Microwave ovens are handy appliances and the best gift or technology on busy weeknights.

Between warming up your favorite hot beverage that has gone cold, reheating a pizza, heating up the dinners or leftovers at your office, there's little doubt you use the microwave more than you think.

However, certain things should never be put into the microwave. You've undoubtedly heard about the containers and wraps that cause fires, melt, or radiate harmful toxins. However, you must not have thought about the foods that shouldn't have gone into the microwaves.

Wait, really? It turns out that there are numerous foods and food products. These include some of them that you regularly microwave. From toxins, explosions to ineffectiveness to burns, there are several reasons why these foods should never be microwaved.

Read on to find more about the foods that must stay out of the microwave and why.

Eggs in Shell

Beware! You should definitely never try hard-boiling eggs into a microwave. It might seem like beyond a genius life hack, it is dangerous. The high temperatures in the microwave create steam within an egg, and as the pressure builds, it will cause the egg to explode. Well, that's not great!

Chilli Peppers

The Daily Meal states that the capsaicin (the compound of the peppers that determines its spiciness) present in the peppers vaporizes when exposed to high heat inside the microwave. While the peppers remain unexploded, fumes given off should be avoided, if possible.

Breast milk

Many moms pump and store their breast milk into a freezer. It is then thawed and given to the baby when needed. However, you require being careful enough about how exactly you thaw and heat the frozen breast milk.

In the view of The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), thawing and heating the breast milk in the microwave can heat it evenly. However, it creates hot spots that are dangerous and might scald the sensitive palate of babies.

A mug of water

Heating up a mug of water for preparing hot tea, coffee, or for other purposes seems to be regular use of your microwave. Right? It is convenient and quicker than doing the same in a kettle, especially when you lack the one that runs on electricity.

However, according to The Daily Meal, when you are heating a mug of water in a microwave, it superheats the water, rather than boiling it. Then, when you add a tea bag or stir the liquid in the mug, it boils rapidly, which causes spillage or explodes, burning you dangerously.

Processed meats

Microwaving hot dogs is a bad idea. Sounds silly. Right? According to research published in the journal Food Control, microwaving processed meats (especially that are full of preservatives) lead to the formation of cholesterol oxidation products (COPs). A study conducted by researchers in 2006 in India states that these COPs have previously linked to coronary heart disease.

Microwaving lousy food is the easiest way to make it worse. It is advisable to indulge the same on a stove.

Leafy greens

Microwaving the leafy greens are a bit dangerous. A report produced by NPR states that kale and other such vegetables spark when microwaved. Thereby destroying singeing your dinner along with damaging your appliances. It is not a great decision when you are trying to make a healthy dinner.

Oils

Olive, grape seed, canola, avocado, peanut, and other oils used for cooking aren't liquids, but fats. According to Prevention, heating an oil, like, olive oil in the microwave for either cooking or in beauty products does not pose danger. However, it is not a productive action because there is not any liquid within the olive oil to heat. It won't be warmed as you would've liked.

Red pasta sauce

If you love cooking and heating the red pasta sauce in a microwave, you have experienced the mess it creates. Spitting, splattering, and exploding all over the surface when it takes a turn, no matter how brief.

Jon Hotchkiss, the creator of This vs That, in a piece for HuffPost, wrote, "the [insoluble] fibrous tomato chunks only block the steam's escape temporarily — that is, until such point as the volume and strength of steam overpowers the chunks... and thus causing an 'explosion'."

The red pasta sauce and other tomato-based sauces have an overall viscosity quite similar to water. They wouldn't make a mess of your microwave when they are reheated. Instead, warm the sauce low and slow in a saucepan on the stove. The sauce will have some consistency as a sauce rather than drying out, and you'll be happy because the microwave stayed spotless.

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Grapes and other fruits

You might not even consider microwaving grapes. Who wants to eat a handful of grapes with boiling interiors? However, roasted grapes are considered a part of a dish and are delicious. In Thrillist views microwaving grapes a lousy idea.

If you are microwaving grapes, the result will be just the opposite than you expect. Astonished? As noted by IFLScience, you won't get raisins or roasted grapes. Instead, you could end up with balls of fiery plasma. It's dangerous!

Uncooked rice

Microwaving uncooked rice? Never do so! Why? According to the Food Standards Agency of the UK, rice becomes house spores of bacteria that cause potential danger. Microwaving it cannot kill those spores, thereby leaving you potentially susceptible to food poising.

