There was that whole "kitchen sponge fires in the microwave" fiasco a few months ago, and now the issue is coming back around again: just how good is the microwave at killing bacteria anyway?

Don't worry, we're not going back into the sponge thing again. Instead this time researchers looked at the ability (or lack thereof) of the microwave to kill harmful bacteria in food. Many people assume and rely on the fact that cooking food in the microwave is the same as cooking it anywhere else: the bacteria die and the food is safe. But that's not always the case. In fact, experts found that more cases of food poisoning occur after eating microwaved meals compared to food cooked in the conventional oven or on the stove top. The reason seems to be that microwaves have a tendency to leave "cold spots" where bacteria thrive.

So make sure you rotate and/or stir all food cooked in the microwave, and if it's something at all questionable maybe using the conventional oven would be better.