7 Foods You Should Never, Ever Microwave
When it comes to cooking at home, we pride ourselves on making everything from scratch. Every ingredient we use is organic, free-range, non-GMO, and very expensive. And when each and every one of our family members has cleaned their plate, our generous loved ones take care of the clean-up…
…IN OUR DREAMS! Yep, we wish our life was like this, but, honestly, whose is? Though we do our best to create wholesome meals for our fam, by the end of the week, exhaustion sets in and we are forced to salvage the remnants of meals past. Usually, we’ll throw the concoction into the microwave, an appliance which has saved us from calling in a last-minute pizza order time and time again!
But, convenience factor aside, we’ve learned some hard lessons over the years when it comes to this device–not all foods are meant to be zapped! Learn from our hazardous mistakes and vow to never, ever microwave these 7 foods again!
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Breast Milk and Baby Formula
Although it was common practice years ago, the FDA is now advising moms and dads to not let their baby’s milk anywhere near the microwave because the liquid might not heat up evenly. This can create hot spots in the bottle which could burn your kiddo. Better off with a fridge or cold-water thaw!
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Fruit
We don’t really know why anyone would ever put their fruit in the microwave in the first place, but if you’re thinking about doing it, DON’T. The high temperatures stop the fruit from releasing moisture, which means you’ll end up with an ooey-gooey and very burnt explosion all over the inside of the microwave!
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Broccoli
Sure, we’ve all put broccoli in the microwave before, but the veggie simply isn’t equipped for handling the heat. In fact, when the green is zapped, it loses many of its essential nutrients. Better off serving it steamed or raw!
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A Mug of Water
Microwaving a mug of water may seem like a loophole for getting hot water fast, but by doing so, you are creating a dangerous situation.
You see, when water is heated in a ceramic mug, the liquid can “superheat,” meaning that its boiling point might not be reached until after it is removed from the microwave. Once that happens, the water might start bubbling over while you are removing the mug from the microwave— or even worse, while you are putting your lips up to take a drink. Scary!
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Oils
While placing your favorite oil in the microwave might not be dangerous, it’s just not all that productive. This is because oil does not contain enough liquid within it to heat up quickly. Better off using the stove!
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Uncooked Rice
While it may be OK to re-heat your cooked rice, microwaving the uncooked grain can be hazardous to your health. According to the UK’s Food Standard Agency, microwaves don’t get hot enough to kill spores on raw rice, which can lead to food poisoning. Good to know!
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Leftover Potatoes
Be careful when reheating your leftover potatoes, especially if you let them cool down all the way before placing them in the fridge. Believe it or not, this seemingly harmless act encourages botulism to grow on your yummy side dish. See–not even your potatoes are safe from the microwave!
Are you guilty of microwaving any of these foods? Do you know of any others that we should add to this list? Which foods survive in the microwave the best?
