does microwaving food irradiate it?

[darth vader]

perhaps not irradiate - but what i mean is, does the microwave kill off bugs, as was hinted at in the seafood Q a couple down

[coggles]

As I don't eat rabbit, I can't tell you whether it would kill off a bunny for definate, but I would have thought that it wouldn't do it much good being nuked for a few minutes.

[anthomson]

The heat will kill bacteria but you must be careful since microwaves will not penetrate too far into the food so the centre may remain uncooked. The heat has to reach the centre by conduction thru the food - this is why you are usually instructed to leave the product for some time before serving.

[darth vader]

coggles you've baffled me..........

[spiff]

C'mon Darth!..... Bugs(bunny)!

[darth vader]

i am so slow sometimes. mind you it's been a tough old week for Darth............

[emandvee]

The bacteria in food-especially reheated food, cannot be killed in a microwave as it has to be heated for too long to get rid of the bacteria, and so the food overcooks, and we all know what that tastes like!!

[aloha]

Bugs and beams. Microwave ovens ruin the texture of raw meats and baked items. They do very well with vegetables and reheating. As rubbery fish and meat can be a bit,er,discouraging to the diner, may I recommend the following as an alternative. 1. When buying fish, make sure that it doesn't smell fishy. It should smell sweet if it's really fresh. Eyes should be shiny, flesh should be FIRM. 2. When working with fish,meat and especially poultry in the kitchen, use a plastic cutting board,for these items only, and another for the veggies,onions,garlic etc. The 'meat' board can be sanitized in boiled water or a mild bleach solution. [Really mild, since you don't want to flavor your food w/ bleach] 3. Don't wash chicken under the tap.Just read somewhere that it spreads the germs. 4. Cook food thoroughly. If you're really concerned, you can buy a meat thermometer. Each meat has it's own point where it reaches an internal temperature that insures that the buggies are kaput.