At the moment it is very difficult to say who exactly invented the microwave oven. In different sources you can see completely different information. The official creator is usually named P.B. Spencer, an engineer from the United States of America who was involved in research on the emitter of microwave waves - the magnetron. As a result of his experiments, he made very specific conclusions. A certain frequency of radiation causes intense heat generation. On December 6, 1945, scientists received a patent for the use of microwaves for cooking. In 1949, in the USA, using this patent, the production of microwave ovens, which were intended for quickly defrosting strategic food reserves, had already begun. The whole world celebrates the birthday of microwave ovens on December 6th.
Controversy surrounding the invention
Since this device was created, debates about its benefits and harms have not subsided. Until now, many people do not understand the principle of operation of a microwave oven, which is why it is believed that products that have undergone such processing can be dangerous to human health. When this device first appeared on the Russian market, many began to hear that food prepared or heated in this way causes cancer. They often talked about the influence of microwaves on the intrauterine development of children and their ability to cause various pathologies. Dishes from such an oven are full of carcinogens.
Recent studies of the household appliances market have demonstrated that every fifth family in Russia has a microwave oven, and in the United States of America only 10% of the population has not yet acquired this unit. When purchasing from sales consultants, you can often hear that this particular model is completely safe for health and shielded from radiation. And then the thought creeps in that there are some harmful factors.
This device uses radio waves similar to a conventional receiver, only they differ in frequency and are characterized by greater power. Every day we experience the effects of radio waves of different frequencies - we are influenced by our mobile phones, computers, televisions and other types of equipment. We should take a closer look at what a microwave oven is. Is there harm or benefit from its use, what is its impact? The cooking process works like this: microwave microwaves “bomb” the water molecules in the food, causing them to rotate at an incredible frequency, which creates molecular friction that heats the food. It is this process that causes severe damage to food molecules, as it leads to their rupture and deformation. It turns out that a microwave oven leads to decay and changes in the structure of products under the influence of radiation.
After the war, medical research was discovered that the Germans were doing with microwaves. All these documents, along with several working models, were transferred to the United States of America for further research. The Russians obtained a number of models with which they conducted many experiments. During the study, it was revealed that exposure to microwaves produces environmental and biological substances that are harmful to health. A regulation was created to strictly limit the use of microwave waves.
The harm and benefits of a microwave oven according to scientists
American researchers say that this device has reduced the incidence of stomach cancer in America. This is due to the fact that there is no need to add oil when cooking in a microwave oven. And in terms of the cooking method, this option is very similar to steam, which is considered the safest. A short cooking time allows you to preserve twice as many nutrients in food: minerals and vitamins. At the Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, it was calculated that the process of preparing dishes on the stove leads to the loss of 60% of useful elements, in particular vitamin C. And microwaves destroy only 2-25%. However, scientists from Spain claim that broccoli, which is prepared in this way, loses up to 98% of the minerals and vitamins contained in it, and the microwave oven is to blame for this.
The harm of this method of cooking is becoming more and more confirmed every day. A lot of information has emerged that food prepared in this way causes irreparable harm to human health. Microwaves cause food to break down at the molecular level, causing irreversible changes that cause cancer-causing substances in regular food.
In 1992, a comparative study was published in the United States, which stated that introducing molecules exposed to microwaves into the human body leads to more harm than benefit. In food that has undergone this processing, the molecules contain microwave energy that is not present in foods prepared using traditional methods.
The microwave oven, the dangers of which have been studied for many years, changes the structure of products. A short-term study showed that people who consumed vegetables and milk prepared in this way had changes in their blood composition, increased cholesterol and decreased hemoglobin. At the same time, eating the same products, but prepared traditionally, did not lead to any changes in the body.
Unanswered question
Manufacturers of microwave ovens unanimously claim that food from a microwave oven does not differ in composition from that processed in a traditional way. However, no public university in the United States has conducted research into how food altered in this way affects the human body. But there is a huge amount of research on what happens if the door of the device is not closed. Common sense dictates that issues related to the food itself are quite important. Therefore, at the moment it is a complete mystery what a microwave oven does to food, whether it brings harm or benefit to them.
