Microwave Ovens

[Ub1476]

What's your opinion of microwave ovens? Everyday I cook oatmeal in the microwave oven, but I'm not so sure if it's really healthy. Lots of reports says negative changes (higher cholesterol, less white blood cells) occur if eating microwaved foods. So what do you think? Is it really bad?

[shadylookin]

What's your opinion of microwave ovens? Everyday I cook oatmeal in the microwave oven, but I'm not so sure if it's really healthy. Lots of reports says negative changes (higher cholesterol, less white blood cells) occur if eating microwaved foods. So what do you think? Is it really bad?

how much worse can it be than the other 100trillion things out to slowly kill you?

I don't think there's much to worry about, the technology has been out for years and we're not all dying off in droves yet.

[mips]

Lots of reports says negative changes (higher cholesterol, less white blood cells) occur if eating microwaved foods.

Is that all microwaved food or are they referring to ready made microwave meals?

[jrusso2]

If you try to cook oatmeal you should use a more natural method. If your heating your frozen dinner microwave is fine its only a question of which will kill you first.

[MarblePanther]

Get out the tinfoil hats! (but be careful not to fry your brain)

:twisted:

Honestly I would never assume it is healthier than naturally cooking it. Maybe we are dying off in droves with the cancer rates we have...

[lisati]

The microwave oven is just a tool, and like a conventional oven, has its strengths and weaknesses. One thing to watch is what your food is wrapped in, as you cook or reheat: I've heard that some kinds of clingwrap have chemicals in them that don't take well to being "nuked" and thus should be avoided.

[yabbadabbadont]

Life is invariably a fatal condition. Get used to it. :D

[Ub1476]

Well I eat Quaker oatmeal and they only have cooking directions for the microwave. It's a bit strange, I think.

The reports are natural veggies and such I think. Just do a search and some will pop up.

[boof1988]

If you try to cook oatmeal you should use a more natural method. If your heating your frozen dinner microwave is fine its only a question of which will kill you first.

Please define "natural method". :)

Electromagnetic radiation plays a part in heating many things we eat (roasting, microwaving, toasting). Even greater is the transfer of energy from to sun to us.

Electromagnetic radiation rules... When used properly/safely. ;)

[Bölvaður]

I would suggest making oatmeal the old fashion way.. pour oat in pot, pour water in pot, heat up the pot and stir the stuff you put into it.


But according to what I know about microwaves they shouldn't directly make your food poisonous. But perhaps wikipedia has the answer... who knows.

[Ub1476]

What I've heard is they break down and build up the molecules, or something. Anyway the energy used obviously isn't natural to us and our body reacts negatively to it.

[shadylookin]

Get out the tinfoil hats! (but be careful not to fry your brain)

:twisted:

Honestly I would never assume it is healthier than naturally cooking it. Maybe we are dying off in droves with the cancer rates we have...

well life expectancy has increased since the microwave made it's debut and everyone I know has one. The reason everyone dies from cancer these days is because we finally have reliable cures for most of the diseases that used to kill us before cancer could get to us.

I think the real important question here is is microwaving oatmeal the worst thing you're doing to your body? and if so how can you withstand the boredom?

[Giant Speck]

The only thing microwaving does is energizes the water molecules in the food to the boiling point which, in effect, heats and cooks the food. The microwaves do nothing more to the food than that.

[urukrama]

This page (http://www.health-science.com/microwave_hazards.html) (and plenty of others on the internet of varying quality) argues it is very unhealthy. Regarding microwave ovens, I'm rather safe than sorry. I very rarely use them.

[fava]

EVERY cooking/preservation process causes chemical changes in food, most of which are not understood. If you want to be 100% safe then you can only eat fresh uncooked foods.

Personally I don't worry about it.

[mips]

I've heard that some kinds of clingwrap have chemicals in them that don't take well to being "nuked" and thus should be avoided.

Plastics are generally bad and I've also heard bad things about clingwrap. Another bad one is reusing plastic water bottles, apparently as the plastic ages it leeches more chemicals.

[Chilli Bob]

This page (http://www.health-science.com/microwave_hazards.html) (and plenty of others on the internet of varying quality) argues it is very unhealthy. Regarding microwave ovens, I'm rather safe than sorry. I very rarely use them.


I didn't read this whole page, but a quick glance over it to be the biggest load of ******** I've ever seen.

EDIT: There was an issue with certain types of cling wrap being in contact with your food when being microwaved. I don't know if they fixed this problem or not, I always use a hard plastic cover that doesn't contact the food. There may well be a case made to only microwave in glass containers, rather than plastic, but the microwaves themselves are perfectly safe.

[jrusso2]

Please define "natural method". :)

Electromagnetic radiation plays a part in heating many things we eat (roasting, microwaving, toasting). Even greater is the transfer of energy from to sun to us.

Electromagnetic radiation rules... When used properly/safely. ;)

Actually it was a joke because the OP was using a microwave to make oatmeal which can be made easily on a burner if he wanted to.

I don't believe it makes a difference and might be even healthier in some ways, need less oils.

[Ub1476]

Here's the killer:


Ten Reasons not to Use Your Microwave Oven
Based on Swiss, Russian and German clinical studies


Continually eating food processed from a microwave oven causes long term, permanent, brain damage by "shorting out" electrical impulses in the brain [de-polarizing or de-magnetizing the brain tissue].

The human body cannot metabolize [break down] the unknown by-products created in micro-waved food.

Male and female hormone production is shut down and/or altered by continually eating micro-waved foods.

The effects of micro-waved food by-products are residual [long term, permanent] within the human body.

Minerals, vitamins, and nutrients of all micro-waved food is reduced or altered so that the human body gets little or no benefit, or the human body absorbs altered compounds that cannot be broken down.

The minerals in vegetables are altered into cancerous free radicals when cooked in a microwave oven.

Micro-waved foods cause stomach and intestinal cancerous growths [tumors]. This has been a primary contributor to the rapidly increased rate of colon cancer in the United States.

The prolonged eating of micro-waved foods causes cancerous cells to increase in human blood.

Continual ingestion of micro-waved food causes immune system deficiencies through lymph gland and blood serum alterations.

Eating micro-waved food causes loss of memory, concentration, emotional instability, and a decrease of intelligence.

[boof1988]

Actually it was a joke because the OP was using a microwave to make oatmeal which can be made easily on a burner if he wanted to.

When I'm making coco-wheat in the microwave, it has to be watched carefully or it will boil-over (overflow). That is not fun to clean up.

[Giant Speck]

Plastics are generally bad and I've also heard bad things about clingwrap. Another bad one is reusing plastic water bottles, apparently as the plastic ages it leeches more chemicals.

