Earlier this week, I posted this question as my Facebook status update, and 47 comments later, I am still waffling as to whether or not I plan to buy a new one. Even my mother weighed in, saying I didn’t need one if I bought a toaster oven.
There are a couple of food items, however, that make me wonder if I really want to live without one. In the winter, the sweet or baked potato is a staple food for me, and the difference between eight minutes in the nukebox and an hour or more in the oven is daunting.
I’m a big fan of microwave popcorn, particularly the SmartPop Kettle Korn. Also, my boys eat a lot of turkey dogs and 30 seconds in the microwave makes lunch a snap. A friend pointed out, however, that hot dogs taste better when they are boiled in water on the stovetop, and I agree that most foods are more appealing when slow cooked.
I decided to learn about the health risks of using a microwave, because so many friends have ditched theirs. Hence, the Facebook post.
A few people said they got rid of their microwave to save precious counter space. This made sense. Others voiced health and nutrition concerns.
Through research, I have learned a few things. Microwaves heat food rapidly by causing water molecules to resonate at a high frequency. This process changes the chemical structure of food, which could decrease nutrients. Plus, carcinogens can leach out of plastic containers into food during the cooking process, but this is less of a concern for me because I only use glass in the microwave.
Some folks said that microwaves escape during the cooking process, but I found that even the most ardent nukebox naysayers agree that the chances of this are slim with newer models.
My final thoughts are that microwaves are not extremely harmful to one’s health, but they do take up a fair share of space. And, as stated earlier, most food tastes better when baked in a toaster oven. So after a little research and informal polling, I think I’m taking my mom’s advice and buying a toaster oven instead of a microwave. Unless you can convince me otherwise.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
