It may seem like a brilliant idea to speed up the herb drying process by putting them in the microwave, but you’re sure to ruin your fresh herbs this way.

Putting herbs in the microwave totally ruins them, and it won’t dry them out the way you might be expecting. Herbs don’t hold a ton of moisture anyway, so nuking them in the microwave for too long can actually lead to a fire! Avoid this mistake at all costs.

3. Frozen Meats

Reader’s Digest explains you need a microwave that rotates the food during cooking to have any chance of evenly thawing your meats this way. If the microwave unevenly thaws the meat, bacteria can grow from having frozen meat mixed with partially cooked meat.

Defrosting meat overnight in the refrigerator is the safest way to thaw . Set an alarm for yourself so you won’t forget.

4. Frozen fruit

According to Lifehack, Russian studies have suggested defrosting frozen fruit can cause carcinogenic substances to form. Also, fruits have trouble standing up to the heat, so they’ll lose their flavor and texture as soon as the intense heat of the microwave hits them. It’s best to allow your frozen fruits to naturally thaw in the fridge or on the counter.

5. Water for tea

If you’re the only one drinking tea in your household, then it probably seems like too much of a hassle to heat up your water in a teakettle. While it’s much faster to place your mug of water into the microwave for a minute or two, you actually can ruin your tea-drinking experience this way, as the temperature of the water differs depending on what type of tea you plan to drink.