Safe Plastics:
2 - HDPE (High density polyethylene): used in opaque plastic milk and water jugs, bleach, detergent and shampoo bottles and some plastic bags.
4 - LDPE (Low density polyethylene): used in gro*cery store bags, most plastic wraps and some bottles.
5 - PP (Polypropylene): used in most Rubbermaid, deli soup, syrup and yogurt containers, straws and other clouded plastic containers, including baby bottles.
Dangerous Plastics:
1 - PETE (Polyethylene terephthalate ethylene): used for soft drink, juice, water, detergent, cleaner and peanut butter containers. It was considered the safest and is the most common plastic and easy to recycle. However, a recent study found traces of DEHP in bottled water stored in a PET bottle for more than 9 months.
3 - PVC or V or DEHA (Polyvinyl chloride ordi(2-ethylhexyl)adipate): used for cling wrap, some plastic squeeze bottles, cooking oil and peanut butter jars, detergent and window cleaner bottles. PVC is well known to be associated with liver cancer. DEHA is linked to negative effects on the liver, kidney, spleen, bone formation and body weight.
6 - PS (Polystyrene): used in Styrofoam food trays, egg cartons, disposable cups and bowls, carry-out containers and opaque plastic cutlery. Styrene can leach from polystyrene and is toxic to the brain and nervous system. It also has been found to affect red blood cells, liver, kid*neys and stomach in animal studies.
7 - Other (usually polycarbonate): used in most plastic baby bottles, 5-gallon water bottles, “sport” water bottles, metal food can liners, clear plastic “sippy” cups and some clear plastic cutlery. New bio-based plastics may also be labeled #7. Polycarbonate can leach Bisphenol A, a chemical that mimics the action of the human hormone estrogen. It was found to stimulate prostate cancer, produce ovarian dysfunction, genetic damage, etc. (see Baby Bottles free of BPA).

[red_Marvin]

I would never cite the Health-Science for something I want approved in a scientific context.
Their use of certain terms convince me that they do know little about what they write about, and later in the text they seem to mix eating microwaved food and being exposed to microwaves. Also:

The use of artificial microwave transmissions for subliminal psychological control, a.k.a. "brainwashing", has also been proven. We're attempting to obtain copies of the 1970's Russian research documents and results written by Drs. Luria and Perov specifying their clinical experiments in this area.
¬_¬

[jrusso2]

Please define "natural method". :)

Electromagnetic radiation plays a part in heating many things we eat (roasting, microwaving, toasting). Even greater is the transfer of energy from to sun to us.

Electromagnetic radiation rules... When used properly/safely. ;)

Actually it was a joke because the OP was using a microwave to make oatmeal which can be made easily on a burner if he wanted to.

I don't believe it makes a difference and might be even healthier in some ways, need less oils.

[wolfen69]

fortunately, microwave radiation does not "linger" in foods like other forms of radiation. i would not worry about it.

[handy]

A negative (that I was told by a teacher when I was doing a full time cooking course), with regard to human health & microwave ovens, is that they ALL leak microwaves through the holes in the protective grill that you can see when you look through the glass.

It is best not to stand inside of a meter in front of a microwave whilst it is doing its thing, apparently.

Also, we were told (for obvious reasons) that it is a good idea to place a microwave in a position that children can't stand in front of (with their nose virtually on the glass door) waiting for their food to come out.

[BuffaloX]

Being exposed to microwaves is obviously unhealthy.

Eating stuff that has been microwaved is perfectly healthy, even more healthy than any other form of heating.

Food that is heated change in some ways, like proteins curl up.
Extreme heat (like frying meat in fat) is the most unhealthy way you can cook. You can't heat without "exciting" the atoms, which again influence
the molecules.

On a scale of healthiness:

0: Raw (Except for bacteria and nutritional value. Some foods actually need to be broken down a little to be better for humans)

1: Microwave
2: Steam cooking
3: Boiling
4: frying
5: Deep frying

The problem with Microwave, is that you can heat it too much, and essentially burn your food, which is again similar to frying, in which case microwave goes from healthy to unhealthy.

Problem with frying is the development of cancerous HCA, which dos not occur nearly as much when microwaving.
Microwaving is also the method that preserves the highest degree of vitamins, followed by steam cooking.

I have to admit I still enjoy i well fried steak. :P

[tsali]

I don't like the taste of microwaves, but I have found hot dogs cooked over used motor oil quite tasty...

[handy]

On a scale of healthiness:

0: Raw (Except for bacteria and nutritional value. Some foods actually need to be broken down a little to be better for humans)


Some foods require heating to break down the cellulose structure so that the nutrition becomes available to humans.

Carrots are the prime example. If a carrot is not cooked or juiced, it provides only fibre to the human consuming it.

[wolfen69]

1: Microwave
2: Steam cooking
3: Boiling
4: frying
5: Deep frying



mmmmmmm....deep fried :smile:

[wolfen69]

Carrots are the prime example. If a carrot is not cooked or juiced, it provides only fibre to the human consuming it.

link, or some kind of "proof"? it makes no sense, especially if you chew it very well. it's hard for me to believe that the beta carotene "clings" to fiber without being cooked first.

[BuffaloX]

link, or some kind of "proof"? it makes no sense, especially if you chew it very well. it's hard for me to believe that the beta carotene "clings" to fiber without being cooked first.

http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/nutrition.html

The positive effects of eating carrot are almost doubled when cooked,
Eaten raw however it can maybe but unproven have other positive effects.

[Faolan84]

actually as far a carrots go, yes they should be cooked or juiced because there is some truth to that. the key here is most of the nutrients in raw carrots does stick to the fibres so to say, some does escape. to maximize the nutritional value of some foods it's generally best to cook them simply because it can double, triple, and even make their nutritional value increase ten-fold.

as for microwaves, i use them occasionally -- mostly to boil water. one thing you should always remember is that some radiation does escape the protective shielding so you should never stand closer then 6 feet from a microwave while it is in use.

i'm not a fan of the microwave simply because they don't heat things evenly (despite what a lot of commercials and such tell you) and you have to watch them because things can overcook too easily in them which can lead to big messes. on top of that it is true that some of the residual radiation does more than just "excite the water molecules" and can cause a small amount of the food material to break down into some really interesting chemicals that over time could lead to health problems -- some countries in eastern europe did an interesting study on this. also, avoid using plastic in the microwave because some plastics should never be exposed to elevated levels of heat or radiation, instead just use good ol' pyrex or ceramic cooking ware... plus they don't stain as easily either.

honestly, i keep a microwave in the kitchen, but for most things I use a convection oven, toaster oven, or the stove. to me, the microwave has a reputation for mangling the flavor of the food in addition it it's nutritional value so really the onlythin a microwave finds use for in my kitchen is when i'm hungry and i need to eat a hot meal fast or if i'm preping something that needs to be done fast.

