MICROWAVES: Where would we be without them? Take away our hob, our oven, if you will, but don't touch this little cube-shaped object on the worktop that probably cost between €50 and €100 and without which we probably couldn't eat, except cold stuff like tortilla and salads.
Hard to believe they were not even mainstream until 30 or 35 years ago, and that many older and middle-aged adults resisted buying one – they'd managed decades of household life without one and never starved as a result.
Of course, urban myths would soon ensue once they started hitting the shelves – and, surprisingly, over a generation later, still abound. Turns out there's still a lot we didn't know about these must-have appliances that looked just like our TV sets until a decade ago when screens turned flat.
Luckily, one of Spain's leading consumer organisations, the OCU, is here to unravel the mysteries that have hung around microwaves since the beginning of the 1990s.
“Electrical appliances sold in Spanish shops are, in general, very safe, because they'll have passed through rigorous quality control processes,” the OCU assures.
It also lists what's true and false in a handy little guide just released.
Does the radiation from a microwave affect the food being cooked?
“No. It's one of the most common myths about microwaves, and it's completely false,” stresses the OCU.
“The radiation emitted simply causes molecules to vibrate, which produces heat and warms up the food, but does not modify the atoms or turn food radioactive.”
So you won't suddenly turn green and nobody will be able to see your insides at a glance. What a relief.
And there's no truth in the rumour that cooking in a microwave destroys the vitamins and nutrients in the food in a way that would not occur with baking, roasting, grilling or frying, according to the OCU – almost the opposite, in fact, given that cooking time is reduced by using a microwave, meaning the good qualities in foodstuffs are less likely to be eroded by long-term exposure to heat.
That said, some nutrient loss is inevitable through heating, but not all foods can be eaten uncooked and some are actually healthier for you after cooking than when raw.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com