Kitchen tips from scientists

I'm not the biggest fan of microwave ovens when it comes to cooking - I tend to prefer to have some sort of control over the cooking of things (even if I do still tend to burn things occasionally). But now, the BBC report, a study from workers in the University of Florida, published in the Journal of Environmental Health suggests you should be using them to sterilise your sponges. It only takes 30 seconds to kill E Coli, and two minutes to wipe out 99% of all bacteria.

Don't microwave dry sponges though. They should be damp.

So now I'll just have my cooking skills to blame if I give myself food poisoning...

Update: Shropshire Fire Service say they have already attended one fire which involved a dishcloth in a microwave. While burning things does tend to be my cooking technique that prevents food poisoning, setting fire to the kitchen is probably taking that rather too far.