The microwave can be very useful for cooking all kinds of dishes and save time in the kitchen, beyond heating the milk, but it’s not foolproof. Not only because there are foods that do not look good after going through this appliance, such as reheated pizza, it is also It could be dangerous use it.
We already know the risks overheat a glass of water in the microwave, and how they can be avoided with a metal spoon. Because the main problem posed by this appliance is precisely its power and heating speed; it’s easy to go too far, and even with just a few more seconds we can spoil delicate products such as melted chocolate or toasted almonds.
In the case of chilis or hot peppersmicrowaving can almost turn them into a chemical weapon.
The danger of heating hot peppers in the microwave
All varieties of hot peppers -chili peppers, chilli peppers, etc.- owe their spiciness to the capsaicin, a molecule that acts as a natural defense and produces that typical burning sensation in the mouth. Depending on the variety, there are other molecules that also “burn” us when eating peppers. and they are very volatile.
If we heat the chillies in the microwave to soften or cook them, as we do in our recipe for fried green peppers without frying, those molecules that cause the heat they will be released, filling the space of the microwave. Opening it up, all that capsaicin in suspension It will hit us square in the face.
The intensity of the effect will depend on the type of chiles, the quantity and the cooking time, but we could feel that we have been sprayed directly with a pepper spray of self defense. It can damage our eyes, nasal mucosa and mouth, even passing to the respiratory system, affecting the throat and lungs.
In the United States, examples of emergency services having to act in extreme cases have been documented, going so far as to evacuate an entire apartment building due to the massive irritation experienced by almost all the neighbors present on the same floor where the incident originated.
Your life will probably not be in danger, but the aches and pain that can cause the release of the molecules responsible for spiciness are not recommended. Prevention is better than cure; Cook the chillies and chiles over the fire or over coals, at fresh air or connecting the extractor, and you will avoid unnecessary scares.
The science of spices (Cooking)
Photos | azerbaijan_stockers – KamranAydinov – Freepik
In DAP | 29 quick and easy microwave recipes (for people with zero time)
In DAP | A wine professional confesses that he heats his bottles in the microwave and the experts react with amazement