Emma Miller
Many office workers have a serious complaints about their coworkers who warm fish in the office microwaves. This situation has already become a “meme,” and warning notes have begun to appear in company kitchens asking them not to do so.
What not to put in the microwave
Food
To begin with, a small portion of lunch is really convenient to heat in the microwave. However, some types of food are better not to put in there:
- Eggs (in their shells and boiled whole) – the egg will explode when heated in the oven;
- Beets, celery, and spinach – nitrates in the composition at high temperatures turn into carcinogens and can be harmful to health;
- frozen meat – it will defrost unevenly, which can lead to pathogenic bacteria;
- Hot pepper – the hot substance in the composition will begin to evaporate, and when you open the door, you risk getting a burn of the respiratory tract.
- There is an opinion that it is also better not to heat fermented dairy products in the microwave – it can “curdle” and lose nutritional value.
Cookware
Some types of dishes are absolutely not designed to be heated in the microwave. These include:
- metal items and canning jars – will spark inside, and can cause a fire;
- Plastic lunch boxes – when heated they emit carcinogens and the container itself can melt;
foil products – fire will occur; - Paper bags – they can catch fire or become a source of toxic fumes because of the glue used to seal them.
Also in the microwave oven is strictly prohibited to heat crystal cookware, because it contains metals, and they can disable the equipment.
What you can heat in the microwave
Food
Despite the bans, some types of food can still be placed in the microwave. Do not hesitate to reheat:
- eggs without shells – scrambled eggs, omelets, poached eggs;
- citrus fruits;
- Bread and pastries;
- porridge;
- vegetables.
By the way, some chefs recommend using the microwave to steam vegetables without the stove.
Cookware
The following types of cookware would be a perfectly safe option for heating food:
- glassware without metal trim;
- Ceramic without gilding;
- silicone.
Instead of a lid for the microwave, you can use baking paper.
Useful tip: How to check if the cookware you’re using is suitable for the microwave. Take a container, pour water into it, put it in the microwave for 1 minute, and turn on full power. If in the end the container is cold and the liquid inside is hot – everything is normal. If it is the other way around, we advise you to change the cookware.
