Why you can’t heat milk in the microwave: is it really harmful?

The debate about whether it is possible to heat milk in a microwave has not subsided almost since its creation in the distant 40s of the 20th century.

Myths about microwaves

Until now, even after a huge number of studies and tests, the results of which have been officially certified, colorful misconceptions about radiation, mutations and, at best, the uselessness of food after such processing are incredibly popular and widespread. And this is only a small part of the myths about the microwave.

There is also an opinion that any heat treatment is harmful to food, so there is no need to cook or heat it. There is, of course, some grain of truth in the latter, but only a grain. Some substances are destroyed during heat treatment, but this does not make the products “useless”.

How does an oven actually work?

The main aspect that causes concern among housewives is the very principle of operation of microwaves. After all, a microwave oven does not heat food convectively, that is, from hot air or dishes to cold food upon their contact. The operation of a microwave oven is based on a more complex process that you need to understand before sounding the alarm and throwing the unit out of the house.

Without going into details, which are easy to find in any physics textbook, ultrahigh-frequency radiation causes the water molecules themselves (and not only) to move faster, as a result of which the products heat up.And there is nothing unnatural in this movement; accordingly, it cannot radically change the properties of food, much less the structure of water. In any case, no more than heat treatment by any other method. And there is no talk of radiation at all - it simply has nowhere to come from.

How to heat milk

Experts from the magazine purity-en.htgetrid.com recommend using a microwave oven both for heating liquids and for preparing other types of food - it is safe. But before heating the milk, you should read the instructions for the microwave oven: in most cases, there will be recommendations on what power and time it is better to choose so as not to overheat it, so that it does not “run away”.

General recommendations:

Before heating milk, be sure to read the instructions for your particular microwave. This will help avoid troubles with boiling over.
Milk should only be heated in glass or ceramic containers.
The exposure time should not exceed one minute.
Under no circumstances should the container be covered with a lid. Milk and other liquids can only be heated in the microwave in open containers.
It is strictly not recommended to heat milk and other liquids in plastic containers. Even one specifically designed for the microwave.
It is worth remembering that liquids heat up faster in a microwave oven than other products. Therefore, greater caution is needed with them.
Once the milk has been frozen, it should no longer be frozen. And before heating, you should let it thaw either on its own at room temperature, or in the longest/special defrosting mode, if the microwave model has one.
It is recommended to heat any liquid in the microwave only once. This will help maintain the bright taste of the product.

As for breast milk, you should not heat it in the microwave. But not at all because microwave radiation is harmful, but because it is desirable to completely eliminate any temperature effects on it, except natural ones. Then and only then will we talk about its undoubted benefits and safety for the child.

As a result, most of the so-called “facts” talking about the dangers of microwave ovens are far-fetched and replicated by the Internet and the media. And they have no evidence or research behind them. And there have been quite a few of the latter over almost 70 years of the existence of microwave ovens; finding the results will not be difficult, and they all indicate the safety of the device.