The food in the cafeteria is so bland and unappetizing that it's hard to swallow, and the lunch break is not long enough to go out for a meal. The method that saves time and satisfies the appetite is undoubtedly bringing a packed lunch, and now many young people choose this method to solve their hunger problem. Therefore, office buildings, due to the lack of a nearby lunch cafeteria, have to provide microwaves and refrigerators to help employees solve their lunch problems.
What dishes are less perishable and more suitable for microwave heating? What dishes should not be included in a packed lunch? Are there any special considerations for microwave heating? Now, let a nutritionist reveal the answers for you.
The night before, you should seal the dishes you want to bring and place them in the refrigerator's chiller. After arriving at the office the next day, it's best to put the lunchbox into the office refrigerator as soon as possible. The nutritionist reminds you that if there is no refrigerator in the office, the temperature of an air-conditioned room cannot guarantee that the food will not spoil. As for the staple food, rice is the best choice.
For a packed lunch, rice is the best staple food; steamed buns and flatbreads are not suitable. From the perspective of microwave heating, heated rice can basically maintain its original state, while steamed buns and flatbreads are very prone to drying out and are not suitable for microwave heating. Try to choose beef, lamb, and chicken.
In addition, the nutritionist reminds you to pay attention to the cooking methods. Cooking methods suitable for microwave heating include steaming, braising, and stewing. Dishes cooked with these methods do not easily change their flavor or color after being heated in the microwave. Fried and stir-fried dishes are obviously not suitable for eating after microwave heating. Also, compared to green leafy vegetables, solanaceous vegetables (like tomatoes and eggplants) are less perishable and do not easily change color or aroma after microwave heating. It should be noted that vegetables to be brought should be cooked to about 60-70% done to prevent further destruction of their nutrients during microwave reheating. Classic dishes like scrambled eggs with tomatoes and braised eggplant are quite suitable for the "lunchbox crowd."
Since it's a packed lunch, you must naturally consider whether the dishes are not perishable and whether their color, aroma, and taste change after microwave heating. The following dishes clearly cannot meet these two "packed lunch" conditions. Fish and seafood are not recommended. On one hand, protein degradation products can easily form in fish and seafood overnight, which can damage liver and kidney function.
On the other hand, fish and seafood heated in the microwave are difficult to maintain their original color, aroma, and taste, and their appearance can also affect the appetite. Green leafy vegetables are also not recommended. They contain varying amounts of nitrates. After microwave heating or being stored for too long, the vegetables will turn yellow and change flavor, and the nitrates can be reduced by bacteria into toxic nitrites, which are carcinogenic.
Cold dishes are also not recommended. The key is that cold dishes are not suitable for eating overnight. Cold dishes are more contaminated during preparation, and even after refrigeration, they are very likely to have spoiled overnight, so they should not be put in a lunchbox. A special note is that high-fat foods are not recommended.
Dishes like twice-cooked pork, sweet and sour spare ribs, meat patties, and fried rice are best not to be brought because they contain too much fat. Compared to low-fat foods, these things spoil more easily and are harder to preserve. Many friends ask how long it takes to heat food in the microwave and what is the healthy way to heat it? Here, let a nutritionist give us a clear answer.
You must choose a lunchbox suitable for microwave heating; such a box will be marked "microwave safe." Also, to prevent excessive evaporation of moisture, you should heat it with the lid on. Generally, the microwave heating time for a lunchbox should be controlled to about two minutes. If the food is not heated through, you can turn the microwave for another two rotations.