Hear the word “microwave,” and you’re more likely to think of that miracle box in your kitchen than the radiation for which it’s named.

After all, microwaves heat your food through, well, microwaves. A form of electromagnetic radiation, microwaves have three characteristics that make them so darn good at zapping your leftovers.

They are reflected by metal. (That’s why you should never put metal in your microwave.)

They pass through glass, paper, plastic and similar materials.

They are absorbed by foods.

The latter is why microwaves work so well at cooking foods quickly. They cause water molecules in the food to vibrate – rapidly.

This vibration creates energy, producing heat that cooks the food. This is why foods that are high in water content, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, cook quickly. This heat is absorbed by the food.

That said, while federal U.S. standards set strict limits on how much radiation can leak from a microwave, the farther you stand from a microwave, the less radiation you’re exposed to.

Standing 20 inches away from a running microwave results in a 100-fold drop in radiation exposure. So no smooshing your face against the glass while you wait for your food to cook.

Why so little liquid?

Because when you plop foods in water and then crank up the heat, their nutrients can leach out into the water – which goes right down the drain. The nutritional effects of microwave cooking on protein, lipid and minerals seem to be minimal.

For microwave reheating of foods, nutrients like thiamin, riboflavin pyridoxine, folacin and ascorbic acid are retained. Furthermore, microwave-cooked bacon actually has lower levels of nitrosamines, potentially carcinogenic compounds, than conventionally cooked bacon.

Disclaimer: The information on this POST is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional advice. The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. All content, including text, graphics, images and information, contained on or available through this article is for general information purposes / educational purposes only, and to ensure discussion or debate.

Thank you ….Microwaves are an undeniably convenient way to prepare food. In mere seconds, you can take a cold bowl of leftovers and turn it into a gourmet meal once again or turn ingredients from your fridge into something new and delicious.

However, while nuking your food may save you time, making food in the microwave isn’t a risk-free endeavor.

If you’re cooking food in a microwave, make sure to let it stand before eating it.

If you’re preparing your food in a microwave, it’s important to stir your food throughout the cooking process to ensure that heat is being evenly distributed to ensure even cooking, according to the FDA.

The FDA also notes that if your microwave doesn’t have a turntable, it’s essential that you turn your food manually to make sure it’s being cooked all the way through.

However, even more important is taking time to let your food “stand,” or allow it to remain undisturbed in the microwave for a few minutes after the microwave timer has finished.

The FDA notes that standing time completes the cooking process for microwaved foods; if food is not allowed to stand prior to being consumed, it may not be completely cooked through.

Do you want to add a word or two?

The amount of standing time required depends on the type of food you’re microwaving.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), foods like bread, fruits, and small vegetables are less dense and thus requires less standing time, while foods like meat are denser and require longer periods of standing time.

Microwaves and the radiation from microwave ovens, however, are non-ionizing radiation. This type of radiation can move things around in a cell – hence the heating of food – but cannot chemically change cells or DNA in the food you eat.

Your comments….

Before you consume any food you’ve microwaved, make sure you’re adhering to the recommended standing time on time is part of the cooking process,” the CDC reported at the time.bt, allow food to stand for at least three minutes, the FSIS recommends.

The eternal debate between the pros and cons of eating microwaved food is still alive and kicking! Some people call the device cancerous, while many others hail it as one of the greatest inventions of our time. So which one is it?

Eating food processed from a microwave oven causes permanent brain damage by “shorting out” electrical impulses in the brain.

The prolonged eating of microwaved foods causes cancerous cells to increase in human blood.

Minerals, vitamins, and nutrients of all microwaved food are reduced or altered so that the human body gets little or no benefit.

Microwaved foods cause stomach and intestinal cancerous growths (tumors). This may explain the rapid rate of colon cancer in America.

Once your food has completed its standing time, check its temperature.

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