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Friday, September 20, 2024  
15 Rabi ul Awal 1446  

Five foods you should never microwave

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WEB DESK: On a busy day, what one may need is a quick fix for dinner. In that case, microwave food seems like the best option. However, did you know how hazardous microwave is to your health?

According to the Reader's Digest, here is why these five foods that you should never microwave:

Hard-Boiled Eggs

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Whether in a shell or without a shell, to hard boil an egg in a microwave is never a good idea. The reason is that the eggs tend to store a lot of steam in them, so while they may not explode in the microwave itself, it may explode in your hand, or worse, your mouth.

Processed Meat

 

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Processed meats contain chemicals and preservatives that extend their shelf lives. Unfortunately, microwaving them can make those substances worse for your health. Reheating processed meats with a burst of microwave radiation contributes to the formation of cholesterol oxidation products (COPs), which have been known to be more damaging to arteries than pure cholesterol.

Rice

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Microwaving rice can easily lead to food poisoning, according to the Food Standards Agency. Uncooked rice contains spores of bacteria that can survive being reheated. Once the rice is taken out of the microwave and left at room temperature, the spores could multiply and cause diarrhea and vomiting.

Chicken

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All poultry, including chicken, contains some salmonella contamination, so it’s necessary to thoroughly cook chicken to eliminate all present bacteria. Since microwaves don’t fully or evenly cook all parts of the meat, you’re more likely to be left with surviving bacteria, such as salmonella.

Leafy Greens

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No matter how much you want to save your celery, kale, or spinach to eat later as leftovers, it’s better to throw them out than to reheat them in a microwave, because the high concentrates of nitrates in leafy greens turn toxic when reheated. When blasted in the microwave, naturally occurring nitrates become nitrosamines, which are carcinogenic. The same holds true for reheating nitrate-rich beets and turnips!