Microwave ovens

[speedylemons]

aghhh.. true true true. So people were actually suspicious of the conventional oven when it first came out??

I agree that i would rather just use the microwave than start up the stove, use a pan, then wait for it to warm up, cook my stuff, wash all that, etc...

I'm all over the place!!!!!! I can't decide! I think i'll just do the same thing risker plans to do.

[Conrad]

kill your microwave
do it now

[Cumin]

Agreed. I got ours out of the house about 4 years ago when I read that they had never actually been tested for safety before being sold to the masses.
I'd rather wait 15 mins for real food.

[indianvegan]

What is microwave? An unnatural way !!

I never bought it nor ever thought to buy.

Manish Jain

[vegan1969]

fortunately i don't use one and will not in the future, i use my oven for cooking larger amounts of food and a small toater oven for smaller amounts of food, thnx for the info Korn

[dreama]

I used to be totally dependant on my microwave oven. Then I read about how unhealthy they are so I got rid of mine. I use the space that the microwave was to put all my pans and things. I have less problems then I thought I would. I also got rid of my deep fat frier and got a steamer.

[paulvegan]

try not to use them

[chickendude]

What exactly is so unhealthy about them? I assume there's a microscopic amount of radiation that gets into your food, and I suppose it probably kills the enzymes and such. I mean, I try not to use the microwave, but I'm not 100% sure why I'm trying not to use it.

[Mr Flibble]

they're evil - don't even try to use science or logic to justify it!

[paulvegan]

the friends i live with use them for every thing even to cook peas,iask u 5 mins in a steamer is it that hard no, maby thats why i do most the cooking.*rant rant rant* sorry

[RedWellies]

What exactly is so unhealthy about them? I assume there's a microscopic amount of radiation that gets into your food,.

I seem to recall it mutates the food particles into something that isn't food! Milk was one of the worst affected. I'm not easily scared by most "scare stories" but I got rid of my microwave years ago.

[Juice]

My microwave died over a year ago, and I never bothered to replace it. I really don't need one for anything.

[Yogini]

I'm not sure how to answer this one. I have one, but I don't cook with it. I occasionally reheat something. That's reheating, not cooking. And by occasionally, I mean maybe twice a month.

Actually, I only have one because my mother insisted on buying it for me. I would probably do just fine without it.

[veggiepark]

I re-heat food and pop corn in a microwave. I'm considering buying a rice cooker and pressure cooker( for dried beans).

I read the article on microwave oven from wikipedia, which addresses the health concerns associated. According to said article(s) the primary concerns with health and saftey were Uneven heating of foods, if microwave is the primary cooker then bacterica could possibly not be destroyed by uneven cooking. Re-heated, refrigerated or frozen foods wouldn't be as a concern due to them already being cooked. B12 degration was found in a Japanese study to occur at about 30 to 40 % not extremly differing from conventional cooking (stove, oven). Also the primary food sources tested for the B12 degration were of animal based (meat, dairy), not something vegans worry about. Other nutrients had no noticable degration and no toxicity was detirmined with any of the foods.

I feel microwaves are safe if the food is cooked properly with the proper microwave cookware and is refrigerated correctly. Other than some B12 degration, in which most vegans, controversly or not, are supposed to take supplement anyhow, I find no drastic degration of nutrions or toxic saftey to be an issue.

[piggy]

i only do baked potatoes in my flatmate's microwave, because it's a quick meal, ready in 10 min, compared to an hour at least in en electric oven. apart from the time factor, i dislike using the conventional oven for a single potato because it uses so much more energy thyan a microwave. considering all the controversy on on the effects of EM radiation on the human body, personally i'd like to steer clear of all of it...better safe than sorry it's difficult avoiding cellphones, wireless etc though these days
also, having read that the microwave actually acts as a faraday cage, is a bit disturbing to me...i don't want industrial appliances in my home if not absolutely necassary..

[button]

No microwave here! My best friend thinks I'm nuts for not having one.

