Nutrition in Cooking 101

I have seen on a crock pot website about how when you cook in a microwave the nutrients get "zapped" out of the food and how it never happens in a slow cooker....

This is where I am grateful for my college education as a family and consumer sciences ed major. On the contrary, microwaves do a better job at keeping nutrients in the food than most forms of cooking (especially of the frozen variety). The longer something cooks, the more nutrients cook into any liquid around it and the hotter it is, the more nutrients break down. For the microwave, just place a little bit of water in the bottom of the bowl and put veggies right in on top. The water will create steam that will cook the veggies and any nutrients "lost" aren't really lost. They just moved locations. If you really are worried about using all the nutrients, just make sure you use the water. (P.S. I think microwaves give veggies the prettiest color that I've seen.) Slow Cookers probably have a higher possibility of cooking out the nutrients, but I do believe you use the liquid in most recipes, so you still get them. At least the ones that haven't broken down.

Here's a good example. Ever seen broccoli that is over cooked? It's hideous. The poor things.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizdWMmgptkCEKh6WSAMrgXy4to8D5sdr0_d2uT4mQ-ASfiuevg3tKxGsgHQviXCtihaSmCTU9nQGWtvcDXD8bG80U6TS1Hv7Q_Q5kHk1q2eMdhIpoovZdfDUY8mI2KOrnXFbLdR6gfUGM/s1600/long+cooked+broccoli.jpg

 
Ew, right? Although the color is actually given off by chlorophyll and isn't considered a "nutrient," I think it gives a visual for what the nutrients go through. They aren't the same. They've changed. And for your Gee Wiz file, nutrients are colored. That's why it is recommended you get in all your "colors" of veggies.

Energy (heat is a form of energy) breaks down nutrients--not "zapping."

Did you know that microwaves actually cook by causing molecules in the food to move, like "vibrate." Then as the molecules on the outside start moving the molecules on the inside and so on and so forth. That's why the insides aren't hot enough sometimes. And that's also why it's important to let the food sit if the recipe says so. Ever cooked baked potatoes in the microwave but didn't let them sit for 5 minutes afterward and had unsatisfying potatoes? It's because you didn't give the heat created from conduction long enough to cook the middle! It's like magic.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love the crock pot, and I think it's marvelous. It just makes me want to share my knowledge with the world when I see silly things like that on websites.

So don't diss the microwave. K?


P.S. An update is on its way. It's a very long one because it's for the month of April, and April was a busy month. :)