Microwaved food might not be as safe as we originally thought them to be - in fact, they may even be hotbeds for food-related diseases, like salmonella. This rather alarming discovery was the result of a study by researchers at the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), linking microwaved food to small outbreaks of food poisoning.

But doesn't microwaving (or "nuking") food cook it from the inside out, killing bacteria more effectively than other methods of cooking? Contrary to that belief, microwaves actually heat from the outside in.

This results in "cold spots", or uncooked portions of food that bacteria can possibly survive, or even thrive in. Once the food is served (and summarily ingested), well, you know what happens.

The researchers based their study on a salmonella outbreak which took place after a picnic, where dozens of people ate reheated pork. Coincidence and pure bad luck aside, the numbers are startling: 10 out of the 10 people who used the microwave to reheat the pork contracted salmonella, compared to zero of the 20 people who used the conventional skillet or oven.

It's not just that one incident, mind. Another study, this time published in the Epidemiological Infections journal, observed six people suddenly contracting the same disease after consuming a re-heated dish of chicken and vegetables. How was the food reheated? By a 500-watt microwave oven, for a duration of five minutes.

It's a bit startling to see that technology - although indeed making life easier, can also make life somewhat complicated (not to mention painful). But it makes sense, actually. The age-old techniques of stirring and rotating food to make sure everything's cooked is just about thrown out of the window when all you're doing is throwing it into the microwave and punching some buttons. So let this serve as a friendly warning - microwaved food does not mean bacteria free food.