How To Safely Use A Microwave Oven
A microwave oven is as safe to use, if not more so, than a stove or a
regular oven. However, just as with the other two, if you do a few
things wrong you can cause yourself some problems or injury as well as
damage to your microwave.
Never Run the Microwave with the Door Open
This sounds like a no-brainer, but it could happen without you
thinking about it or by accident. Fortunately, the newer microwaves will
not allow the microwave to run while the door is open.
Never Run the Microwave Empty
The idea of the microwave is that it focuses the microwaves on the
food or liquid that you put in it. If you run the microwave empty the
waves will bounce around inside of it and start to arc (make sparks).
While this might be fun to watch for a little while, it can also damage
your microwave’s magnetron tube by causing energy to flow back and forth
from itself and the cooking chamber. This will burn the magnetron tube
out and you will soon be on your way to buy a new microwave.
Never Run the Microwave with Metal in It
Remember those sparks we talked about in the last paragraph? There’s
something else that can cause them: putting metal into the cooking
chamber and turning on the microwave. This includes aluminum foil,
forks, knives, metal pans, etc. Check things before you put them into
the microwave. You might be tempted to put a glass coffee pot carafe in
there, but remember it usually has a metal strip around the top and
could cause arcing and a melted plastic top.
Never Run the Microwave with Tightly Sealed Containers in It
It’s easy to get in a hurry and grab a sealed storage container full
of leftovers and throw them into the microwave, but that’s not a good
idea. First of all, make sure the container is microwave safe (any
container you put in a microwave should be), and secondly you should
lift the lid on one of the edges so steam can escape. This also goes for
vegetables like baked potatoes, spaghetti squash and any other thick or
high density food. You should poke a few holes in them before cooking.
Do not wrap them in foil.
Never Try To Hard Boil Eggs in a Microwave
This one is real basic. Even if you put them in water, you can expect
to have to clean up a big mess in the microwave because the eggs will
explode. If you want to scramble eggs or make an omelet in the proper
dish, that’s fine; just don’t try to boil them or cook them in their
shell.
Keep the Microwave Clean
This is not just for good housekeeping purposes, but if the inside of
your microwave has food particles in it from previous uses, they could
pop when heated up and land in your fresh food. So keep it clean and
consider getting an inexpensive cover made to cover foods for reheating
in the microwave. This will absorb any food that pops and you can wash
it out in the sink.
Keep an Eye on the Food in the Microwave
The timer on the microwave can help to keep accidents and burned
foods from happening, but you should still check in now and then. If
food burns it can catch on fire inside the cooking chamber. If this
happens, don’t open the door. Just turn off the machine and let the fire
burn itself out. Opening the door will feed it oxygen and make it worse.
Leaving the door shut will starve it of oxygen and it will go out.
Follow these tips and you and your microwave will have a good safe time
together. |