Broccoli

In most households, broccoli takes a regular turn in the microwave. Wait, what? A study published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture in 2003 reports that it really shouldn't.

When compared with other popular cooking methods for broccoli, microwaving destroys far more good nutrients that you might typically get from eating those tiny green trees. It is better gently steaming the broccoli before eating it so that you never lose the nutrients fro it.

Bread

When you are feeling hungry, nothing can tempt you better than a slice of warm bread topped with melted butter. Nevertheless, if you are heating up your bread in the microwave, you will regret it. Your perfect snack will turn into a chewy challenge that you'll fail fixing even loaded with lots of melted butter. Never do that to any piece of bread!

Microwave and you'll get a funky bread! How? Bread heated in microwave gets funky because of the gluten, starch, and sugar in the bread react when it is heated first in the microwave and then cooled.

It's actually the cooling process that makes your tempting snack hard, and you should avoid using a microwave for this. Instead, wrap your bread in a foil and heat it in the oven. Though it will take longer, it is worthy.

Frozen meat

Undoubtedly, everyone has realized that at some point in time, he or she has forgotten taking out the meat from the freezer. For serving the dinner or lunch quickly, most of you have thawed it in a microwave instead of defrosting it.

Reader's Digest states that safely microwaving frozen meats is a little tricky. If the heat fails to distribute efficiently, you can end up with hot spots, and the growth of dangerous bacteria. Yikes!

Frozen fruits

Although it might sound bizarre microwaving frozen fruits, some people do so for defrosting it, so that the fruits are ready for other uses. A study published in the journal Bioelectromagnetics in 2010, states that popping your frozen fruit in the microwave for defrosting or preparing otherwise isn't a good idea.

Beneficial properties of the fruits are converted into carcinogens, which results in adverse immunological effects. This is not good. It is best to defrost your frozen fruit overnight in the refrigerator instead.

Leftover mushrooms

Love eating mushrooms? Then, you must know how to store them before reheating. Cooked mushrooms would make you sick if you aren't aware of storing and reheating them properly.

Because microorganisms target mushrooms, eating improperly stored and reheated cooked mushrooms, you will suffer from stomachaches. Definitely, you will not want this!

Simply prepare and cook the amount you want to eat and put the remaining in the refrigerator immediately after cooking. Stir the desired amounts into salads and other dishes that you want to enjoy chilled.

Leftover potatoes

Reheating leftovers is a great idea. However, you need to be careful about how to do so. You need to be especially cautious about reheating leftover potatoes. If you are cooling them down, before storing it into a refrigerator and then reheating in the microwave, their stint at room temperature may accelerate the growth of botulism. Microwaves cannot kill botulism, which if consumed, will make you sick. Better be safe than sorry.

Food that reheated a few times

Food safety is the first and foremost thing that you must follow in your kitchen, extending to reheating food as well. Do you want to reheat food that you have reheated a few times? Simply, don't! Why? Leftovers stay in the fridge for up to four days.

Still, every time you are reheating and cooling the food, you are deteriorating its quality by a step. Reheat it by taking small quantities keeping the rest in the fridge. Better to get rid of it at a time.

The BBC even took on the question, "How old is too old to be reheated in your microwave?" While according to their expert, it is usually fine reheating leftovers a few times, the Food Standards Agency of the UK states reheating the food just once.

Moreover, special care is required while reheating food like cream and milk-based sauces, lasagna, cooked meats, and casseroles. Generally, you need to trust your instincts. Do you doubt whether to microwave something or not? Just don't!

Leftovers from Chinese takeout

You might love cooking and make your loved ones fall in love with some of your signature dishes. Despite this, who does not want to enjoy a lazy evening with a quick and easy takeout? Yes, we all love it! Order out from Chinese, and you will get enough for a few meals. You have leftovers and want to reheat in the microwave? Wait, don't!

There are some reasons why you should avoid the route. The first is the containers. The 'Microwave Safe' symbol is present on many vessels because the FDA has tested them and assured that they are meeting the guidelines.

Do you know most takeout containers do not meet the FDA guidelines? Even some of them have metal handles as well. You won't be putting that in your microwave!

Moreover, reheating the food in the microwave will not be a good part of your food. It doesn't matter whatever you had ordered. Want to reheat egg rolls or lo mein? Wait, don't! Both of them would turn soggy and would not taste as good as before.

Instead, reheat these leftovers in a pan over the stovetop. They won't turn mushy, and even you will add some fresh dash of soy sauce, guaranteeing that your favorite Chinese cuisine tastes like the first time.

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