[Giant Speck]

link, or some kind of "proof"? it makes no sense, especially if you chew it very well. it's hard for me to believe that the beta carotene "clings" to fiber without being cooked first.


http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/nutrition.html

The positive effects of eating carrot are almost doubled when cooked,
Eaten raw however it can maybe but unproven have other positive effects.

An excerpt from that website:



Are Carrots more nutritious in their raw state than when cooked? That's a very good question. Opinions vary. Clearly a raw carrot has more goodness in it when it is raw and therefore you would assume it is the healthiest way to eat it. But unless the carrot is juiced then consumed, the body cannot break down the goodness because of the cellular nature of the carrot.

So in reality, unlike most other vegetables (though not all), carrots are more nutritious when eaten cooked than eaten raw (except when juiced). Because raw carrots have tough cellular walls, the body is able to convert less than 25 per cent of their beta carotene into vitamin A. Cooking, however, partially dissolves cellulose-thickened cell walls, freeing up nutrients by breaking down the cell membranes. So long as the cooked carrots are served as part of a meal that provides some fat the body can absorb more than half of the carotene. Also, it usual for Carrots to be cut into pieces and eaten after boiling or steaming, but done in this way, half the proteins and soluble carbohydrates will be lost so it is more advisable to cook them whole and then cut up.

Experiments show that eating lightly-cooked carrots is much more beneficial than eating raw carrots, which confirms the ancient wisdom in traditional Chinese medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners have always recommended that their patients eat lightly-cooked carrots in order to get the best nutritional absorption. Recent research by Dr. Xiangdong Wang at Tufts University shows that beta carotene can change in the human body into a substance called retinoic acid, which is widely used to treat cancers.

[Mr. Picklesworth]

What's your opinion of microwave ovens? Everyday I cook oatmeal in the microwave oven, but I'm not so sure if it's really healthy. Lots of reports says negative changes (higher cholesterol, less white blood cells) occur if eating microwaved foods. So what do you think? Is it really bad?

Hey, I posted a while ago about this topic precisely! (Oatmeal).
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=931645

[zakany]

A negative (that I was told by a teacher when I was doing a full time cooking course), with regard to human health & microwave ovens, is that they ALL leak microwaves through the holes in the protective grill that you can see when you look through the glass.

LMAO! Given the wavelength of a standard microwave oven is 12.4 cm, I'd say you're in no danger of microwaves "leaking" through the mesh. The evanescent leakage won't extend even an inch (which is why microwave doors are so thick - you could staple your head to the door and be perfectly fine...well, except you'd have your head stapled to a microwave door).

Microwaves are non-ionizing radiation (i.e. they do not cause molecular changes). Good thing, because your cell phone uses microwaves to communicate with towers miles away.

[Miguel]

Thanks for the health-science link! It's the most hilarious stuff I've read in ages! They talk like they understand what they are saying, but they don't really have a clue! And what about when they try to explain why sun radiation is good, but microwave oven radiation is bad? Genius!

Before you read any more crap there, please go to the wikipedia page for Microwave Ovens (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave_oven). There's tons of good stuff in there, from how it works to superheating, and touching non-ionizing radiation too. I will however be honest and say that I don't understand how can vitamin B12 be harmed in Microwave Ovens, since this would mean that a low-energy activation barrier exists from active B12 to inactive B12. Maybe a conservation law keeps it from happening in ambient conditions?

[Faolan84]

Good thing, because your cell phone uses microwaves to communicate with towers miles away.

There's actually plenty of evidence that regardless, cell phone use does lead to cancer and it does have a negative impact on brain function.

[BuffaloX]

Thanks for the health-science link! It's the most hilarious stuff I've read in ages! They talk like they understand what they are saying, but they don't really have a clue! And what about when they try to explain why sun radiation is good, but microwave oven radiation is bad? Genius!

Before you read any more crap there, please go to the wikipedia page for Microwave Ovens (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave_oven). There's tons of good stuff in there, from how it works to superheating, and touching non-ionizing radiation too. I will however be honest and say that I don't understand how can vitamin B12 be harmed in Microwave Ovens, since this would mean that a low-energy activation barrier exists from active B12 to inactive B12. Maybe a conservation law keeps it from happening in ambient conditions?

I haven't read what you refer to, since you dont provide a quote or link but.
Any cooking destroys vitamins, including microwave.
I don't know what you mean by low energy activation barrier?
Microwave exposure is indeed unhealthy, or else it wouldn't work for cooking. Sun rays are indeed healthy to a point, like producing D vitamin and positively affecting chemical activity in the brain.
Vitamins are also lost by just storing food (if that's what you mean by ambient), just slower.

[Mr. Picklesworth]

...So what we should all take away from this is that instant oatmeal is a sin; non-instant oatmeal is still very well instant (since it can be cooked passively for a bit over 5 minutes while dealing with the tea / coffee), tastes better, causes less waste and is better for you. Microwaves need not enter into it.

[smartboyathome]

A negative (that I was told by a teacher when I was doing a full time cooking course), with regard to human health & microwave ovens, is that they ALL leak microwaves through the holes in the protective grill that you can see when you look through the glass.

It is best not to stand inside of a meter in front of a microwave whilst it is doing its thing, apparently.

Also, we were told (for obvious reasons) that it is a good idea to place a microwave in a position that children can't stand in front of (with their nose virtually on the glass door) waiting for their food to come out.

:shock: That must mean that I have been exposed to tons of microwave radiation, since I regularly check on my food while it is cooking. I shall stop now. I just hope I haven't done it long enough to cause long term effects. :???:

[tuxsheadache]

I have used microwaves for years with no side effects *eye twitches*
It's all fine, and a very energy efficient way to cook things in this financial situation.

[handy]

link, or some kind of "proof"? it makes no sense, especially if you chew it very well. it's hard for me to believe that the beta carotene "clings" to fiber without being cooked first.

You can think I'm telling untruths if you like. Makes no difference to me. If you are seriously interested you will verify it for yourself.:-)

[mips]

Dunno if this is true or an urban legend but many years ago I heard of a 7-eleven manager that got tired of opening & closing the microwave door so he removed the door and disabled the door-switch sensor. This way he could put in & take out stuff without the hassle of the door. Needless to say he eventually ended up being cooked himself.

7-Eleven went into liquidation in South Africa a short while back.

[Miguel]

There's actually plenty of evidence that regardless, cell phone use does lead to cancer and it does have a negative impact on brain function.

