Microwaves: practical or dangerous?
If you have to go fast in the kitchen, if you're working or are under time pressure, you might use a microwave. However, all sorts of rumors about health damage have been entwining for years around this practical kitchen helper. Again and again there were bad news in the press about allegedly dangerous rays from microwave ovens. But what is actually on such news and how dangerous to health are microwaves really?
Practical and versatile microwave
It is convenient to not only defrost and reheat special ready-to-serve meals in the microwave, but even to cook fresh food with the versatile appliance. Modern microwaves are technically so sophisticated that even scrambled eggs and a crunchy pizza can be prepared. In single households, the fast microwave often replaces the oven and stove. The fast kitchen helper is loved because of its simplicity and speed. But where are the dangers of the microwave?
Leakage does not pose a health hazard
The fact is that leaked from the devices so-called leakage. It is a small amount of microwave radiation that does not penetrate the food. The majority of the high-frequency radiation is delivered directly to the food to be heated and there is no demonstrable damage. The leaking blast may be harmful to the eyes, critics say. According to the Federal Institute for Radiation Protection (BfS), however, the proportion is so low that there is no danger to health. In any case you should avoid, with the eyes very close to the disk in front of the microwave to check the cooking process. This is not necessary as the device will signal with a clear signal when the previously set cooking process is finished.
Magnetic fields around the microwave
In the past, critics of the microwave often considered the formation of magnetic fields around the devices harmful to the human organism. These are in fact, as the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) noted, above average pronounced. However, according to the FOPH, because of the short operating time of a microwave, there is no risk to human health. For very long cooking operations, the microwave, unlike, for example, an oven or casserole, anyway not provided.
Heating and cooking more gently than in a saucepan
In the opinion of nutritionists, heating and cooking food in the microwave is even more gentle than cooking or roasting. The process takes less time and largely preserves the nutrients. Whatever the case, vitamins and the like never go down when heated, but more of them are destroyed when cooking in water than when cooking in the microwave. Significantly, according to the experts, is the correct handling of the device. Heating in the microwave too long destroys the nutrients as when cooking, and inadequate heating does not reliably kill germs in the food. The prescribed cooking time must therefore be meticulously met with every dish.
Pros and cons the microwave
All in all, according to consistent research by scientists, the harmful effects of microwaves can no longer be asserted. At best, scalding is caused by scalding due to overheated food and improper removal from the appliance. The nutrients are even better preserved with optimal setting of the device than with prolonged boiling in water. Only the emission of leakage radiation and the creation of a magnetic field around the device are indisputable facts. However, these are so small that according to scientific studies a danger to humans does not exist. However, if you want to be on the safe side, as a precaution, do not stay in the immediate vicinity of the switched-on device. Otherwise, there is nothing to prevent the healthy and nutrient-preserving preparation of food in the microwave.