[boombanda]

I have a toaster oven if I don't feel like heating up the stove. It took me a while to adjust to not having a microwave, though.

[pavotrouge]

I have a giant old microwave, but don't really use it for cooking.
I only use it for reheating when I only want a small portian (and this rarely ever happens ^^) and to fasten thawing (which I also doesn't happen often as I don't have a freezer).

[BlackCats]

'I seem to recall it mutates the food particles into something that isn't food!'

I heard that, I don't have one but everyone else I know does. I used to have one at my Mum's and the only thing I ever really used it for was heating up baked beans, but after I heard that about them I have never used one.

I always think that restaurants and pubs probably use them all the time for keeping food warm though so probably I do still eat microwaved food without being aware.

[RedWellies]

I seem to recall it mutates the food particles into something that isn't food!

I can't find the link that I posted elsewhere on the forum but it was something along these lines.

[cobweb]

I used to use one every day . I'm horrified to think that I did, and even warmed up baby food in it .

The point above is even more horrifying, because I know a lot of people who use them for 'meals' that I wouldn't even consider 'food' in the first place..........add to that a session in a plastic dish inside a microwave - doesn't bear thinking about .

[cobweb]

I'm amazed, btw, at the way the poll answers stand

[Risker]

I'm yet to see a report from a reliable source that states that there are any real health implications to using a microwave, until I do I'm keeping mine and continuing to use it for heating food (Not cooking though, they're rubbish for that.)

I wouldn't trust anything written on that site, especially not after reading some of the other articles.

Anyway, I thought everyone was supposed to have moved on from being worried about microwaves and mobile phones and we should all be worried about wi-fi now?

[Cumin]

try here - this gives an interesting history about the German and Russian contributions:
http://www.zeitenschrift.net/magazin/1-microwave.ihtml

It's quite different from the one here:
http://www.americanheritage.com/arti...005_4_48.shtml
which claims the an American invented them

[Risker]

try here - this gives an interesting history about the German and Russian contributions:
http://www.zeitenschrift.net/magazin/1-microwave.ihtml

Again, look at the other stories on that site, it appears to be some sort of conspiracy theory website. Although it's an interesting story it offers no evidence to back up the claims it makes. It also doesn't help the case that the article is essentially an advert trying to get you to buy a book.

[Cumin]

I agree that it's no proof, but it is a plausible and interesting history. Plus I believe that the soviets did ban them for many years and there's got to be something behind that.

[fiamma]

I'm amazed, btw, at the way the poll answers stand

Why?

[cobweb]

^ because I thought that Vegans wouldn't want to use microwaves, as most Vegans I come across are slightly obsessive about health and environmental pollution, etc.........

[Risker]

Actually, there's many reports that microwaves are a very healthy way to cook vegetables without losing vitamins as opposed to boiling and compared to an electric or gas oven they're very efficient too.

[Frosty]

^ Really? I've never heard that before. I thought it'd nuke all the vitmains out of veg. There is a microwave in the kitchen here at work, so I do tend to use that quite a lot to heat up potato's and these bags of steamed veg from the shop around the corner. I'm far too disorganised to bring in my own lunch!
I don't really use the one in our house though, I live with very messy people and I dread to think what's living in there. I'm not a fan of microwaved 'TV dinners', always seem to come out either cardboard-like, cold in the middle, or extremely overcooked. Although, that's probably more to do with my cooking skills, or lack thereof

[eco]

I don't have a microwave oven, partly because I don't trust them and partly because you can't make a decent cake in them, and a good vegan cake is very important to me!. I can see the appeal of them if you're very busy and don't have a lot of time for cooking though.

[Melanie]

Saw about this via a druid board i'm on.
I'm not using my microwave anymore

~xx

[Risker]

Why?

[BlackCats]

Risker - get over it, everyone hates microwaves

[Risker]

Haha, yeah, I thought I might sound that way. Believe me, I'm not a lover of microwaves, I just hate to see people following information without any factual basis.

