The piping hot food that reaches the table isn’t always straight off the cooking gas or right out of the convection oven – seeing the temperature of food, chances are that it has been heated one last time in the microwave oven – a ubiquitous essential in all kitchens, if affordable. Microwave ovens have revolutionized cooking in western kitchens and have helped save time, effort, power consumption and also the number of dishes and utensils used per meal. They remain a boon for the person running the kitchen and help conserve human and electric energy.
The use of microwaves has been spreading commercially as well. Microwaves are found to be useful in food preservation since they facilitate the food drying process and provide better results in later stages of the drying process. Dehydration of vegetables with the help of microwaves yield better results in a shorter period of time.
History of Microwave Ovens
The microwave oven was an accidental invention after World War II while an American engineer, Percy Spencer, was working on radar technology and found a chocolate melting in his pocket as he switched on the magnetron used in radars. This made him explore the idea of using the heat producing magnetron to cook food. The first food to be tried was popcorn, which showed fantastic results. The first microwave oven built was 1.5 meters high, a far cry from the sleek and compact counter top microwave ovens today. It was only in the 1950s that the concept was refined and the oven reached kitchens, both commercial and domestic, almost after ten years. The first ovens for homes were sold in 1967 by Amana , a division that was purchased by Raytheon. It took another twenty years before they became a global phenomenon for cooking and heating.
A microwave oven is an all-in-one cooking appliance which can cook, heat, melt, defrost, bake, boil and steam. It is one of the biggest kitchen conveniences since it is quick and highly efficient, using radiation to heat food which also helps save energy. Thus a joint of meat can be cooked six times faster than a conventional oven. The biggest advantage being that microwave ovens do not have to be preheated before food is placed inside to be cooked. It also helps to find that the container never heats up, and it is only the food contained in it that becomes hot. This prevents hands from burning or even the need for oven clothes which are essential for removing bowls from convection ovens.
Microwave ovens are small and compact with plastic or metallic exteriors and metal interiors typical of a strong metal box that can withstand high levels of heat. This houses the magnetron which is actually the microwave generator-it uses the electricity coming from the power cord to produce high powered radio waves. Generally, the right wall has a small rectangular corner with small holes through which microwaves reach the food-this channel is called the wave guide. The microwaves released bounce from the reflective metallic walls inside and then penetrate the food that is rotating in a dish placed on the turn table. They make the food molecules vibrate faster and this speed creates heat-making the food get hotter. Liquids heat up faster because microwaves cause the molecules of liquids to react more quickly.
The case against microwave ovens
For the last few years, the anti-microwave wave has been gathering momentum with health gurus highlighting the ill effects of microwaves and the health hazards involved in consuming microwave cooked food. There is a move to encourage people to go back to age old cooking methods how ever time consuming they may be. The same holds true for cooking materials and the skepticism surrounding new man made ones claiming to be microwave safe.
The use of microwaves then remains a hot topic of debate though few have been able to discard them for the convenience they offer and how much they facilitate the cooking and meal serving process. Numerous scientists, food specialists and health experts have been propagating the ill effects of microwave cooking or even the use of these ovens for reheating food. They are convinced that microwaves are dangerous in numerous ways besides killing the food nutrients. They continue to issue warnings and the need to discard microwave ovens and opt for convection ovens or toaster grill ovens – steaming, sautéing and baking being far more beneficial and safer.
- Microwaves kill the nutrients in food and what is consumed can be termed “dead food” with no nutritive value. Microwaves use dielectric heating and the molecular friction in water molecules created for heating actually changes the molecular structure of the food.
- Microwaves create carcinogens in food especially when it is wrapped in plastic releasing harmful toxins which enter our bodies. Milk and grains led to the formation of carcinogenic substances through amino acid conversion.
- Microwaves may use non-ionizing radiation but it remains radiation which is harmful for the human body and manifests itself in numerous ways.
- Loss of vitamins B, C and E contained in foods due to structural degradation of food caused by microwaves.
- Microwave heating impacts the heart by reducing the red blood cell count and elevated levels of cholesterol. Support for this useful gadget comes from various groups and a few guidelines would be helpful in ensuring safety in their use. For instance, it is advisable to cover the food container before starting the oven, avoiding the use of plastic ware and opting to not cook food but only heat what has been prepared.The myth that microwaves may leak and impact the person standing close to the oven has also been proven wrong since there is no scope of leakage from the metal casing. The lock function ensures that the microwaves stop being produced the instant the door is opened.
Myanmar cooking styles
The local Myanmar cuisine is an eclectic mix of steaming, frying, stir frying and sauteeing. Rice is steamed in rice cookers and curries are elaborately cooked in varying quantities of oil. Most of the cooking is done at home and eating out or carrying food packets home is not yet part of the locals’ food routine. Fusion cuisine incorporates the use of ovens and it is here that microwave ovens can prove useful. The microwave revolution has touched Myanmar in the last few years as shelves of electrical appliance outlets are lined with multi brand ovens with wide ranging features and corresponding price ranges. In a country with major power issues, their usage can be somewhat limiting, but for those who can afford to buy a microwave oven, it is a status symbol, albeit in the kitchen.
Myanmar cuisine is different and the customary cooking rituals at least twice a day make the microwave oven more of a heating device and not so much for cooking. Rice based meals with soups and curries are not easy to prepare in a microwave oven. Yet they are being purchased as a kitchen essential increasingly now. Their availability has picked up and the number of brands available has multiplied. A number of obscure Chinese brands compete with reputed ones like Panasonic, LG, Tefal, Kenwood, Midea, Farfalla, Galanz and so on. Small and single function microwave ovens compete with multifunctional ones that have microwave cum convection ovens, combination options, single button cooking and steaming options. Price being a major deciding factor nearly all ovens fall in the mid price range.
As the sales pick up one hopes that there is an awareness among the locals about the ill effects of microwave cooking and their use is confined to heating and reheating for a minute or two to minimize the same.
