Life's Too Short to Miss Out on the Joys of Cooking

“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go.” Psalm 32:8

Microwaves – Cooking with Radiation
Are microwaves actually curses disguised as blessings? I didn’t take that package of meat out of the freezer again. No problem. I’ll just nuke it up on the defrost setting, and supper can still be served before midnight.

Before microwaves, I had a hot dog cooker that revolutionized the wait of boiling up those wieners. Six hot dogs could be prepared at one time. Each end of the hot dog was impaled onto the pyramid-shaped spikes on either side of the appliance and the whole apparatus then slid inside the outer plastic case. A few arcs and sparks later, and the dogs were heated through in less than a minute with only a slight electrical taste.

Enter the microwave. The first ones weighed the same as a washing machine and were almost as large. They’ve evolved over the years—and heating, defrosting, and cooking times are cut in half at the very least. But at what cost? The consistency of some foods can take on a rubbery quality like that of overshoes and the hot spots are mysteriously troubling—not to mention harmful. Not only that, but what do we really know about the effects of the microwave’s radiation? There sure seem to be a lot more brain tumors reported since the invention of the microwave—or were there always that many, but now we hear about them with more frequency?

Nevertheless, the microwave is a time saver, and until proven guilty of causing brain tumors will probably be used unceasingly. Unfortunately the lost art of cooking on a stove with burners (as our ancestors did) may be part of the reason for the downfall of society—the crumbling of the family foundation to be more specific. Daughters and sons cooking side by side in the kitchen with their mothers (and fathers), in my opinion, is a necessary bonding and teaching time for developing healthy family relationships.

I’ve really digressed here, but suffice it to say that microwaves are a part of our lives that can be helpful in saving time, but must be used wisely and sparingly.

Life's too short NOT to use the microwave; but be sure to teach your children about the other appliances in your kitchen as well!