Peggy…I don’t trust the FDA either.

However when it comes to energy savings, the microwave is right up there for conservation. I use it to make cups of tea, steam ears of corn in their husks (eliminating the need water), veggies without water in covered glass casseroles, pickling, and some other unconventional uses.

Actually, Rachel, the microwave for home use has been around for 41 years. Check out this link about the history of the microwave:
http://www.smecc.org/microwave_oven.htm

I have a secret fear that they can’t actually handle long cook times and will explode or something. :p My mom has this nifty rice pot, you put the rice & water in and nuke it for 20 minutes. It comes out as well as the rice cooker, and works better for smaller amounts. I’ve been tempted, but again, my irrational fear has stopped me.

This has really gotten me thinking though, and I think I will revisit the microwave cooking thing. Thanks, Peggy!

I figured this issue would arise, but the fact is that no FDA studies have shown that food cooked in microwaves is unsafe. The FDA isn’t perfect, but these are the same people I trust each time I take a prescription drug. They make mistakes, but these ovens have been in use for years without any massive sicknesses traced to their use. I think if microwaves really turned “minerals in vegetables” into “cancerous free radicals” like the article link in your comment, that would be mainstream knowledge. I hope so anyway.

Here’s what the FDA says on microwaves:
http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/consumer/microwave.html#3

We all have to make our own decisions about microwaves and I respect your decision.

My wife and I have given up microwave cooking altogether because of the mounting evidence that a microwave alters the molecules of the food it heats. And that the altered food is damaging to our health.

Here’s an article:
http://www.mercola.com/article/microwave/hazards.htm