There's plenty of evidence that, regardless, life leads to death. But I don't buy your cell phone "evidence". All I've seen is non-conclusive.



I haven't read what you refer to, since you dont provide a quote or link but.
Any cooking destroys vitamins, including microwave.
I don't know what you mean by low energy activation barrier?
Microwave exposure is indeed unhealthy, or else it wouldn't work for cooking. Sun rays are indeed healthy to a point, like producing D vitamin and positively affecting chemical activity in the brain.
Vitamins are also lost by just storing food (if that's what you mean by ambient), just slower.


The health-science link is in the first 20 posts of the topic (I have 20 posts per page setting). If you refer to the Wikipedia link, it is explicitly
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave_oven

With respect to "low energy activation barrier" I need some explanations. The energy of a wave is related to its frequency like this: E=h*f, where E is the Energy, h is Planck's constant and f is the frequency. In the case of microwaves, this is 10 microelectronvolts. This energy is ridiculously low compared to the energy of chemical bonds (around 10.000 times smaller). And in this case, when the energy you throw is smaller than the energy you need, nothing happens. No matter how much of it you throw. Photoelectric effect anyone? Thus, chemical changes must come from another place. Maybe resonant vibration? Molecule folding? I don't know. Although vibration could accelerate its decomposition rate. I'll check a paper.

Regarding microwave radiation, we are all bathing in a pretty hefty background of microwaves, called the Cosmic Background Radiation. It's one of the evidences supporting Big Bang theory.

And finally, all microwave ovens are a Faraday Cage (wikipedia link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage)). All waves comply to the rule c=f*l, where c is speed of the wave, f is the frequency and l is the wavelength. In the case of microwaves, l is around 12 cm (almost 5 inches). A wave doesn't really "see" stuff considerably smaller than its wavelenght (nor notices changes faster than its frequency). Think of driving a truck over a little stone. You just don't notice. The holes on the microwave doors are really small, about a few milimetres wide, so the radiation coming out of the microwave is very small.

If you doubt this, there's an easy experiment you could do: put a glass of water inside the microwave for, let's say, 30 seconds, and put at the same time a similar glass of water just outside the oven. For extra points, have another third glass of water far away from the microwave. How do the temperatures of the three glasses compare?

[0bso]

Here's the killer:


Ten Reasons not to Use Your Microwave Oven
Based on Swiss, Russian and German clinical studies


Continually eating food processed from a microwave oven causes long term, permanent, brain damage by "shorting out" electrical impulses in the brain [de-polarizing or de-magnetizing the brain tissue].

The human body cannot metabolize [break down] the unknown by-products created in micro-waved food.

Male and female hormone production is shut down and/or altered by continually eating micro-waved foods.

The effects of micro-waved food by-products are residual [long term, permanent] within the human body.

Minerals, vitamins, and nutrients of all micro-waved food is reduced or altered so that the human body gets little or no benefit, or the human body absorbs altered compounds that cannot be broken down.

The minerals in vegetables are altered into cancerous free radicals when cooked in a microwave oven.

Micro-waved foods cause stomach and intestinal cancerous growths [tumors]. This has been a primary contributor to the rapidly increased rate of colon cancer in the United States.

The prolonged eating of micro-waved foods causes cancerous cells to increase in human blood.

Continual ingestion of micro-waved food causes immune system deficiencies through lymph gland and blood serum alterations.

Eating micro-waved food causes loss of memory, concentration, emotional instability, and a decrease of intelligence.

Hah. Can even one of those statements be backed up scientifically? Sounds like a pile of pseudo-science garbage.

People worry about microwaves because they don't understand their operation (OMG they cook using RADIATION*, it must be bad). When in fact you are exposed to orders of magnitude more radiation throughout your day than you would be bear hugging your microwave as it cooks your tasty breakfast. And if microwaves did change the molecular structure of food (any different than other cooking methods obviously) as mentioned in the above article there would be multiple studies/papers on it.

*It's almost sad the number of people that can't put together that radiation != radioactive.

[Thelasko]

Anyway the energy used obviously isn't natural to us and our body reacts negatively to it.

What universe do you live in? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_microwave_background_radiation)

[Thelasko]

Safe Plastics:
2 - HDPE (High density polyethylene): used in opaque plastic milk and water jugs, bleach, detergent and shampoo bottles and some plastic bags.
4 - LDPE (Low density polyethylene): used in gro*cery store bags, most plastic wraps and some bottles.
5 - PP (Polypropylene): used in most Rubbermaid, deli soup, syrup and yogurt containers, straws and other clouded plastic containers, including baby bottles.
Dangerous Plastics:
1 - PETE (Polyethylene terephthalate ethylene): used for soft drink, juice, water, detergent, cleaner and peanut butter containers. It was considered the safest and is the most common plastic and easy to recycle. However, a recent study found traces of DEHP in bottled water stored in a PET bottle for more than 9 months.
3 - PVC or V or DEHA (Polyvinyl chloride ordi(2-ethylhexyl)adipate): used for cling wrap, some plastic squeeze bottles, cooking oil and peanut butter jars, detergent and window cleaner bottles. PVC is well known to be associated with liver cancer. DEHA is linked to negative effects on the liver, kidney, spleen, bone formation and body weight.
6 - PS (Polystyrene): used in Styrofoam food trays, egg cartons, disposable cups and bowls, carry-out containers and opaque plastic cutlery. Styrene can leach from polystyrene and is toxic to the brain and nervous system. It also has been found to affect red blood cells, liver, kid*neys and stomach in animal studies.
7 - Other (usually polycarbonate): used in most plastic baby bottles, 5-gallon water bottles, “sport” water bottles, metal food can liners, clear plastic “sippy” cups and some clear plastic cutlery. New bio-based plastics may also be labeled #7. Polycarbonate can leach Bisphenol A, a chemical that mimics the action of the human hormone estrogen. It was found to stimulate prostate cancer, produce ovarian dysfunction, genetic damage, etc. (see Baby Bottles free of BPA).

I've heard something similar from a material scientist I work with. She also doesn't recommend heating any food in a plastic container.

[BuffaloX]

Dunno if this is true or an urban legend but many years ago I heard of a 7-eleven manager that got tired of opening & closing the microwave door so he removed the door and disabled the door-switch sensor. This way he could put in & take out stuff without the hassle of the door. Needless to say he eventually ended up being cooked himself.

7-Eleven went into liquidation in South Africa a short while back.

