Concept: Unseen heat damage

One of my recent articles stimulated discussion about whether damage can be happening without it being seen immediately. In my response, I described overheating bread in the microwave. So I decided to literally put my theory to the test.

I purchased two Kaiser rolls. Both rolls started out soft. I wrapped one in a dry paper towel and put it in the microwave. I set the microwave to about a minute and a half. I pressed the "on" button, and the roll was off to heating. At the forty-five second point, I started seeing steam. At the minute point, the microwave glass looked foggy and I smelled the bread "cooking." Finally, a very long minute and a half ended. I left the microwave untouched for about 3 minutes to write down my notes. Then I open the microwave to discover that 50% of the bread was "hard as a rock." The dry paper towel that the roll was wrapped in was then very damp. The roll got harder as it continued cooling down.

You can see the before and after pictures of the two rolls. The picture with the damp paper towel is the after picture. There is some visible change in the surface of the kaiser roll that was overcooked, but it is far from burnt. If you did not touch the roll, then no one could see a difference between the microwaved roll and the fresh roll.

I had to use a knife to cut the microwaved roll. It was dry and crumbling. The fresh roll was easy to pull apart and to eat. I did not attempt to eat the overheated roll.

I researched microwaves, and they concentrate on water molecules. "Microwaves" are "electromagnetic waves." They work based on negative and positive charges similar to flat irons. The technology in the flat irons is a little different. Please research the technology differences at your convenience.

My main point was to show that damage can happen without necessarily seeing it on the surface. I am still caution about potential unseen ionic flat iron damage.

Another "food for thought" article. Ha Ha Ha. No pun intended, but the fresh Kaiser roll was delicious!