[BlackCats]

I also wanted to ask you what the avatar you have represents?

I'm sure it is a personal statement if you want a microwave blah blah blah...

[Risker]

My avatar is frank sidebottom - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Sidebottom - A character from my childhood.

I think the thing with microwaves is that most people including myself don't really understand how they work, unlike gas/electric ovens etc. where it's easy to see the workings, so it's easy to accept alot of the myths surrounding them, especially as it's human nature to be a bit scared of what you don't understand.

[Frosty]

Frank Sidebottom scares the sh*t out of me. I don't know what it is. I can remember seeing it as a child, and the image has haunted me ever since I think. I even have to read your posts with my left eye closed so I don't have to look at it okay, maybe not that bad.

[Mahk]

I don't hate microwaves! I use them every day; my cell phone I press against my skull emits them, even while not on the cell phone just being in range of a cell tower means I'm being bombarded with them, my WI-FI wireless computer network at work bombards me with them, and every time I drive in a car I run the chance of passing through a policeman's radar beam who is checking for speeders (although some of them now use invisible infra-red laser beams instead of microwave radar guns). And yes, I have a microwave oven and use it almost every day. I avoid putting oily or tomato based foods in plastic containers in it but otherwise I have no fears that I'm ruining my health with it. Sure, some nutrient loss is to be expected by any form of cooking, but it's worth it, IMO.

Cell towers are all over the place, by the way, but they disguise them so we hardly notice them. Here's a picture I took of one for example:

[cobweb]

that's a fair point ^ but I have seen food coming out of a microwave looking decidely dodgy

also, i agree with Frosty, Risker, I have to look at your posts sideways - scary!

[Cumin]

I think the thing with microwaves is that most people don't understand how they work, unlike gas/electric ovens etc. so people find it easy to accept anything they're told about them, especially as it's human nature to be a bit scared of what you don't understand.

Risker, I can agree in general with your comments about believing information that isn't backed by facts. However, your comment above implies that you are OK with them because you understand them, and we distrust them because we don't.
I personally found that rather condescending, so perhaps you'd like to re-word it.

[Risker]

OK, sorry, had a play, is it better?

[Cumin]

Much better - thanks Risker.
Speaking just for myself, I have read a number of articles about microwave ovens and what they can do to certain kinds of food (see below). Subsequently, I don't fancy eating things that have been mutated by them? I do _very_ occasionally use one at work to reheat packet soup (or such) because I'm desperate for a warm meal, but that's it.
The article that finally convinced me to ditch the microwave at home is here. This could also be described as an unreliable source, but it does cite a number of studies and reliable sources. Before I read that - I used to use it ALL the time. Of course - none of these studies are proof that they are bad for you, but then the smoking lobby will argue that there is no conclusive proof cigarettes harm you either, just a body of evidence which is hard to ignore. Personally - I thought it wasn't worth the risk. My food tastes better now anyway, and I just have to wait a bit longer for it.
As for the other microwave sources; I used to spend half the day with a mobile glued to my head, and had a lot of headaches. Are these 2 connected? I Don't know, but again, I'd rather reduce my use and the risk at the same time.

[BlackCats]

Microwaved food tastes horrible to me, compare a jacket potato done in an oven and one done in a microwave.

[Frosty]

Yeah, that's very true. I sometimes eat jackets at work, and they have to be done in the microwave and there is a very noticeable difference there.

[aubergine]

That taste is the main thing for me. I use our microwave for cooking my porridge at home, because I share a kitchen that isn't kept as clean as I'd like (I shouldn't have to wash every pan first to make sure it's animal food free). When I get my own place I'll probably have no need for one, as it won't be shared with omnis.

