remember to place a small cup of water next to it. At the lowest temperature, run the appliance for three minutes, then, without removing the dough, pause for three minutes, turn on the oven again for six minutes, and then take a six-minute break.

The microwave oven is able to give freshness to slightly outdated foods. For example, ground spices and seasonings that have been heated at high power for thirty seconds will smell stronger. If stale bread is wrapped in a paper towel and heated for one minute, it will become soft again.

If stale bread is wrapped in a paper towel and heated for one minute, it will become soft again.

To peel almonds or walnuts quickly and easily, place them in boiling water and heat at full power. Thirty seconds is enough for almonds, and four to five minutes for walnuts.

The oven can also be used for drying. Microwaved crackers will roast four times faster - just spread them out on a platter and heat them at maximum temperature for two to three minutes, turning them over from time to time. To dry the zest of an orange or lemon, just spread it out on a napkin and warm it up for two minutes at full power, stirring occasionally. If, after cooling, the zest becomes dry and brittle, transfer it to a tightly sealed container. Greens, vegetables, nuts can be dried in the same way.

And it is also great to fry the seeds in the microwave - in small quantities, in six approaches for one minute, stirring quickly each time.