A quick knowladge about a micro-oven and an air fryer: You must know before use
In our fast life, micro-oven and air fryers are the most popular alternative to conventional cooking. We need to spend minimal time for heating or cooking food with these devices. However, many people are concerned about heating or cooking in micro-ovens or air fryers. People have queries regarding the cooking process, food safety, health issues, nutrient breakdown, etc. In this article, I will briefly explain these devices' heating/cooking mechanisms and answer the above queries.
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In this article Micro-oven: - What is micro-oven and how it works - Is the microwave radiation safe? Air fryer:
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What is micro-oven and how it works:
The micro-oven is an electronic oven that presents microwaves in the form of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation. This radiation passes through the tube called a magnetron, which is present in the oven. These waves are absorbed by the water molecules of foods and vibrate rapidly. Due to the friction, heat is generated and food becomes hot. This is the mechanism of cooking or heating foods in a micro-oven.
Is the microwave radiation safe?
Microwave radiation is non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation that is not harmful to our body. The waves that circulate through the space of the micro-oven are electrical and magnetic energy. Ionizing radiation used for X-rays harms our body, but non-ionizing radiation that is formed in micro-ovens is safe.
There is no significant evidence to say that micro-oven radiation causes cancer or any other health issues. The wave does not make the food radioactive; it only helps to heat food quickly.
Benefits of micro-oven:
Micro-oven cooking is a very quick method compared to conventional cooking. It takes very little time.
In every cooking process, you lose some of the nutrients of food. It depends on the cooking process, cooking time, and cooking temperature. Some studies explain, that heating or cooking in the micro-oven also leads to nutrient loss, however, such nutrient losses are quite small (1).
Limitation:
Use proper containers: Using micro-oven is not harmful but you have to be aware of the utensils. Many people use plastic bowls to cook or heat food. Plastics itself is a toxic material. When you use this bowl for heating or cooking foods it may leach compounds into them. Therefore, it is always advisable to use glass containers or micro-oven-proof ceramic containers.
Heat properly: Sometimes when hot foods are in a micro-oven it does not heat uniformly. Therefore, you may need to pause the heating process to stir the food.
Avoid overheating or over-cooking: Overheated food in a micro-oven becomes dry or rubbery as the water molecules of the food evaporate. Therefore, you must maintain the proper temperature.
Loss of nutrients: During cooking, some of the nutrient breakdown is very common. It depends on cooking time, cooking process, temperature, etc. In that case, micro-oven cooking is a good option. Due to its quick process, the breakdown of nutrients is very little. Studies have shown that vitamin C and some B vitamins are lost in a limited quantity due to micro-oven cooking.
Use micro-oven correctly: Sometimes people take chilled food from the refrigerator and directly put it into the microwave for heating. It is not the right way to heat because due to this, air becomes trapped inside the food. That can be the cause of digestive discomfort. Leave the chilled food at room temperature for some time, when the temperature of the food is close to normal temperature then put it in the micro-oven.
What is an air fryer?
The air fryer is also a convection oven, in which the hot air is continuously circulated. Due to this hot air, the moisture becomes dry and foods become crispy and crunchy. In this process, the oil requirement is very low but you can enjoy almost the same taste of food. Maillard (2) is a chemical reaction in an air fryer that helps to improve the colour and flavour of foods.
Benefits of air fryer:
Reduce oil consumption level: In an air fryer, the use of oil becomes very low. Usually, when you want to deep fry any food, you need to use a large amount of oil (approx. 300-500 ml). In an air fryer, you can get almost the same crispy or crunchy food by using 1-2 tablespoons of oil.
Beneficial for your health: Using less amount of oil means your calorie content becomes low. That should be beneficial for people who are obese or overweight, good for people who have high cholesterol levels, good for heart health, diabetic patients, etc.
Reduce the formation of acrylamide: Acrylamide is a compound that mainly forms in certain carbohydrate-rich foods due to high-heat cooking like deep frying or frying. According to The International Agency for Research on Cancer (3), acrylamide is carcinogenic for the human body. Studies have shown that Acrylamide may have a link to ovarian cancer, oesophageal cancer, breast cancer, and pancreatic cancer.
In an air fryer, you do not need to deep fry your food. It may help to lower the formation of acrylamide (4).
Limitation:
The container in an air fryer is small. Therefore, you cannot cook in a large quantity.
Air fryer cooking reduces the formation of acrylamide but still, some harmful chemical compounds are formed in air fryer cooking like aldehydes, heterocyclic amines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, etc. These chemical compounds are formed due to a high-heating process and may link up with cancer (5). Therefore, avoid too much consumption of crispy, crunchy foods like french fries, onion rings, nuggets, etc.
In an air fryer, you can cook vegetables, meat, nuggets, french fries, cheese balls, pizzas, etc. Oil requirements in an air fryer are very few, but if you consume too many nuggets, french fries, cheese balls, pizzas, etc., these are not good options for your health. Therefore, it is always advisable to cook healthy food items at the optimal temperature in an air fryer.
Bottom line:
Micro-ovens and air fryers both are alternative options to conventional cooking and according to recent guidelines of ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research), NIN (National Institute of Nutrition) (6), both are safe options. But you need to have proper knowledge about cooking temperature, types of utensils which you need to use, cooking types, etc. Also, you must try other cooking methods like grilling, pan-searing, roasting, pressure cooking, steaming, etc. Using different types of cooking methods helps to add different tastes to your food. If you have a wide range of variations in your diet, it helps you to choose good food for yourself.
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