Microwave ovens

[Cup'O'Tea]

Actually boiling your vegetables tends to leech out the nutrients even more than than a microwave (unless you consume the water too). At least that's what I've heard. Try steaming instead. It's quicker than boiling any way because you don't have to wait for an entire pot of water to come to a boil, only a half inch instead.

I like that combo micro/convection oven Vegan Baby above mentioned. I sort of do that myself by first microwaving a food and then putting it in my toaster oven for a crispy coating. Quite good for things like frozen waffles (Trader Joes Banana are tops) and "baked" potatoes.
I suppose I'll have to learn to steam. Yeah - my family isn't exactly up to par with modern cooking technology.
Unfortunately I haven't found any Trader Joes products in Canada, but the oven sounds quite handy.

[Mahk]

Although I know they make dedicated gizmo's, I use one of these things in a covered pot with a small layer of boiling water just below it:
http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Z7F5P8ZRL._SS500_.jpg
You can find them in many kitchen supply stores or on Amazon as "stainless-steel expandable vegetable steamer" for under $10 USD.

[Roxy]

Seriously? That's what that thing is for!? I remember seeing one in my mother's saucepan cupboard, and not having the faintest idea of what it was for. Now I know lol. Thanks!

[Deadheadsam]

Most microwaveable meals can be heated in conventional ovens anyway!

[xwitchymagicx]

I very rarely use the things...I dislike them.

I have a vegetable steamer...I need to use it more...but I hardly ever boil veg on its own anyway. :confused:

[emzy1985]

I went without a microwave for a long long time and then recently my housemate brought one. It's just covienient to defrost things quickly or to heat up a can of beans or something if all the rings on the hob are in use. I very rarely use it as I love cooking tasty meals in my oven and on my hob. Microwaves are for convience only for me.

[Datransformer]

Microaves, destroies the nutritional value in all foods.
Same as using cellular phones, research indicates.
Infact, resent scientific research has shown, one can cook an egg by placing two high voltage cellular phones around the egg for about 15-30 minutes.

Your friend
D

[Mahk]

[QUOTE]Microaves, destroies the nutritional value in all foods.
Very true, as do all forms of cooking. That's partly why we have a raw food movement. Where exactly microwaves fall within the continuum from boiling (one of the worst) to steaming (one of the least damaging nutritionally) is unclear. Some of the "microwaves kill nutrients" studies cooked the vegetables half submerged in a puddle of water; That's boiling, not microwaving!


Same as using cellular phones, research indicates.
Infact, resent scientific research has shown, one can cook an egg by placing two high voltage cellular phones around the egg for about 15-30 minutes.

Your friend
D

An established hoax, so says the author of the original hoax, Charlie Ivermee:

http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/weblog/comments/3965/

http://gelfmagazine.com/archives/how_to_cook_an_egg_and_create_a_viral_sensation.ph p

http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_cook_egg_cell_phones.htm

If the two Russian scientists (well, actually, Pravda newspaper journalists) who claim that after an hour the outer part of the liquid white of their egg turned soft boiled weren't a hoax, then they may have partly cooked their egg by a strange mysterious energy called "heat". If you've ever had an hour long cell phone conversation, especially with one of the early models, you'll notice they can get quite warm. This is not the microwave energy building and building. They radiate the same amount of microwaves in the first second of your conversation as they do an hour later into your conversation. What's building and building is simple heat. Eggs don't need frying pan temperatures to partly cook. Ever hear of frying an egg on a car's hood (bonnet) or the sidewalk?
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41906000/jpg/_41906504_egg-pa.jpg
Notice her hand is leaning on the car!

[Datransformer]

Agreed, however, if what you are saying is correct, heat build up burns, does not destroy, or change the nature of the bodyfields, (magnetic fields).
Magnetic fields, emited from cell phones,(man created junk) does change, and alter the nature of brain waves and other body fields, alien to our energy field.

Your friend
D

[Risker]

That's very vague datransformer, could you be more specific, and possibly include a source for this information?

[Datransformer]

That's very vague datransformer, could you be more specific, and possibly include a source for this information?

Read, or research magnetic fields and how it interects within our bodies, the name is, chronobiology.
Man made fields are destructive to the nuclear cellular DNA.
Chronobiology, is the study of daily (circadian) and the study seasonal rhythms on human physiology and behaviour.
Do the walking and reading, we will talk soon.

your friend
D

[Risker]

I'll pass thanks. Still too vague for me.

[Datransformer]

I'll pass thanks. Still too vague for me.

(a)The word is, (man made magnetic fields)
(b) Chronobiology, how magnetic fields interrects within our bodies.
(c) The choice is yours, to leave the debate.

your friend
D

[crimson~noir]

I am using it less and less now but I will use them re heat meals (I cook large meals then re heat portions). Maybe one day I will dispense with it completely but not just yet.

[Datransformer]

Microwaves ? who wants it ? unless you have no desire to give your body a better way to stay away from hospitals and doctors. (have money? doctors and hospitals are going to love you, for as long as the money lasts).
Do this experiment for your self. Eat raw foods for seven days, and then eat foods cooked by the microwave for seven days.

D

[Risker]

You're yet to produce any evidence of your claims datransformer. Post some sources that microwaved food is any more damaging to your health than boiled/baked/grilled food.

