| Cooking is probably one of the oldest activities or | | | | good food and did buy a great microwave. And what |
| maybe chores that man has been doing. It is my guess | | | | do I think of it now? Well, here is a summary of some |
| that man would have introduced the concept of | | | | claims I saw on some websites: |
| cooking when he was a hunter and had to eat meat. In | | | | 1. General advise is not to heat baby milk (breast or |
| my mind, thousands of years ago, cave man would | | | | formula) in microwave. Obvious reason is that uneven |
| have spent days hunting and trying to get food so he | | | | heating could burn baby's mouth but also that the milk |
| could survive. His life would have been around thinking | | | | is altered and some key components of the milk like |
| of ways by which he could feed himself so he could | | | | vitamins are lost. |
| live. As he evolved, the barter system must have | | | | 2. Scientists named Hertel and Blanc are said to have |
| come in where he could exchange and hence get | | | | found that consumption of microwaved food caused |
| some time to do other things. In the present day, food | | | | decrease in haemoglobin levels. It is said thatthey also |
| is widely taken for granted and it is a miniscule part of | | | | found that huge amounts of radiolytic compounds are |
| one's life. The way it is today, I am not quite sure if it is | | | | formed in microwaved food and these cause |
| considered an important part of life. I think we have | | | | deterioration in blood and immune system. They were |
| taken the concept of outsourcing and barter a bit too | | | | supposedly stopped from publishing their findings by |
| far where we expect someone to nearly prepare our | | | | some powerful organisations. |
| meal and we either finish it up or even worse, just heat | | | | 3. Russian scientists are said to have found that |
| it. We have found several other things to do and lost | | | | microwave energy caused changes to the cells of the |
| focus on the most important aspect of life - food. Well, | | | | food, be it vegetables or meat or milk, and created |
| I am not a food-aholic but reason I believe food is a | | | | carcinogenic structures. It also impairs the immune |
| very important part of one's life is because it | | | | system and makes it harder for the body to fight |
| determines the state of health of your mind and body. | | | | cancerous cells. |
| As they say, health is wealth, and this is best | | | | 4. One would think that if it is all that bad for humans, it |
| appreciated when unhealthy! | | | | would have been banned. But it is said that regulatory |
| Going back to olden days cooking method, I am | | | | organisations like FDA, insist more or microwave |
| reminded of one of the programmes on the television | | | | energy not leaking and harming people around and |
| that showed a celebrity chef visiting India and cooking | | | | also one of the popular benefits of using it i.e. less oil |
| regional food the traditional way. He cooked meat in a | | | | and no water thus healthier and more nutrients |
| pit in which fire was filled. The meat was well wrapped | | | | preserved. |
| in banana leaf and all spices loaded over the meat. | | | | Having read these scary findings, I think it is suicidal to |
| The banana leaf is supposed to keep the meat moist. | | | | continue eating microwaved food. Better safe than |
| My trip to my hometown reminded me of another | | | | sorry. So, just as I conclude this article, I have decided |
| traditional cooking method - clay pot! The sight of | | | | to sell my microwave oven. Instead here are a few |
| ladies cooking in clay pots on a fire outside the house | | | | things I plan to do... |
| tempted me to join them. Another traditional process | | | | 1. Plan my meals for the whole week so I have all |
| involved fermenting some food stuff. For example, in | | | | ingredients stocked. Wherever possible prepare |
| south Indian cooking, certain batters were allowed to | | | | upfront like cut the vegetables, prepare and refrigerate |
| ferment overnight and the bacteria that actually | | | | ginger garlic paste, make the basic gravy sauce and |
| ferment the food helped digestion. I could go on about | | | | refrigerate. |
| such traditional process but did you notice what they | | | | 2. Cook big batches over the weekend and freeze |
| have in common? Time! They all do take some time to | | | | couple of portions for me and my husband. Thaw it in |
| cook but what else is a striking fact is that my | | | | the refrigerator on the morning I need it and heat on |
| ancestors who followed traditional cooking methods | | | | stove in the evening. |
| lived long healthy life. As our lifestyle has changed, so | | | | 3. Use my convection oven whenever possible and try |
| has our cooking method. There is probably no | | | | to reduce fat intake by baking instead of frying. |
| household without a microwave oven and few | | | | 4. Use traditional methods like cook in clay pot which |
| households without prepared food ready to heat or | | | | tends to augment flavour as well. |
| eat stocked in the freezer. Microwave oven am sure | | | | While it is entirely up to you to decide if you really want |
| is considered a blessing by many people who are | | | | to decrease cooking time going the modern way, I |
| busy juggling work and family. Challenging it is and I am | | | | would refrain from putting microwave recipes on my |
| no exception. I struggle to find enough time to cook | | | | food blog. |