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Microwave
cooking
tips
-
Amount
of food
l
The more food you prepare, the longer
it takes. A rule of thumb is that a double
amount of food requires almost double the
time. If one potato takes four minutes to
cook, you need about seven minutes to
cook two potatoes.
Starting
temperature
of food
l
The lower the temperature
of the food
being put into the microwave oven, the
longer it takes to cook. Food at room
temperature will be reheated more quickly
than food at refrigerator temperature.
Composition
of food
l
Food with a lot of fat and sugar will be
heated faster than food containing a lot
of water. Fat and sugar will also reach a
higher temperature than water in the
cooking process.
l
The more dense the food, the longer it
takes to heat. "Very dense" food like meat
takes longer to reheat than lighter, more
porous food like sponge cakes.
Size and shape
l
Smaller pieces of food will cook faster
than larger pieces and same-shaped
pieces of food cook more evenly than
irregularly shaped foods.
l
With unevenly
shaped foods, the thinner
parts will cook faster than the thicker
areas. Place the thinner parts of chicken
wings and legs in the center of the dish.
Stirring,
turning
foods
l
Stirring
and turning
foods distributes
heat quickly to the center of the dish and
avoids overcooking
at the outer edges of
the food.
Covering
food
Cover food to:
l
Reduce splattering
l
Shorten
cooking times
l
Retain food moisture
All coverings that allow microwaves to
pass through are suitable.
Releasing
pressure
in foods
l
Several foods (for example: baked
potatoes, sausages, egg yolks, and some
fruits) are tightly covered by a skin or
membrane. This can cause the food to
burst from steam building up in them
during cooking. To relieve the pressure
and to prevent bursting, prick these foods
before cooking with a fork, cocktail pick, or
toothpick.
Using
standing
time
l
Always
allow food to stand for a while
after cooking. Standing time after defrost-
ing, cooking, or reheating always improves
the result since the temperature will then
be evenly distributed throughout the food.
l
The length of the standing
time depends
on the volume and density of the food.
Sometimes it can be as short as the time
it takes you to remove the food from
the oven and take it to the serving table.
However, with larger, denser food, the
standing time may be as long as 10
minutes.
29
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