This could very well be true, if you put your hand into a microwave that is still turned on, your hand will be cooked just like any food in there.
Just like putting your hand in boiling water would cook your hand.
The problem is that with the microwave you don't feel the burning as quickly. This way you take just a little bit of damage every time without noticing. If you do this repeatedly several times a day every day, it seems obvious the damage will end up being noticeable.
We have had a similar case in Denmark, and frankly I don't understand how people can be that stupid.

[zakany]

The holes on the microwave doors are really small, about a few milimetres wide, so the radiation coming out of the microwave is very small.

Actually, the holes are small enough to prevent microwaves from propogating outside. There is a little leakage as the waves try to propogate through the holes that extends less than an inch and falls off exponentially to zero.


The problem is that with the microwave you don't feel the burning as quickly.

From the one report from someone who did this, yes you do. It burns instantly. Now, with the door off you wouldn't notice the heating effect as quickly, because it is diffuse. Spread out, as it were. Think of the oven as a light. Very bright inside. Take the door off, and you get a spreading beam of light that is much less intense than in the box.


Needless to say he eventually ended up being cooked himself.

Sounds like hyperbole to me. You're not cooking yourself with microwaves any more than you'd cook yourself by sunbathing. Stand in front of a UV lamp (even a monochromatic one that emits very little IR) and you'll get a sunburn. Eventually a very bad sunburn. An open microwave oven would be similar. In both cases, I'd guess that retinal damage would be the most troubling.

[handy]

Actually, the holes are small enough to prevent microwaves from propogating outside. There is a little leakage as the waves try to propogate through the holes that extends less than an inch and falls off exponentially to zero.

Can you give references for the above statement?
As the instructors of our hospitality professionals, on the food preparation side, are stating that it is somewhat different than what you posit.
This I know from experience.

[lukjad]

I don't like the Microwave because food that comes out is usually soggy or hard as cardboard.

[sydbat]

Everyone has missed the real troubling problem about this thread...

The OP is EATING OATMEAL! EEEEWWWWWWWW!!!!

[lukjad]

Lol

[handy]

Everyone has missed the real troubling problem about this thread...

The OP is EATING OATMEAL! EEEEWWWWWWWW!!!!

It's what they make porridge out of. :-(

[Miguel]

Handy, Zakany is right. Please have a look at the Faraday cage link I posted above.

In metals, EM waves disturb the electrons, who swiftly rearrange themselves (as long as the wave frequency is lower than the plasma frequency of the metal) into a field-cancelling arrangement. There is a formula to calculate the penetration of EM waves in a metal, which you can find. The fact that big waves can't go through small holes is also physics.

[Ub1476]

What universe do you live in? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_microwave_background_radiation)

I just repeated what said from the health-science link. Hey, why do you think I started this thread? :P


Everyone has missed the real troubling problem about this thread...

The OP is EATING OATMEAL! EEEEWWWWWWWW!!!!

People from Norway are basically born with a spoon of oatmeal in their mouth. Besides, it's incredible healthy. :)

[mkendall]

The only thing microwaving does is energizes the water molecules in the food to the boiling point which, in effect, heats and cooks the food. The microwaves do nothing more to the food than that.

Truth.


This page (http://www.health-science.com/microwave_hazards.html) (and plenty of others on the internet of varying quality) argues it is very unhealthy. Regarding microwave ovens, I'm rather safe than sorry. I very rarely use them.

That website is written by someone who has just enough knowlege to expose his ignorance. "[M]icrowaves from the sun are based on principles of pulsed direct current (DC) that don't create frictional heat; microwave ovens use alternating current (AC) creating frictional heat." Gibberish.

The thing to keep in mind about cooking with a microwave is that the cooking method is different than using a stove top, grill, or oven. Do molecular compounds break down in microwave ovens? Yes. But that is a byproduct, not a direct result. The microwave excites (heats) water; the water then disperses it's energy (heat), to the surrounding food (second law of thermodynamics working here: heat flows from high energy regions to low energy regions); if the amount of energy (heat) is great enough, the molecular compounds in the food break down. Nothing new in that third part; look at charred meat from the grill or skillet, the proteins have broken down from the high heat.

tldr version: "microwaves are bad" is FUD. Just know what it does well and does poorly and use accordingly.

[thisllub]

This page (http://www.health-science.com/microwave_hazards.html) (and plenty of others on the internet of varying quality) argues it is very unhealthy. Regarding microwave ovens, I'm rather safe than sorry. I very rarely use them.

From that article.



The use of artificial microwave transmissions for subliminal psychological control, a.k.a. "brainwashing", has also been proven.

I think they call them cell phones.



The article is little but bull5hit

[klange]

All microwaves do is vibrate water molecules in your food - why do people have this crazy fascination with claiming that machines of convenience are harmful for our health?

It's like the WiFi+Cell FUD on how wireless signals will give us cancer and what not...

Now, due to the precise cooking method, the food itself may not suit your tastes, but that's a whole other matter.

[Thelasko]

why do people have this crazy fascination with claiming that machines of convenience are harmful for our health?

Because very few people actually understand how these machines work.

Take powdered non-dairy creamer for example, do you know how it works? I sure don't. Therefore, if were to tell people that putting powdered non-dairy creamer into a microwave could result in them becoming a mouse, they might believe me.

Hmmm... somebody should make an episode of a TV show (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinky_and_the_Brain) about this.;)

[PrimoTurbo]

All microwaves do is vibrate water molecules in your food - why do people have this crazy fascination with claiming that machines of convenience are harmful for our health?

It's like the WiFi+Cell FUD on how wireless signals will give us cancer and what not...

Now, due to the precise cooking method, the food itself may not suit your tastes, but that's a whole other matter.

Exactly, microwave doesn't add any chemicals or radiation to your food. It depends what food you eat not how you cook it really.

[swoll1980]

When I'm making coco-wheat in the microwave, it has to be watched carefully or it will boil-over (overflow). That is not fun to clean up.

coco wheats coco wheats can't be beat. They're the hot creamy cereal with the coco treat. So be big, and strong, have lots of fun, eat coco coco wheats everyone. "rrrahhh(parrot sound) coo-coo wheats" [angry voice] "They're coco wheats bird brain!"

[bjschuma]

The buttons on my microwave stopped working last Spring. Naturally, I took it apart. Attached are some of the pictures I took of the inside.

[Faolan84]

My general though on this is all things in moderation. Microwave ovens are fairly safe if you don't stand near them (yes like some have pointed out that some radiation escapes; however there is also EMF leakage that occurs (mostly inside the chamber) MAY be the cause of other small chemical changes that happens to certain foods when placed in the microwave oven. EMF leakage is the other also why you shouldn't stand near a microwave oven, especially if you have a pacemaker because the shielding on the ovens isn't perfect and sometimes can be damaged.

