The microwave oven is increasingly being used in homes, even though it is often only used to heat food quickly and not to cook it. Invented 70 years ago, microwave ovens have only been in homes for a few decades, but many people fear they are dangerous and avoid buying them and limit their use. What is the truth?

How does the microwave work?

At the heart of the microwave oven is the magnetron, a generator of very high frequency electromagnetic waves. These bounce around inside the oven reaching every part of the food placed inside, and even cooking is facilitated by a rotating plate that exposes the food to the microwaves evenly.

Electromagnetic waves are nothing more than a form similar to the waves that make up visible light or ultraviolet rays but with a much higher frequency that makes them much more penetrating. The molecules, the atoms that make up the food are put into a state of strong agitation by these waves and the friction they create in their movement produces heat at a high level that causes the food to be cooked in a much shorter time than in traditional cooking methods. Only molecules containing water are agitated by microwaves, which is why the plate on which you place your food tends to remain cold, if not for the heat absorbed by the cooking food.

Is the microwave dangerous?

To assess the danger of the microwave we need to look at the question from two angles:

• The danger of the oven as an appliance
• The danger of altering the food

With regard to the dangerousness of the oven, this may derive from the presence of electrical voltage in the appliance, therefore the same as any other electrical appliance. The electromagnetic waves generated inside the oven remain within this range because the oven door has been specially designed to prevent them from leaving the oven, and the metal screen with which the door is equipped keeps them inside.

For this reason, there is no interference with other appliances and not even with pacemakers that you might be carrying. The important thing is that the door is intact, without dents or flaws in the closure, in which case there may be a risk of overheating tissues that are close to the microwave for some time.

Is microwaved food dangerous?

Many people are concerned that microwaved food will deteriorate and become unhealthy or even dangerous. In all the years that microwave ovens have been present and used in homes, several studies have been carried out on this subject.

No study has ever shown any changes in the food, let alone any organic changes that might in any way represent a danger. On the contrary, it has been proven that the vitamins contained in food are less affected than in other cooking methods and that far fewer harmful substances are generated in microwave cooking than in other cooking methods such as grilling or barbecuing.

Some have even suggested that microwave cooking makes food carcinogenic. An authoritative institution has conducted studies in this regard. We are talking about AIRC, the Italian Association for Cancer Research. The results of these in-depth studies have led this authoritative and scientifically irreproachable association to declare that the use of microwave ovens for cooking food in no way leads to alterations in the food that could suggest a possible cause or concomitant cause of cancer. Beware, however, of the materials in the containers you use for microwave cooking: some plastics may release undesirable and potentially harmful substances, but this has nothing to do with microwave ovens.