Microwaving works via non-ionising radiation, which vibrates food particles, particularly water particles, and thus heats them up. Conventional cooking does the same thing. The potential advantage ofmicrowaving is that the food cooks in its own water, which minimizes the leaching of nutrients, and it' s true that overall, microwaving is better than most cooking methods for preserving the water-soluble vitamins B and C. The temperatures reached in fat particles, however, are very high and therefore it would not be a good idea to microwave fish as this will damage the essential fats it contains, as well as vitamin E.

There are also other reasons to be cautious. In one trial eight participants all strictly followed the same diet for eight weeks. Those who had all their food microwaved had worse health results upon blood testing at the end of the trial. Another study, published in the October 2003 Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture by a team of Spanish researchers, may show why. After broccoli was cooked by various methods and the effect of these on its antioxidant content was measured, the results showed microwaving as the clear loser: microwaved broccoli had lost between 74 and 97 per cent of three major antioxidant phytonutrients, while steamed broccoli lost less than 11 per cent of the same antioxidants. As science learns more about nutrition and health, I imagine the only place you' ll see microwave ovens is in museums and junkyards.