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Is it safe to microwave food?
Microwaving and heating plastic
- We often microwave foods in plastic containers and wrapping and this comes wit a risk: the risk of ingesting phthalates. When exposed to heat, these plastic additives can break down and leach into food.
- Phthalates are common (in toys and body lotions for example) and it’s still unclear just how much damage they do. But most experts agree that heating plastic with phthalates can increase exposure.
- The best way to avoid this is to use other microwave-safe materials than plastic, such as ceramic. If you do use plastic containers, avoid any that are losing their shape, since old and damaged containers are more likely to leach chemicals.
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SIMILAR ARTICLES & IDEAS:
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Key Ideas
Fresh food nutrients
Food is most nutritious at the point of harvest. After that, fresh produce starts degrading.
Once picked, that fruit or veg is using its own nutrients to keep its cells alive. Vitamin C fou...
Refrigerating produce
Refrigeration slows down the process of nutrition degradation. The nutritional loss varies from product to product.
Spinach loses 100% of its vitamin C content in seven days at room temperature and 75% if refrigerated. Carrots lose 27% of their vitamin C content when stored at room temperature for a week.
However, when vegetables are frozen, including spinach, they lose significantly less vitamin C, because freezing pauses the process of oxidization.
Frozen foods nutrients
As soon as produce is harvested, it's a nutritional race against time.
Frozen produce has one problem: before it's frozen, it's blanched - heating food up for a few minutes at high temperatures to inactivate enzymes that degrade texture and color. Blanching also reduces nutrient content.
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Key Ideas
Pasteurization
- It is the process of applying low heat to kill pathogens and extend shelf life of food and beverage products.
- The process does not eliminate bacterial spor...
The Process of Pasteurization
- The process is dependent on the nature of the product and whether it is packaged or not.
- Liquids and products packaged in plastic and metal containers can be pasteurized either through steam or hot water.
- Packaged food in glass containers can be pasteurized too by using hot water with the consideration of the glass's breaking point.
- The temperature and duration of the process of pasteurization are delicately controlled.
The Discovery of Pasteurization
- In 1864, Louis Pasteur developed the technique to heat wine before aging it to kill microbes and reduce its acidity. Hence, the name pasteurization.
- However, the process itself has been around way before Louis Pasteur. It was popularly used in China to preserve wine in 1117AD.
- The main reason why it is named in his honor is due to his research that pointed towards microorganisms as the culprit for spoilage and disease that led to the Germ Theory of Disease.
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Key Ideas
The Expiration Date
The Lockdown has forced us to keep our Supermarket trips to a minimum, and finally check what’s been lying in our fridge/pantry for months, or even years.
Most of the stuff we have would ex...
Vinegar, Honey And Oats
- Vinegar, honey, vanilla and many other extracts, along with sugar, salt, corn syrup and molasses will last years after they are showing expired on the package.
- Oats: Rolled and steel-cut oats will last for a year, while par-cooked (instant) ones can last even more than that.
Flour And Nuts
- White Flour lasts quite long but whole-wheat and whole-grain flour start going bad after a few months. Anything refined and ‘white’ lasts longer than anything unpolished and brown. This is due to the presence of fats in anything which is unrefined.
- Tree nuts can go bad in a few months if not stored in a freezer.