Other Important Points
Quite often you can hear that these devices are harmful to children. The composition of mother's milk and infant formula includes amino acids that, when exposed to this radiation, are converted into d-isomers, and they are considered neurotoxic, that is, they lead to deformation of the nervous system, and also nephrotoxic, that is, they are poison for the kidneys. Now that many children are fed with artificial formulas, the dangers are increasing, because they are heated in microwaves.
The World Health Organization has issued a verdict that the radiation used in microwaves does not harm food or humans at all. But the intensity of the microwave flux can affect implanted cardiac stimulators. This is why people with pacemakers are advised to give up microwaves and cell phones.
Other Features
However, many people are still targeting the microwave oven. Whether it is harmful or not is not clear. Therefore, a final verdict has not yet been made on this issue. Many scientists are working to study its effect on the human body. In the meantime, the dangers and benefits of a microwave oven remain a big question; you should use it only for heating and defrosting food, but not for cooking. You should not be near a switched-on stove yourself, especially if you do not allow children near it. A faulty device should not be used. The doors should close as securely as possible and there should be no damage to them. And if you have a microwave oven, the instruction manual will help you use it correctly. You should always have this appliance repaired by qualified personnel rather than doing it yourself.
Unusual use of microwaves
A microwave oven, whose characteristics depend on many factors, can be used for various purposes that are not considered traditional for it. You can use it for drying vegetables, herbs, nuts for the winter, as well as crackers. If you put spices and seasonings in the microwave for 30 seconds, you can refresh their aroma. Bread can be refreshed by wrapping it in a napkin and placing it in the device for 1 minute at the most intense radiation.
You can peel almonds by placing them in boiling water and then heating them in the oven for half a minute at full power. A microwave oven, the harm of which has been intensively studied, is also useful for peeling walnuts. They need to be heated in water at full power for 4-5 minutes. You can easily get rid of the white pulp on lemons or oranges. To do this, citrus fruits should be heated at full power for 30 seconds. After this, the white pulp can be separated from the slices quite simply.
Lemon or orange zest can be dried quite quickly by heating it for two minutes at full power. The same time will be enough to melt the candied honey.
You can rid cutting boards of unpleasant odors. To do this, you need to wash them, rub them with lemon juice, and then fry them in the microwave for a couple of minutes. In this case, even the most pungent ingrained odor will disappear.
To squeeze out the juice from citrus fruits to the last drop, just warm them up in the microwave for a few minutes and then let them cool.
What is the harm of a microwave?
If you are interested in a microwave oven, the harm of which is confirmed by many studies, then it is worth noting that the operating frequency of this device coincides with the frequency of a mobile phone. At the moment, there are four main factors that speak in favor of the harm of this unit.
First of all, it should be noted that electromagnetic radiation, or more precisely, its information component, is harmful. In science it is usually called a torsion field. Experiments have demonstrated that electromagnetic radiation has a torsion component. It is precisely such fields, according to most scientists, that pose danger and harm to human health. The torsion field transmits to a person all the negative information, which can cause irritation, headaches and insomnia, as well as other ailments.
It is also important to remember the temperature, but this applies over a long period of time when using the microwave oven constantly.
If we are targeting a microwave oven, the harm or benefits of which we are so interested in, then from the point of view of biology, it is high-frequency radiation in the centimeter range that is most harmful to humans. Since it is from it that the electromagnetic radiation of the highest intensity is obtained.
Microwaves lead to direct heating of the body, and only blood flow can reduce the degree of exposure. But there are organs, for example the lens, in which there is not a single vessel. Therefore, exposure to microwave waves causes clouding of the lens and its destruction. Such changes are irreversible.
Since we do not see or hear electromagnetic radiation, and we do not clearly feel it, we cannot determine whether it was the cause of this or that human disease. The influence of such radiation does not appear immediately, but only when it accumulates, which makes it difficult to blame any device with which a person has been in contact for this.
So, if you are considering a microwave oven, the characteristics of which are completely unimportant in this matter, then you should study its effect on food. Electromagnetic radiation can cause the ionization of molecules of a substance, that is, as a result of this, an atom can gain or lose an electron, which leads to a change in the structure of the substance itself.
Radiation causes the destruction of food molecules and their deformation. The microwave oven (whether its use is harmful to health or not is still being actively studied) creates new compounds that do not exist in nature. They are called radiolytic. And they, in turn, create molecular rot, which is a direct consequence of radiation.