The good news is that studies showing adverse health effects from microwaved food are few in number and the data may have been skewed by using plastic containers and other stuff that generally shouldn't be heated in the first place to store the food.

Also as far as the WiFi and cellphone issue goes. I keep my WiFi transmitter in a closet that i seldom go into and I keep my cellphone on a holster and use a wired headset (stereo at that!). This allows me to have as little as possible direct exposure to the EMF and microwaves transmitted. I'd rather be safe than sorry and it's an adjustment I can live with until further conclusive evidence is shown that there is beyond any reasonable doubt that these products are safe to use in close proximity.

It's the same concept that if a small comet was headed towards earth and the possible impact point was your neighborhood and in two days, you would not wait for a scientific consensus of an impact if the scientists said "the best we can give you is a ten minute warning". If your smart you'd be packed and in your car within the next hour.

[handy]

Handy, Zakany is right. Please have a look at the Faraday cage link I posted above.

In metals, EM waves disturb the electrons, who swiftly rearrange themselves (as long as the wave frequency is lower than the plasma frequency of the metal) into a field-cancelling arrangement. There is a formula to calculate the penetration of EM waves in a metal, which you can find. The fact that big waves can't go through small holes is also physics.

Good. :-)

I still won't stand directly in front of one & inside of meter when it is working though.

My kidneys & other internal organs have got enough to do without my exposing them to the potential of loosing cells due them being ever so slowly cooked over a very long period.

It is just too easy to protect myself from this possibility, which as I stated earlier was taught to me by very well educated specialists in the food sciences.

[Grant A.]

It's what they make porridge out of. :-(

Well obviously porridge is bad then. You don't remember the story about the woman who ate porridge in a house and 3 bears came home to eat her? It was her punishment from God.

[Faolan84]

+1 LMAO!

I prefer Cream of Wheat with apples and cinnimon or peaches and cream in it. Oatmeal is okay if you add stuff to it, but there is better stuff out there. It's not as bad as hamburger gravy -- my mom used to make that stuff on a weekly basis when I was little and it's the most bland food you'd ever eat.

[Giant Speck]

Well obviously porridge is bad then. You don't remember the story about the woman who ate porridge in a house and 3 bears came home to eat her? It was her punishment from God.

I don't think that was as much punishment for eating porridge as it was for breaking and entering.

:lolflag:

[FuturePilot]

Sometimes when someone opens the microwave it trips the circuit breaker and my server goes down. :shock: :(

[acracker]

Just be careful what you put in there...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0TSyIn5KMo

[LouisZepher]

Well I eat Quaker oatmeal and they only have cooking directions for the microwave. It's a bit strange, I think.

The only real difference between the microwave instructions and stove-top is the fact that for stove-top, one would put the water and meal in a small pot on the stove, rather than a bowl in the microwave. If one can't boil water without difficulty, then they shouldn't be allowed to use the kitchen without some sort of supervision. That's not a put-down, just a simple fact.

[Giant Speck]

Just be careful what you put in there...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0TSyIn5KMo

Best Microwave-themed show ever: http://www.youtube.com/user/JPizzle1122

[Faolan84]

cut a grape in half longways but leave a a little of the skin connecting the two sides. lay flat on the turntable. set time to no more than 13 seconds. enjoy.

don't eat it, just watch it.

[Crafty Kisses]

T.V. Dinners are really great for you!

http://raw360.com/media/1/20031013-yucky.gif

[MikeTheC]

Ok, great. Let's go ahead and ban microwaves. Yet another useful and worthwhile invention down the tubes.

Hope none of you folk hold shares of stock in the companies which produce microwaves.

EDIT: What about nuking data CDs and DVDs in a microwave, do we need a nanny state to further tell us what we can or can't do in our homes or with our private data? Hmm?

[Thelasko]

Sometimes when someone opens the microwave it trips the circuit breaker and my server goes down. :shock: :(

Your microwave and server probably shouldn't be on the same breaker. Why is your server in the kitchen? If it isn't, why is your microwave in the same room as your server? If your microwave is in the kitchen, and the server in some other room, why isn't your kitchen on a separate breaker?

If your kitchen is on the same breaker as another room of the house, you should probably have an electrician look at that.

[MarblePanther]

T.V. Dinners are really great for you!

http://raw360.com/media/1/20031013-yucky.gif

That'll give you a heartattack...:!:
what is that?

[FuturePilot]

Your microwave and server probably shouldn't be on the same breaker. Why is your server in the kitchen? If it isn't, why is your microwave in the same room as your server? If your microwave is in the kitchen, and the server in some other room, why isn't your kitchen on a separate breaker?

If your kitchen is on the same breaker as another room of the house, you should probably have an electrician look at that.

Lol no my server isn't in the kitchen. It's in the next room but it seems the outlet is on the same one as the kitchen, but my router which is plugged in to another outlet a few feet away is on a different one. It's weird like that. But opening a microwave shouldn't be tripping anything in the first place. Yeah, I think there's an electrical problem.

[Thelasko]

But opening a microwave shouldn't be tripping anything in the first place. Yeah, I think there's an electrical problem.

Yeah, that outlet in the other room shouldn't be on the same breaker as the kitchen. I don't think it's against code or anything, it's just not a good idea for the reason that kitchen appliances use a lot of electricity and usually have a dedicated breaker.

I'm assuming your microwave is running when you have this problem. (open the door and the kill switch shuts off the magnetron and you get a current spike, weird but plausible) It's probably just a case of too much stuff on one breaker. You are probably just squeaking by with everything running at steady state, but a slight increase in load blows the breaker.

If the breaker trips when the microwave door is opened, no matter if it's running or not, then I'm thinking there is a short somewhere in the circuit that turns on the light when you open the door. The fix may be as simple as replacing the bulb, but could require a whole new microwave. Microwaves can be pretty cheap, I've seen them for $70 at Target. It's definitely not enough money to wreck your sever over.

P.S. and get a UPS.

P.P.S. Don't crack open your microwave and play with the wiring! The magnetron runs on extremely high voltage and can act as a capacitor. Even with the microwave unplugged it can store enough electricity to kill you.

[DMcA]

There's been a lot of nonsense in this thread. As already said, microwave ovens have a Faraday cage, the radiation doesn't get out. If you want to worry about microwaves worry about mobile phones, which are unshielded and the radiation goes straight into your brain. Even then, the evidence for negative health effects is dubious.

[Grant A.]

That'll give you a heartattack...:!:
what is that?

The remains of Goldilocks.

[MarblePanther]

The remains of Goldilocks.

