Forum Home
PC World Chat
Thread ID: 63103	2005-10-29 18:41:00	Microwave risk	Greg (193)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
400254	2005-10-29 18:41:00	How does one check a microwave oven for leaks? We experienced a weird thing - had a very fresh red capsicum sitting on top of the microwave oven for two days. I went to pick it up this morning and it kinda deflated and went all mushy, despite it looking near perfect before I picked it up. We've used the oven a few times over the last few days.	Greg (193)
400255	2005-10-29 18:59:00	Co-incidence. Red capsicums are ripe capsicums - the green ones aren't actually ripe - in case ou thought they were just 2 different varieties. And they tend to do that, the skins are thin but quite tough, so when they do start to rot they will often look fine until you pick it up and then squash into a slimy mess..	pctek (84)
400256	2005-10-29 19:06:00	Capsicums are best stored in the fridge, to keep them fresh. We've stored red capsicums in the fridge for close to a week and a half, without any noticable "overripening". What your situaiton might be is heat - you will notice that the top of the microwave gets hot, due to heat rising during cooking.	somebody (208)
400257	2005-10-29 19:51:00	Co-incidence. Red capsicums are ripe capsicums - the green ones aren't actually ripe - in case ou thought they were just 2 different varieties. And they tend to do that, the skins are thin but quite tough, so when they do start to rot they will often look fine until you pick it up and then squash into a slimy mess..Um, I've been cooking for over 20 years - I kinda know about capsicums ;) This wasn't rot, it was more like deflate/dissolve. But yeah Somebody - I've never noticed the top of the unit being warm, but that's probably it.	Greg (193)
400258	2005-10-29 20:41:00	the most coman place microwaves leak is around the door aera. a few shops used to sel microwave detectors for testing them. otherwise drop it into a repair shop is your worried about leaking. the other problem is when the wave guide "burns through" and lets microwaves into the back of the oven.	tweak'e (69)
400259	2005-10-29 21:18:00	Greg, have you ever tried softening butter in the microwave? If so, then you know it only takes several seconds to soften. While this will not be a definitive scientific analysis, try putting a tablespoon of butter on top of your microwave; butter that is not frozen or from the frige but cool room temperature. Put a cup of water or whatever in the microwave and let it go for a few minutes. If the butter is not changed then I doubt that the capsicum was affected by leaked radiation. Thanks to pctek, I now know that red and orange capsicums are the same variety. Amazing what one can learn on PF1. From a USA site (bell peppers = NZ capsicums): ... these sweet bell-shaped peppers can be green, red, yellow, orange, brown (sometimes called chocolate peppers), or purple, depending on the variety and the stage of ripeness. Most are sold in the mature green stage--fully developed, but not ripe. As they ripen on the vine, most bell peppers turn red and become sweeter. Bell peppers have no "bite" at all, since they contain a recessive gene that eliminates capsaicin. Instead, they have a mild tang and a crunchy texture that makes them suitable for eating raw; their size, shape, and firmness allow them to be stuffed whole.	Strommer (42)
400260	2005-10-29 22:26:00	Um, I've been cooking for over 20 years - I kinda know about capsicums ;) This wasn't rot, it was more like deflate/dissolve. OK rots the wrong word. Over-ripeness then.	pctek (84)
400261	2005-10-29 22:27:00	Thanks to pctek, I now know that red and orange capsicums are the same variety. Amazing what one can learn on PF1. From a USA site (bell peppers = NZ capsicums):I usually call them peppers, but think that capsicum is more common in NZ. Interesting examples of different names for same vegetables, most of which I know by different names to NZ'ers, eg: Baby marrow = courgette = zucchini Brinjal = eggplant = aubergine	Greg (193)
400262	2005-10-29 22:34:00	OK rots the wrong word. Over-ripeness then. had a very fresh red capsicum.	Greg (193)
400263	2005-10-29 23:29:00	While on the subject of microwave ovens,there seems to be a school of thought,that the tucker cooked in them is altered in some way to our detriment. Quote...There was a lawsuit in 1991 in Oklahoma. A woman named Norma Levitt had hip surgery, but was killed by a simple blood transfusion when a nurse "warmed the blood for the transfusion in a microwave oven!" Logic suggests that if heating is all there is to microwave cooking, then it doesn't matter how something is heated. Blood for transfusions is routinely warmed, but not in microwave ovens. Does it not therefore follow that microwaving cooking does something quite different?	Cicero (40)
1 2 3 4