[bryzee86]

(have money? doctors and hospitals are going to love you, for as long as the money lasts).
D

Hence the joy of the NHS...

[Datransformer]

Risker, your reply to my (do it yourself test, raw vs. microwave) speaks lots of your understanding, and not wanting to do the research yoursel.
You are either a promoter and sales man for microwave companies, or you can not tell the difference between, life vs petrified-foods.
There has and there are many scientific journals and other publications on this subject.
Two that comes to mind, and easy to understand.
(1) By Dr. Joseph Mercola, Proven Dangers of Microwaves.
(2) Health Freedom Resources, radiation ovens-the proven damages of microwaves.
Do a comparable research yourself, on yourself, Raw vs Microwaves Foods for seven days, until then, you are wasting you breath.

Datransformer

[Korn]

Hi Datransformer,

this is a discussion forum.

If you want to promote your viewpoints, please back up your opinions with actual data instead of just coming back and asking people to figure out what you mean and why you have the opinions you have (or - alternatively - switching the discussion into a personal thing possibly about being 'a promoter and sales man for microwave companies') etc.

What you mention are highly measurable facts (magnetic fields, radiation etc), the effect of radiation and magnetic fields isn't a vague, philosophical topic.

There are several studies that confirm that both traditional cooking and microwave heating of food will reduce the nutritional value of some nutrients (some of this information is already posted earlier in this thread) - and there are studies that confirm that microwave heating is more destructive to some nutrients than traditional cooking for some foods, but we are asking people to try to 'make sense' in our guidelines, and it's now three weeks ago someone asked you for more actual facts.



(a)The word is, (man made magnetic fields)
(b) Chronobiology, how magnetic fields interrects within our bodies.
(c) The choice is yours, to leave the debate.


If you want more discussion about magnetic fields or about chronobiological facts ("the branch of biology concerned with natural physiological rhythms and other cyclical phenomena") ...again: please bring those facts.

[Risker]

I was waiting for Mercola to be mentioned, there's a nice thread about him here (not that he hasn't been mentioned enough in this thread) - http://www.veganforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3136

And I take it this is the other article you are referring to? - http://www.laleva.cc/environment/microwave.html

Both these articles and there authors have been previously discussed in this very thread and both have proven to be highly unreliable sources for information.

Changing your diet for a week and feeling 'different' does not constitute a scientific study. Also, you are comparing raw food to microwave food rather than food cooked by other means, would this also mean that you feel the same way about ovens, grills, hobs, bbq's etc?

You're right, I don't want to do the research myself, I have already done plenty of research on this subject and being told to read up on such broad subject matter without the offer of any sort of specifics to narrow down what I should be looking for sounds like a waste of my time.

If you believe that microwave ovens are in someway damaging then it's up to you to provide some evidence of it, not just make a claim and then tell people to do the research.

[Korn]

Some studies support using microwave ovens over traditional cooking, and claim that a lower amount of nutrients are lost during microwave cooking that during traditional cooking, while other reports claims the opposite.

Here are a few of quick links (but please read my disclaimer):
http://www.healthbulletin.org/cooking/cooking1.htm
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/39434/microwaving_and_your_health_the_good.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/17/health/17real.html
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=34401
http://educate-yourself.org/cn/microwaveovens15sep04.shtml
http://www.bodyecology.com/07/08/02/microwave_dangers.php
http://www.health-science.com/microwave_hazards.html
http://www.alun.dk/eng/artikler.asp?ID=409
http://www.herbalhealer.com/microwave.html

Disclaimer:
I haven't read these articles, I'm not even saying that they are any good, and I'm the first one to admit that when it comes to microwave ovens, I'm 0% scientific about the topic. :) I just feel that whenever I have eaten something that has been heated in a microwave oven, something 'feels' wrong with the substance of the food. It feels even less fresh than it does after traditional cooking. I know people disagree about what the real facts are about microwave ovens, and I'm not even going to spend time trying to find out what they are. I don't want a microwave oven in my home, for 100% non-rational reasons!

[harpy]

There's some discussion of the claims of Mercola et al here:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0813/is_3_32/ai_n13664949/pg_1

I'm not a particular fan of microwave ovens myself, but without any peer-reviewed studies I don't find these third-hand scare stories very persuasive.

[Mahk]

"This is your brain:
http://www.nancywalkthroughs.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/BlackmoorManor/EggBrain.jpg
This is what microwave ovens do to your brain:
http://www.cynical-c.com/archives/bloggraphics/egg3.jpg
Any questions?"
Just kidding.:D [Did those stupid anti-drug PSA's I'm mocking play outside of the US?:confused:] Here's some of them:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7035079995166332549&q=this+is+your+brain+on+drugs&total=420&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5330991969976526402&q=this+is+your+brain+on+drugs&total=420&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=2

Seriously though, all the anti-microwave groups are using similar silly scare tactics. Why? Because they don't have any scientific backing to fall back on.

[Enchantress]

Seeing as that is an egg in the first picture, does that mean microwave ovens turn non-vegan brains into vegan ones? :confused: :p

[Risker]

Haha brilliant, I wondered why my kitchen was always wrecked when I was younger.