Sorry, but this article is full of misinformation and made-up
'studies.'  You have been had.  It happens on the internet
sometimes. ;)

In 1940, by two scientists, Sir John Randall and Dr. H. A. Boot,
invented a device called a magnetron to produce microwaves
in their lab at England's Birmingham University.  They were not in
Russia at the time.

Dr. Percy Spencer of Raytheon first used it for food cooking in 1946.
They were sold mostly to restaurants and the military.
They were huge.

Tappan came out with the first home model in 1952.

I was alive in 1976, and awake (most of the time), and don't remember
hearing about the Soviet Union banning microwave
ovens.  Do you happen to have a more reliable source for that
information?

The study this person reports about Russia was on another site in much
more detail, and included uses of microwaves for mind
control.  It didn't mention little green men giving microwaves to
Hitler, but it was insane enough that it could have!

Studies have actually found that microwaved food retains MORE of its
vitamins and minerals than traditional cooking.

The majority of reports published on the nutritive value of foods
cooked in microwave ovens indicate that food prepared in this
manner is at least as nutritious as comparable food cooked by
conventional methods.

Most of these studies have concentrated on vitamin retention and
indicate that cooking in minimal water for a reduced time, as
occurs with microwaving, promotes the retention of the water- soluble
vitamins particularly of vitamin C and thiamin.
Microwave cooking is preferable to boiling to minimise the leaching of
vitamins into the cooking water; in this regard it is similar
to steaming.

Far less information is currently available on the effect of microwave
cooking on other food components such as
carbohydrates, lipids and fat-soluble vitamins.

For the same reasons given for vitamin C, microwave cooking enhances
mineral retention in vegetables.

The quality of protein is higher in microwaved than in conventionally
cooked food as far less oxidation occurs in meat cooked
in a microwave. Lack of browning is visible evidence that heating is
gentler, and makes it likely that vitamins A and E are better
retained than in conventional cooking. However these differences are
likely to be slight and of little nutritional significance.

Reheating food quickly in a microwave retains more nutrients than
holding food hot for long periods; this is significant in
institutions and hospitals where food may be held hot for several
hours in traditional catering systems.

The nutritional value of food does not depend only on the way in which
it is cooked. Just as important are shopping wisely for
quality products, correct temperature control during storage and
preparation and serving food promptly after it is prepared.
Leaching effects aside there seems to be little difference to the
retention of nutrients between food cooked by microwaves or
by conventional means, providing cooking time and temperature
guidelines are carefully followed.

Microwaves and food


Effect on food

All food undergoes changes when heated; there is no solid evidence
that microwaves cause any effect on food other than those
due to rapid heating. Care should be taken to avoid overcooking.

Radiation and food

Food cooked in a microwave oven does not present a radiation risk.
Microwaves cease to exist as soon as the power to the
magnetron of a microwave oven is switched off. They do not remain in
the food and are incapable of making either it or the
oven radioactive.

Chemical changes in foods

Consumer concern has been caused by media coverage of isolated reports
which suggest that microwave heating produces
chemical changes in foods with the formation of potentially toxic
compounds. The most widely reported of these was a letter
which appeared in the reputable journal The Lancet in 1989. This work
was reviewed by an expert committee of the National
Health and Medical Research Council which concluded that the results
obtained in the experiment were not relevant to the way
food is prepared and consumed. A second more recent report in a little
known Swiss journal also appears to be irrelevant to
domestic use of microwave ovens.

For more information on microwaves, visit the University of Virginia.

Thank you for your concern, but I believe I'll keep my two microwaves.
:)

Denise