Here are just a few facts to think about if you are interested in using a microwave oven:
Meat that is prepared in this way contains Nitrosodienthanolamines, which is a carcinogen;
In milk and cereals, many acids turn into carcinogens;
When fruits are defrosted in this way, their galactizoids and glucosides turn into carcinogenic substances;
Vegetable alkaloids become carcinogenic even with minor irradiation;
When processing plants, especially root vegetables, in a microwave oven, carcinogenic free radicals are formed;
The value of food is sometimes reduced by 90%;
Many vitamins lose their biological activity.
A microwave oven, reviews of which can be interesting and educational, is capable of weakening the cells of our body with its microwave radiation. There is a method of genetic engineering in which a cell is lightly irradiated with electromagnetic waves to penetrate it, and this leads to a weakening of the membranes. Since the cells, one might say, are broken, the membranes no longer serve as an obstacle to viruses, fungi and other microorganisms, and the natural self-healing mechanism is also suppressed.
The health hazards of microwave ovens are the same as exposure to radiation. In this case, radioactive decay of molecules occurs, after which new alloys unknown to nature are formed.
The influence of microwave radiation on human health
Eating food that is cooked in a microwave oven leads to a gradual decrease in heart rate and blood pressure. After this comes a period of nervousness and high blood pressure, headaches, eye pain, dizziness, irritability, insomnia, stomach pain, hair loss, inability to concentrate, and reproductive problems. Sometimes cancerous tumors even appear. With heart disease and stress, all these symptoms worsen.
What does the market offer?
The microwave oven, reviews of which you might like, is designed to provide maximum comfort, convenience and complete safety during use. The Russian market offers devices of different brands and sizes. Thanks to the abundance of design solutions, you can choose the model that best suits your taste preferences. There are both simple solutions and multifunctional large-sized specimens.
Any microwave oven whose characteristics suit you works on the same principle. The product is heated evenly due to irradiation from all sides. Simple models are characterized by the fact that the product is in one place, and a microwave source rotates around it, while more advanced options assume that directed microwave radiation is used, and the product is located on a special rotating tray.
A microwave oven, the design of which may include a grill and forced air circulation, is a more complex device. In this case, the fan is usually located behind the chamber wall. Grills are equipped with tubular heating elements. For steam cooking, the device can be equipped with special utensils. All models have a backlight that allows you to monitor the cooking process.
Subtleties of choice and characteristics
Despite the fact that a microwave oven, the reviews of which you may like, can completely replace a traditional kitchen stove, it is usually purchased as an addition to existing equipment. Before choosing, you should determine your needs and capabilities. You need to decide what tasks you need to perform and how often: prepare first courses, bake meat and poultry, defrost food, reheat it, and so on. Do you need a traditional, inexpensive device or a modern and elegant one? And all this is important when considering microwave ovens. How to choose one model or another is entirely up to you.
Many buyers prefer to use this device for defrosting food and heating food. These goals are easily achieved in simple microwave ovens, which use exclusively microwave radiation. Such equipment is usually purchased as an addition to a stove and oven. This way you can satisfy dietary and fast food requirements.
The size and design of the microwave oven affect the number of products and dishes that will be prepared at one time. The greatest demand is for devices that are characterized by medium and small dimensions, as well as the presence of a grill. With this option, food is not only heated, but also brought to perfect condition. Such solutions meet the needs of small families with limited budgets.
An important parameter is the volume of the chamber. Typically, the more functions a device has, the larger it is. Microwave wattage is another thing to keep in mind. This is what affects the cooking speed. The controls should be clear, but at the same time quite functional.
It is advisable that the kit includes a set of necessary accessories. Then working with the device will be much easier. The choice of one brand or another is a personal matter for everyone, and it all depends on preferences.
If we talk about reviews about microwave ovens, then here, as elsewhere, you can find different opinions. But most people agree on the usefulness of such a kitchen device as an assistant if you need to warm up, defrost, or quickly cook something. Models with a grill are more popular, as the food in them turns out to be more appetizing in appearance.
In general, a microwave oven, the photo of which you can take yourself, should be the way you want it. In the sense that the choice of a particular model depends entirely on your preferences.
