Heating and Cooking with Microwave Cookware
A study conducted by ‘What America Eats' found that over 70 per cent of people just use the microwave for reheating food and less than a third of the m actually cook in the microwave. The reasons for this can be many; but topping it is the fact that there have been many reports over the last ten years or so that have warned against the dangers of cooking for prolonged periods of time in the microwave.
Reheating Rules
Microwave cookware not only exists but is a very popular form of dinner ware, but still people do not really ‘cook' in their microwave cookware, they just heat leftovers or defrost stuff at the most. Many people have gone to the lengths of stopping the use of microwaves altogether. They do not own microwave ovens in their home - period. However, the majority of the US population still owns a microwave and uses it for short periods of time like making popcorn, warming frozen pancakes and reheating last night's take out.
Microwave cookware means that it does not have any metallic elements that could catch fire with the microwave rays. It also means that the dinnerware or cookware will not warp in the microwave like some flimsy, plastic containers can. It also means that the products is of a high quality and is versatile enough to be used under such elements as well. Wheel the heating mechanism is the same for reheating or cooking, people opt for the former because they feel it cannot do much harm in 30 seconds or a minute as opposed to cooking for several minutes or even longer as directed by the recipe.
Warming Baby's Bottle
The recent warnings by child health advocates that milk should not be warmed in the microwave in plastic bottles have also caused a stir in parenting circles. They are only a few brands of plastic bottles that can be deemed as safe in the microwave. All others need to be either used with cold milk or parents and caregivers need to warm the milk in microwave safe cookware like ceramics and glass before pouring it in the plastic bottle. And while parents may risk their own health with greasy cheeseburgers and New York style cheesecake, they do the best they can to prevent any harm coming to their children.
One word of caution with microwave cookware that everyone should know is always to err on the safe side by flipping over the plate or pan and checking if it is microwave safe. If it does not say anything on the product or in its manual, you are better off not using it in the microwave. So even if some of your fancy platters and dishes are not categorized as microwave cookware, do not worry, it is better to be safe than sorry.
