microwave

[alwaysane]

Is it bad to microwave coffee or milk?

[simsfreq]

Doesn't it have the same effect as heating it on the stove, only quicker?

[lady_p_gold]

Yes .. I think its ok ... I always microwave my porridge with milk in.

[jacko50]

I often do both in my microwave ,if it was bad for you people would know by now as they(microwaves) have been around for many years and the manufacturors would be in deep trouble if they did not point out any problems with their equiptment so i am sure it is as safe as could be expected .so i would say carry on heating both in your microwave there should be no problems.

[qapmoc]

Hi AS, well thats an interesting question, why did you ask? But anyway there are scientists who are warning that heating by microwave can change the food structure for example -

Dr. Lita Lee of Hawaii reported in the December 9, 1989 Lancet:

"Microwaving baby milk formulas converted certain trans-amino acids into their synthetic cis-isomers. Synthetic isomers, whether cis-amino acids or trans-fatty acids, are not biologically active.

Further, one of the amino acids, L-proline, was converted to its d-isomer, which is known to be neurotoxic (poisonous to the nervous system) and nephrotoxic (poisonous to the kidneys). It's bad enough that many babies are not nursed, but now they are given fake milk (baby formula) made even more toxic via microwaving."

And this report

[woofgang]

If you do nuke drinks (and I do) beware of the "exploding drink" phenomenon. Where a layer of the liquid is much much hotter than is surrounding mass and can explode out of the cup when stirred or picked up

[Gef]

Thanks qapmoc for the interesting link. It is a bit sensationalist but I'm sure that there is some truth in there. I don't use microwave very often but shall do some more research on this. However, I wonder if some of the molecular changes which are quoted might also happen during "normal" cooking. The production of trans fatty acids certainly occurs during deep frying.

[alwaysane]

Hi! Thanks for all your answers! The reason why I am asking is because when I heat coffee in the microwave and added sugar into it, the whole thing kinda "exploded" and everything just spilt out of the cup. It was terrifying. Another instance was when I heated coffee with milk and sugar and when I took it out of the microwave, I saw little pieces of solidified coffee that looks like thin film floating on the surface. That led me to ask the question. Any thoughts?