Neb. univ. researchers to study microwave safety

LINCOLN, Neb. — A team of University of Nebraska-Lincoln researchers is using a $600,000 grant to make cooking with microwave ovens safer.

Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources researchers will study how microwaves are used to cook some frozen dinners.

Illnesses associated with the improper microwave cooking of chicken and turkey pot pies two years ago prompted the research. The project will last three years.

UNL researchers want to provide manufacturers a computer tool to assist in developing dinners that heat more uniformly in a microwave oven. They also want to teach consumers about proper microwave cooking and teach engineering and food science students about modeling with real-world examples.

The grant comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.