:lolflag:

I thought it was Little Red Riding Hood :)

[arvevans]

Re. The Wi-Fi router/hub resetting when you open the microwave...The microwave operates on either 1200 MHz or 2200 MHz. Your WiFi server operates on 2400 MHz (802.11b) or 5400 MHz (802.11g). When you subject it's very sensitive receiver circuitry to 500+ watts of microwave energy you can expect strange things to happen, including shut-down or reset.

Faraday screens (holes smaller than 1/4 wavelength at the operating frequency) are used to block electro-static energy. If the metal with those holes is non-ferrous it will let electro-magnetic energy pass through. If it is ferrous material (i.e. iron) it will block electro-magnetic energy.

One major source of RF (Radio Frequency) leakage from a microwave oven is food material caked onto the door seal area. This can act as a transmission path to pipe energy from inside the oven to outside it.

LOL-ALERT: Be careful when opening the door on your microwave soon after it has shut down. Give it a few seconds for the remaining microwaves to cease circulation. Otherwise some of those nasty microwaves might escape into your living space and upon impact with human cells, cause them to mutate...making your ears green and pointed! :)

[BuffaloX]

LOL-ALERT: Be careful when opening the door on your microwave soon after it has shut down. Give it a few seconds for the remaining microwaves to cease circulation. Otherwise some of those nasty microwaves might escape into your living space and upon impact with human cells, cause them to mutate...making your ears green and pointed! :)

I KNEW IT!
Thats why I always wear a rubber suit, just in case.
Oh Wait rubber doesn't work???
I'll just fry everything from now on, that way at least I'll know I'll die from cancer.

[MikeTheC]

I'm thinking we all need to just go back to using fire. Make a fire pit in your home and cook everything there. Then, at least, you won't have to worry about you or your food being irradiated.

[jrusso2]

I KNEW IT!
Thats why I always wear a rubber suit, just in case.
Oh Wait rubber doesn't work???
I'll just fry everything from now on, that way at least I'll know I'll die from cancer.

Wear the tin foil hats and coats.

[jrusso2]

I'm thinking we all need to just go back to using fire. Make a fire pit in your home and cook everything there. Then, at least, you won't have to worry about you or your food being irradiated.

I live in an apartment and I tried your advice and it set off the fire alarms and smoke alarms for the whole building.

Now the fire department and the psychiatrist both want to talk to me about it.

[MikeTheC]

I live in an apartment and I tried your advice and it set off the fire alarms and smoke alarms for the whole building.

Now the fire department and the psychiatrist both want to talk to me about it.

It's simple. Do what I'd do: Tell them it seemed like a good idea at the time.

[jrusso2]

It's simple. Do what I'd do: Tell them it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Heh, good plan.

[Faolan84]

Blame it on the neighbors, or **** Cheney.

[EdThaSlayer]

The only thing I heard is that if you stay too near to a microwave the radiation slowly poisons your DNA, causing the cytokinesis cycle to have more defects. :popcorn:

[PurposeOfReason]

Why would I ever need a microwave?


http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/41/ezbake.shtml

http://images.thinkgeek.com/products/other/looflirpa/zoom/pc-ez-bake.jpg

[Faolan84]

Finally a toaster that really does run NetBSD!
But the real question, can it run on Linux?

[tuebinger]

Is there really so much paranoia and misinformation about microwave ovens... in 2009? This makes me sad. :(

[Thelasko]

The only thing I heard is that if you stay too near to a microwave the radiation slowly poisons your DNA, causing the cytokinesis cycle to have more defects. :popcorn:

From my feeble understanding of the electro-magnetic spectrum, for radiation to damage your DNA, it has to have a wavelength smaller than the DNA itself. Therefore, according to this illustration (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:EM_Spectrum_Properties_edit.svg), that would only be ultraviolet, x, and gamma radiation.

P.S. This article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ionizing_radiation) confirms my hypothesis.

[MarblePanther]

Is there really so much paranoia and misinformation about microwave ovens... in 2009? This makes me sad. :(

Blame it on the school systems...

in fact, you could probably get away with blaming everything on them ;)

...I'm just kidding, I'm responsible for my microwave-ignorance :confused:

I've already learned a lot from the science geeks on this thread, thanks!

[Miguel]

From my feeble understanding of the electro-magnetic spectrum, for radiation to damage your DNA, it has to have a wavelength smaller than the DNA itself. Therefore, according to this illustration (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:EM_Spectrum_Properties_edit.svg), that would only be ultraviolet, x, and gamma radiation.

P.S. This article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ionizing_radiation) confirms my hypothesis.

You're almost right, but it's the energy that matters in this case, not the size. In order to modify ADN (or any molecule, for that matter), you need to alter the chemical bonds. Remember ADN is just a big quantum mechanical system. So, if you have ADN in it's ground state (point A, with energy E_A) and want to excite it to point B, with energy E_B, you need radiation of energy E_B - E_A. And exactly that energy. If you ionise the molecule, you are giving an electron enough energy to leave the molecule plus an arbitray amount. Thus, the minimum energy needed is E_free electron - E_molecule. It happens that the typical energies in chemical bonding are around 1 eV, corresponding to ultraviolet light.

Note that those exact energy "steps" of light that can be absorbed I talked about are unique of the molecule, and are used by scientists to identify them. As an example, helium (from helios, sun in greek) was found because the light from the sun was found to have some traces of a then unknown element in earth. When helium was isolated in earth, it was found to have the same spectrum as the unexplained part from the sun.

If you go to much higher energies than 1 eV, you start "touching" states with much higher energy. If you go to around 1 keV (1000 eV) you start messing with inner atomic electrons, and can have funny stuff such as cascade decay: one "core" electron is freed and the other electrons go falling into lower available levels, radiating the appropriate energy in the form of "light".

But forget all this gibberish. The important thing here is that, if you want to mess with something of a certain energy, the apropriate tool is something other of energy near to E, too.

PS: The "fingerprints" of the different atoms can be seen in Kalzium, the KDE periodic table, in case you got it installed.

[MarblePanther]

Why would I ever need a microwave?


http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/41/ezbake.shtml

http://images.thinkgeek.com/products/other/looflirpa/zoom/pc-ez-bake.jpg

:lolflag:

I would so buy that :KS

[Pogeymanz]

A negative (that I was told by a teacher when I was doing a full time cooking course), with regard to human health & microwave ovens, is that they ALL leak microwaves through the holes in the protective grill that you can see when you look through the glass.

It is best not to stand inside of a meter in front of a microwave whilst it is doing its thing, apparently.

Also, we were told (for obvious reasons) that it is a good idea to place a microwave in a position that children can't stand in front of (with their nose virtually on the glass door) waiting for their food to come out.

