Ten years ago, Chef Tony, known for his famous Ultimate Chopper and Miracle Blade infomercials, did an infomercial for these Brown and Crisp bags; the "gourmet oven in a bag." He demonstrated how you can cook raw and frozen meats, fish, vegetables, and even pastry dough ala Pillsbury Poppin Fresh dough, and it'll come out like you cooked it in a traditional oven.

We're talking about five minutes for a raw and frozen steak, nine minutes for a whole chicken, and two minutes for bacon. The bags were made with some sort of technology that cooks the food at over 400 degrees, even though you can only cook food in a microwave at only 212 degrees. It also said that when you cook your food in a microwave, you are not really cooking it; you're just boiling it, and most recipes call for you to cook foods at over 400 degrees.

He even went to a classy restaurant to promote these bags. He interviewed the chef who said that his (the chef's) fiancee had brought them home, and cooked all of their customers' orders in these bags. They were amazed that all their food was cooked in a microwave, even though it tasted good.

How can you cook a whole chicken in just nine minutes and steak in just five minutes? Some foods can be cooked in a microwave; some can be cooked on the stove, and some have to be cooked in the oven. Either way, and as a former food service worker, you have to cook your food very thoroughly in order to get rid of any food-borne illnesses, bacteria, and yes, even salmonella. You also cannot cook pastry dough in a microwave; you have to cook it in the oven.

I was going to get my sister these Brown and Crisp bags for Christmas but I'm goad I didn't. I'm really surprised that the people who ate these foods didn't get any salmonella poisioning, nor did the health department come in and shut the restaurant down.

Learn more about this author, Lisa Fagan.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about Possible health risks in microwave cooking?
We want to hear your view. Write now!