Tip of the Week

Plastics: Hot or Not?

Though it isn't necessary to back five feet away from a running microwave to avoid radiation, there are safer ways to nuke your food. Here are a few tips:

• The greenest, and safest, way to cover your food for microwave heating and cooking is to use oven-safe glass cookware, which eliminates waste and the potential for chemicals leaching from plastic wrap.
• "Microwave-safe" and "microwavable" labels on a plastic container or on plastic wrap packaging only means that the plastic won't melt or crack in the microwave, but doesn't guarantee that it won't leach chemicals into your leftovers.
• If you do use plastic, only loosely cover food, allowing steam to escape, and never let plastic wrap touch food directly.
• Only use ink-free paper towels in the microwave. Most printed paper towels use non-food-grade inks.
• Never cover food with plastic bags, aluminum foil, grocery bags, or newspapers.

And stop worrying about the hazards of altered molecules in your microwave dinner. Read more about the myth of nutrient loss and microwaves here.

© The Green Guide, 2008

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