Could cooking with a microwave actually be better?

The microwave oven gets a bad reputation. Several question its legitimacy when it comes to whether or not its healthy to use one and oftentimes, it’s associated with quick, freezer dinners full of bad-for-you ingredients.

But a recent article by Harvard Health Publication points towards the health benefits of cooking vegetables with the microwave. When cooking veggies, you want to make sure to don’t cook out all of the nutrients. You know that rumour that produce is most nutritious when eaten raw? Well, for many fruits and vegetables, that’s true.

Two common factors that zap nutrients are cooking for a prolonged period of time or cooking in water. According to the Harvard publication, broccoli, for example, loses a lot of its glucosinolate (cancer fighting ingredient) when boiled because that nutrients leaks into the water. (There’s a reason why you may want to keep the water to use as vegetable stock in soups or stews!)

And oftentimes, the longer you cook a vegetable, the more nutrients it loses. So in this case, microwaves have the upper hand since they are designed to prepare foods super speedy.

Not only will you save time in your evening, but you’ll also avoid nutrient breakdown.