In this day and age, many people get busy with daily life and often don’t have time to cook an intricate homemade dinner, not to mention clean up afterward. Microwave meals are a common addition to many household freezers and pantries, as they provide convenience at dinnertime.
Most microwave meals come pre-cooked and then flash frozen to preserve freshness. Rice, grains, and sometimes veggies, are often left partially underdone so that they can finish the remainder of the way in the microwave. This is to ensure they don’t get overcooked and mushy.
As far as meat products go, they’re often pre-cooked to a safe temperature for consumption before being frozen. Always read the labels on the box carefully to ensure that you’re cooking the meal according to the instructions, which often includes letting the meal stand after cooking.
Are Most Microwave Meals Healthy?
Depending on what they’re being compared to, some microwave meals can be healthier than the alternative. If you’re choosing between a fast food burger and a microwave dinner that has some vegetables and a decent amount of protein, it’ll likely be the healthier option.
However, frozen meals are often high in salt. If you’re someone who needs to be careful about their daily salt intake, then it’s important to read the labels before making a purchase. The extra salt can be a sneaky addition and it adds up.
Sodium is often added to frozen meals as it can act as a preservative. This helps the food to last longer and “taste better.” When cooking homemade dinners, you have complete control over how much salt you’re adding and you don’t need to rely on preservatives.
Some brands of microwave meals can also be very high in saturated fat. Of course, there are healthier choices and it all comes down to reading the ingredient list and determining which choice is the best for your dieting and caloric goals.
Finding a microwave meal that is low in sodium and saturated fat, high in vitamins and minerals, with a decent amount of protein per serving can be difficult but not impossible. These choices make for a convenient meal on those nights that you just don’t feel like cooking.
What are the Healthiest Frozen Dinners?
The healthiest frozen dinners will have a balanced assortment of vegetables, grains, and protein. A frozen pizza is going to be less nutritious most of the time than say, an organic frozen chicken dinner option with steamed broccoli and whole-grain quinoa on the side.
With so many options available today, consumers can often find something that suits their tastebuds while keeping their health at the front of their minds. You don’t have to go for the huge serving of lasagna when there’s an equally delicious and more balanced meal next to it.
Sometimes, frozen dinners are a quick option for a weeknight dinner when you don’t have the time or energy to cook and clean up after a meal. This doesn’t mean that they have to be as unhealthy as fast food, though.
The healthier alternatives will have a lower sodium percentage. If you eat frozen meals consistently and you’re choosing the ones that are packed with salt — you could potentially end up gaining weight and increasing your risk of cardiovascular disease.
If you’re watching your diet or simply want to put healthy ingredients into your body, there are certain brands that are known for providing whole foods without adding a bunch of extra ingredients that many people can’t even pronounce.
Prioritize purchasing frozen meals that are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and fiber. All microwaveable meals will be processed but that doesn’t mean they have to be loaded with a long list of unnecessary additives.
Why Are Some Ready Meals Microwave Only?
Microwaves provide the quickest option for heating food and when you’re scrambling for dinner, you often want quick and easy. If your ready meal instructs you to cook it in the microwave oven, that’s going to be your best bet as this will result in the best outcome.
When a meal is labeled as “microwave only”, then it’s been packaged in such a way that allows it to cook efficiently in the microwave. Putting such a meal into the oven or onto the stove, for example, could lead to a less-than-ideal texture.
In the same way, putting a meal that’s intended to be cooked in the oven into the microwave can result in poorly cooked and sometimes underdone ingredients. They may not be safe for consumption, especially if there is raw meat present.
Oven meals are often only 20% of the way cooked, meaning they need the extra time in the slow cooking environment to become fully safe to eat. Attempting to zap these meals in the microwave may lead to underdone sections, which can be dangerous to eat.
If you don’t have access to a microwave, it’s not always recommended to try and cook microwave-only meals using a different method. In this case, you may want to look at meals that only require boiling water to be added, which you can make with a tea kettle.
How Are Microwave Meals Preserved?
Oftentimes, manufacturers rely on loading up microwave meals with sodium. This acts as a natural preservative but has the negative effect of sometimes adding half of a day’s allotment of sodium to your system at one time.
Other chemical preservatives are also added to many meals on the market today. When shopping at your local grocery store, be sure to read the fine print on such meals to gain a better understanding of what goes into them.
Microwave meals are often sealed so that there’s no air getting to the packaged food. You find this with shelf-stable meals, as well as frozen varieties. As long as the seal stays unbroken, it can last for months, if not years.
A key thing to look for when choosing your next microwave meal is the common additive of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA). Studies have shown that this may be a carcinogen and it’s added to act as a preservative in some frozen meals.
If you enjoy the convince of microwave meals but don’t want to add any negative outcomes to your health, you can always cook your own meals in larger batches and then freeze them in individual portions.
This allows you the same convenience of just popping one into the microwave and enjoying a quick, no-mess dinner.
Can You Get Food Poisoning From Microwave Meals?
If you failed to heat your microwave meal to a safe temperature, there is a possibility of suffering from food poisoning. When you follow the instructions printed on the label, this rarely occurs as they’re tested to ensure that the instructed cooking time will lead to fully cooked food.
There can be a misconception among consumers that microwave meals are completely ready to eat. However, they must be heated properly first to ensure there’s a decreased risk of consuming anything raw or undercooked.
Another important component to keep in mind is that you should always let your microwave meal sit if that’s what the instructions say to do. If you skip this step, you may be at a higher risk of contracting salmonella from your frozen microwave meal.
The standing portion of time for a microwave meal allows it to cook further. You should always include this time in with the “cooking time” and only dig into your meal after the recommended time.
All in all, it’s rare to get food poisoning from frozen meals if you follow the instructions. Within 5-6 minutes, you should have a fully-cooked hot meal to enjoy.
Remember, always read the labels and ingredients to ensure you’re putting healthy, digestible food into your body.