Cooking is probably one of the oldest activities or tasks that man has carried out. I guess man would have introduced the concept of cooking when he was a hunter and had to eat meat. In my mind, thousands of years ago, the caveman would have spent days hunting and trying to get food in order to survive. His life would have consisted of thinking of ways in which he could feed himself in order to live. As it evolved, the barter system must have gotten where you could trade and thus have some time to do other things. Nowadays, food is taken for granted and is a small part of life. As it stands today, I’m not quite sure if it’s considered an important part of life. I think we’ve taken the concept of outsourcing and bartering a bit too far where we expect someone to almost prepare our food and we finish it or worse, just heat it up. We have found various other things to do and have lost focus on the most important aspect of life: food. Well, I’m not a food addict, but the reason I think food is a very important part of life is because it determines the health of the mind and body. As they say, health is wealth, and this is best appreciated when it is unhealthy!

Going back to the cooking method of yesteryear, I remember one of the programs on television that showed a famous chef visiting India and cooking regional food in the traditional way. He cooked meat in a pit in which the fire was filled. The meat was nicely wrapped in banana leaf and all the spices loaded onto the meat. The banana leaf is supposed to keep the meat moist. My trip to my hometown reminded me of another traditional cooking method: the crock pot! The sight of ladies cooking in clay pots over a fire outside the house tempted me to join them. Another traditional process consisted of fermenting some foods. For example, in South Indian cuisine, certain batters were allowed to ferment overnight, and the bacteria that actually ferment the food aided digestion. You could continue with this traditional process, but did you realize what they have in common? Weather! They all take some time to cook, but what is an amazing fact is that my ancestors who followed traditional cooking methods lived long and healthy lives. As our lifestyle has changed, so has our method of cooking. There is probably no home without a microwave oven and few homes without ready-to-heat or ready-to-eat prepared foods stored in the freezer. I’m sure the microwave oven is considered a godsend by many people who are busy juggling work and family. Challenging it is and I am no exception. I struggled to find enough time to cook a good meal and bought a great microwave. And what do I think of that now? Well, here is a summary of some claims I saw on some websites:

1. The general advice is not to heat infant milk (breast or formula) in the microwave. The obvious reason is that uneven heating could burn the baby’s mouth, but also that the milk is spoiled and some key components of milk, such as vitamins, are lost.

2. Scientists named Hertel and Blanc are said to have discovered that eating microwaved food caused a drop in hemoglobin levels. It is said that they also found that large amounts of radiolytic compounds are formed in microwaved food and these cause deterioration of the blood and the immune system. Supposedly, some powerful organizations prevented them from publishing their findings.

3. Russian scientists are said to have discovered that microwave energy caused changes in the cells of food, be it vegetables, meat or milk, creating cancerous structures. It also damages the immune system and makes it harder for the body to fight cancer cells.

4. One would think that if it’s so bad for humans, it would have been banned. But regulatory organizations such as the FDA are said to insist that microwave energy does not leak or harm people and also one of the popular benefits of using it, that is, less oil and no water, so it is healthier and more nutrients are preserved.

After reading these frightening findings, I think it’s suicidal to keep eating microwaved food. Better safe than sorry. So, just as I finish this article, I have decided to sell my microwave oven. Instead, here are some things I plan to do…

1. Plan my meals for the whole week so I have all the ingredients stored. Whenever possible, prep ahead such as chopping the vegetables, prepping and refrigerating the ginger garlic paste, making the basic gravy sauce, and refrigerating.

2. Cook big batches over the weekend and freeze a couple of servings for me and my husband. Thaw it in the fridge the morning you need it, and heat it on the stovetop at night.

3. Use my convection oven whenever possible and try to cut down on fat by baking instead of frying.

4. Use traditional methods like crock pot cooking, which also tends to boost flavor.

While it is entirely up to you to decide if you really want to cut down on cooking time the modern way, I would refrain from putting microwave recipes on my food blog.