The Kitchen Appliance That's Probably Ruining Your Meals

Typically, appliances are meant to improve our cooking experience and make things easier in the kitchen. However, one common appliance may be ruining your meals, the convenient — but dangerous — microwave. Microwaving has become almost second nature to many people. The appliance can be found in about nine out of ten home kitchens, and an ever-increasing number of frozen and shelf stable foods designed for microwaves are stocked in supermarkets and convenience stores. 

But before you nuke your food, consider the downsides. Most apparent is the impact microwaving has on food that needs (or is improved by) a crisp texture. Microwaves work by exciting water molecules in food, heating up the dish. The problem for foods like french fries or pizza is that these water molecules from the interior of the food essentially "steam" the outer layers, creating a distinctive warm sogginess. The same goes for anything breaded, as well as items that use bread, such as sandwiches. Texture is especially important in these meals, and losing this key feature is almost assured in the microwave.  

The second way your microwave may be ruining your meals is less apparent — until you take a bite. Without a bit of finesse, it's easy to end up with an unevenly heated meal, with some parts screaming hot and others cool or potentially frozen. Aside from inspiring frustration, cold spots in improperly microwaved foods can harbor potentially harmful bacteria. It's vital to ensure every part of your microwaved meal reaches a safe temperature. Finally, microwaves can be an easy ticket to a ruined meal because they simply can't accommodate every type of container or utensil, especially those containing metal (like the one kitchen item you should never put in the microwave: a Dutch oven). Metal containers or implements can dramatically increase the heat in the appliance or cause arcing (electrical sparks), leading to fires. 

To be fair, all of these easy ways to ruin your meal are caused (or at least exacerbated) by the fact that most people are using their microwave all wrong. Simply stirring your food and cooking it for longer times on lower power levels can go a long way toward minimizing the risks of unevenly heated food. However, foods such as pizza or fried chicken simply fall into the category of foods you shouldn't reheat in the microwave.