5 foods that it would be better not to heat or cook directly in the microwave
The microwave oven is a household appliance that is now found in most people's homes, as it meets the needs of those of us who do not have much time to devote to the preparation of lunches and dinners. The microwave is also very useful for reheating leftovers and, therefore, once again saving precious time. However, we need to pay close attention to the use we make of it if we want to avoid accidents along the way, both in cooking and in reheating previously cooked food. The microwave, in fact, by its very nature has a much less effective action than traditional cooking as regards the elimination of any bacteria or toxins that may be present in badly preserved food; therefore, the greatest risk to health is linked to the possible poor preservation of food and the consequent reheating with the microwave, which is not very effective against microorganisms.
1. Boiled eggs
Heating hard-boiled eggs in a microwave is a practice which can be very dangerous and we therefore advise you never to do it. There is obviously a difference between heating a hard-boiled egg already cooked and cooking it directly in the microwave with the appropriate container, but here we want to advise against heating it after having soaked it in water for a while. The reason? It could explode and you could end up having to clean up the whole kitchen or, worse, end up in the emergency room! In practice, water particles are trapped inside the yolk, which, if stimulated with the heat from the microwave, can create an explosive reaction when you go to pierce the yolk with a fork.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/06/science/egg-microwave.html
2. Chili peppers
There are not suitable for cooking in a microwave oven because the electromagnetic waves trigger a reaction with capsaicin, the substance that makes it so spicy, making it much hotter and even dangerous to our palate. Best avoided!
3. Potatoes
In this case, the real problem lies mostly in the preservation of cooked potatoes. We know that if left to cool for too long at room temperature, potatoes can develop a dangerous bacterium (Clostridium botulinum) that the microwave oven would not be able to eradicate with heat.
4. Rice
Also in this case, as for potatoes, poor storage of cooked rice can be harmful, and then presumably be heated in the microwave. The rice, however, should be put in the fridge immediately if it is not consumed on the spot, because at room temperature it is subject to the multiplication of bacteria, which release toxic substances. As already mentioned, heating it in the microwave will not help you avoid gastrointestinal disorders!
5. Chicken
As for raw chicken, we absolutely advise against cooking it in the microwave! In fact, this type of raw meat contains a very high level of bacteria such as the dangerous Campylobacter or salmonella - bacteria that the heat from a microwave won't eradicate!