The only thing I can think of that is a hassle to get round is microwave rice. After coming home from playing a gig at one in the morning, I don't want to wait for my dinner. If only I could employ staff to have my dinner ready when I get home

[drunkenunicorn]

use your rice cooker and oven and stove. eating meat is dangerous too, but you managed to kick that habbit? yes? you are disciplined if you are vegan. you can handle other methods of food preparation. my friend did an experiment for a college science class and the project was to grow 2 pea plants. one was watered with regular tap water, the other was watered with microwaved tap water that was allowed to cool first. the microwaved water-fed pea did not germinate. the regular plant grew normally. the whole class found the same conclusion, and the teacher does the experiment every year. THIS IS KILLING YOUR FOOD!! you may as well just eat cardboard because the nutrition you get from your microwaved dinners is laughable. i threw my microwave away a long time ago, with my leather products. i haven't seen a study proving damaging physical effects from tv, mobile phones, tho.

[Mahk]

Drunkenunicorn, IMO the pea germinating experiment, as you described, has a major flaw. The non-microwaved water should have been heated (I presume boiled) and allowed to cool by conventional means as well. We all know that boiled water, by whatever means, becomes sterilized and that may make a difference to a sprouting plant.

Cumin, I clicked on the link you provided but came right back and didn't read a thing as soon as I saw the URL was that of Dr. Mercola. Many people, including many members of our very own veganforum, think he is a lunatic/quack job. Here are some links:
veganforum, Quackwatch.org

[Cumin]

Mahk,
Thanks for that - I wasn't aware of his other work. The 'facts' he cites about the studies do seem to be repeated on quite a few other sites verbatim, so I would guess they just copied it from the same source. But, there are also several unrelated sites referencing the same studies so I would be suprised if they were totally ficticious. None of this of course means the studies are trustworthy, and most are related to a 'natural health' background which has a vested interest.
However, I think I still fall back to my previous point about how it's not worth the risk. No smoke without fire and all that. The reasoning behind the physics makes sense to me (regarding molecular damage).
I also totally agree about the microwaved water experiment. That was my first thought when I read it. It's a perfect example of poor science.

Again - thanks for the heads-up.

[Risker]

my friend did an experiment for a college science class and the project was to grow 2 pea plants.

Sorry but this is an urban legend.

http://www.snopes.com/science/microwave/plants.asp

The introductions of new, widely-adopted technologies are often accompanied by fears of possible deleterious effects from the use of such devices, everything from concerns that telephones would spell the end of regional accents to parental admonitions not to sit too close
to the television (lest you ruin your eyes!). Usually these fears are largely allayed after a few years, as the technologies improve and become ubiquitous, and evidence of the feared negative effects fails to materialize. Nonetheless, even though the microwave oven has been a standard household appliance for several decades now, rumors continue to linger that microwaves somehow "change the molecular structure" of consumables and therefore make food products heated in them unsafe to eat. The sample "experiment" represented above is an expression of that sort of rumor, but it is pure junk science, both in its methodology and its conclusions.

First of all, water heated in a microwave oven is no different in "structure or energy" than water heated with a gas flame, on an electric stove, or over a wood fire: It's just water, plain and simple. More important, though, is the awareness that drawing valid scientific conclusions from experimentation involves conducting multiple trials under carefully controlled conditions, something not in evidence here. The extraneous factors that could have produced the exhibited results (i.e., one live plant and one dead plant) exhibited above are legion. For example:

One plant could have been compromised from the very beginning and would have died even if both plants were treated alike.

The container used to store or boil the microwaved water could have introduced a residual substance into the water that hindered plant growth.

The soil or bedding material used for one of the plants might have contained something (either originally or introduced later) that hindered plant growth.

The two containers of water might have been heated and/or cooled unequally, resulting in one plant's receiving warmer water than the other.

The plants might have been subject to differing environmental factors (e.g., light, heat) due to their placement, or affected differently by external factors (e.g., insects, pets).

Since the experiment was not conducted "blindly," the possibility that the experimenter in some way influenced the results cannot be ruled out.

There's more about it if you follow the link.