This isn't true. The cage on the front is a "Faraday cage" which keeps all electromagetic waves of a certain frequency and lower from passing through it. Those frequencies which are kept in/out are dependent on the size of the holes. You could make the whole thing solid metal and no E&M waves would go through, but then you don't get to watch your food cook.

You can stand in front of a microwave all day as long as it has that mesh.

[Thelasko]

You're almost right, but it's the energy that matters in this case, not the size.

You lost me after that. I've heard of some of the concepts you're talking about from what I know of the photoelectric effect, but in general, you lost me.

[Miguel]

You lost me after that. I've heard of some of the concepts you're talking about from what I know of the photoelectric effect, but in general, you lost me.

Oh, sorry! What I meant is that, as you've heard, the important thing for ionizing radiation is the energy. That is, an ADN chain could be as large as a golf ball, but if the energy of the photon is not high enough, it won't matter (for ionizing!). It can also work the other way round: If you put a fly in a glass inside the microwave and turn it on, the fly will die (I know, I've done it). It doesn't matter that the fly is around 1cm large.

You can see energy levels as steps on a stair. You need to rise your foot at least as high as the step height in order to advance. In this case it's the same.

What you said about size is important too, but in different cases. For example, and due to size issues, these microwaves couldn't be used as "radar" to detect the fly mentioned above, since it's too small.

[Grant A.]

Why would I ever need a microwave?


http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/41/ezbake.shtml

http://images.thinkgeek.com/products/other/looflirpa/zoom/pc-ez-bake.jpg

Is that what the bears did with Goldilocks? :(

[Thelasko]

That is, an ADN chain could be as large as a golf ball...

Do you mean DNA?

[Miguel]

Do you mean DNA?

Yes, sorry. Many acronyms are reversed in spanish, and yesterday wasn't a specially fluid day in my mind.

[issih]

As an interesting counterpoint, given that much of the scientific hokum being spread has already been thoroughly debunked (nice work there Miguel) do bear in mind that other supposedly all natural forms of cooking can be harmful too. Burning meat cooked on a grill is known to produce chemicals which are carcinogenic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzopyrene

I know its wikipedia and therefore not exactly citable, but none the less.

Nearly all forms of cooking can cause molecular changes (because that is the desired effect of cooking) Consequently you are in the realms of chemistry, and you can end up producing some nasty stuff, but that is true of ALL heating methods, be it a bunsen burner or a deep fat frier.

[Thelasko]

Yes, sorry. Many acronyms are reversed in spanish, and yesterday wasn't a specially fluid day in my mind.

Your posts make much more sense now. Basically you are saying that the frequency as well as the energy of the radiation is important.

In summary:

Low energy microwaves do nothing
High energy microwaves cook things

Low energy UV does nothing
High energy UV causes cancer

The reason for this is because radiation has to have just the right amount of energy (quantum) to have an effect.

[Paqman]

Lots of reports says negative changes (higher cholesterol, less white blood cells) occur if eating microwaved foods.

Er, "lots"?

I remember when they first came out, people were worried about radiation leaks and there was a small fortune made in microwave radiation detector thingies to stick to the outside of them. After a while people realised they were just being paranoid and I haven't seen one for years.

[hgais]

As an interesting counterpoint, given that much of the scientific hokum being spread has already been thoroughly debunked (nice work there Miguel) do bear in mind that other supposedly all natural forms of cooking can be harmful too. Burning meat cooked on a grill is known to produce chemicals which are carcinogenic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzopyrene

I know its wikipedia and therefore not exactly citable, but none the less.

Nearly all forms of cooking can cause molecular changes (because that is the desired effect of cooking) Consequently you are in the realms of chemistry, and you can end up producing some nasty stuff, but that is true of ALL heating methods, be it a bunsen burner or a deep fat frier.

Indeed, people seem to forget that things that are so-called "natural" can be just if not more deadly than man-made things. For example, a supernova is probably much more dangerous than a nuke. And while Diet Coke may not be good for you, it's not like it's not all that much worse than what some things in mother nature could do to us.

Even eating everything raw is not always the best idea.

But I do prefer the concept of cooking things with your computer. Either with the PC Ez-Bake oven or an overclocked processor. Now that's the only way to do things...

[issih]

@Thelasko, thats the idea, its an important one, and caused a great amount of confusion as it runs counter intuitively to the ideas of classical physics. The fact that reality does actually work like that is proved by the photoelectric effect, which was explained by a relatively unknown scientist called um Einstein. The consequences of these kind of discoveries led us into the world of quantum mechanics and lots of modern science, indeed the computer you are sat at wouldn't exist without it.

Very important, very odd, never really understood by anyone, even if they claim they do :)

[S0VERE1GN]

microwaves are okay as long as you use glass or properly painted ceramics in them. plastics will dissolve and go into your tummy.
mmmmm oil products. :popcorn:

i rock the stovetop for the morning oatmeal btw. makes me feel more bohemian :-p

[DMcA]

microwaves are okay as long as you use glass or properly painted ceramics in them. plastics will dissolve and go into your tummy.



No they won't. Some plastics might get broken down by microwaves but that's not dissolving them in something. There's plenty of microwave-safe plastics too, it should say on the container.

[Miguel]

Hi again,

Sorry for the delayed answer, but it's been quite a tough couple of days here.


The reason for this is because radiation has to have just the right amount of energy (quantum) to have an effect.

Exactly! This is a very important thing to understand.


Your posts make much more sense now. Basically you are saying that the frequency as well as the energy of the radiation is important.

That's right, but for electromagnetic waves energy and frequency are actually the same thing. So Microwaves and X-Rays and visible light and Ionizing radiations only differ by their frequency (or their energy, as you prefer).



Low energy microwaves do nothing
High energy microwaves cook things

Low energy UV does nothing
High energy UV causes cancer


Here, what you call energy is probably intensity (i.e. how much light you are throwing at it), but that's pretty much it. Some microwaves won't cook anything and some UV light won't kill you either.

I am really sorry if I am not explaining myself correctly. I'm finding out that an internet forum isn't the best place to explain physics, with all the delays and misscomunication that may arise.

[Thelasko]

Here, what you call energy is probably intensity (i.e. how much light you are throwing at it), but that's pretty much it. Some microwaves won't cook anything and some UV light won't kill you either.

What I'm calling energy is amplitude (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amplitude). Amplitude and frequency are unrelated.

[rajeev1204]

Life is invariably a fatal condition. Get used to it. :D

Hehe well said. :D

[DMcA]

That's right, but for electromagnetic waves energy and frequency are actually the same thing

lies, there's an h in there :p

[calrogman]

Microwave oven cooked foods actually retain more of their goodness than if they were steamed/boiled due to lower cooking times and the fact you don't need to use water.