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Keeping an eye on things
The recipes in this book have been formulated with great care, but your success in
preparing the food depends on how much attention you pay to the cooking process.
Always watch your food while it cooks. Your microwave oven is equipped with a
light that turns on automatically when the oven is in operation. This allows you to
see inside the oven and check the progress of your food. Directions given in recipes
to elevate, stir, and the like should be followed. If the food seems to be cooking
unevenly, simply make the necessary adjustments you think appropriate to correct
the problem.
Factors affecting microwave cooking times
Many factors affect cooking times. The temperature of ingredients used in a recipe
makes a big difference in cooking times. For example, a cake made with ice-cold
butter, milk, and eggs will take considerably longer time to bake than one made with
ingredients that are at room temperature. All of the recipes in this book give a range
of cooking times. In general, you will find that the food remains under-cooked at the
lower end of the time range, and you may sometimes want to cook your food beyond
the maximum time given, according to personal preference. The governing philosophy
of this book is that it is best for a recipe to be conservative in giving cooking times; as
overcooked food is ruined for good. Some of the recipes, particularly those for bread,
cake, and custards recommend removing foods from the oven when they are slightly
undercooked. This is not a mistake. When allowed to stand, usually covered, these
foods will continue to cook outside of the oven as the heat trapped within the outer
portions of the food gradually travels inward. If the food is left in the oven until it is
cooked all the way through, the outer portions will become overcooked or even burnt.
You will become increasingly skilful in estimating both cooking and standing times for
various foods.
Density of food
Light, porous food such as cakes and bread cook more quickly than heavy, dense
foods such as roasts and casseroles. You must take care when cooking porous food
that the outer edges do not become dry and brittle.
Height of food
The upper portion of tall food, particularly roasts, will cook more quickly than the
lower portion. Thus, it is recommeded to turn tall food several times during cooking.
Food characteristics&
Microwave cooking
Moisture content of food
Since the heat generated from microwaves tends to evaporate moisture, relatively dry food
such as roasts and some vegetables should either be sprinkled with water prior to cooking
or covered to retain moisture.
Bone and fat content of food
Bones conduct heat and fat cooks more quickly than meat. Care must be taken when
cooking bony or fatty cuts of meat to ensure they do not cook unevenly or overcook.
Quantity of food
The number of microwaves in your oven remains constant regardless of how much food is
being cooked. Therefore, the more food you place in the oven, the longer the cooking time.
Remember to decrease cooking times by at least one third when halving a recipe.
Shape of food
Microwaves penetrate only about 2.5 cm into food, The interior portion of thick food is
cooked as the heat generated on the outside travels inward. Only the outer edge of food is
cooked by microwave energy; the rest is cooked by conduction. The worst possible shape
for a food to be cooked in microwave is a thick square; as the corners will get burnt long
before the centre is even warm . Round thin foods and ring shaped foods are easier to cook
in the microwave.
Covering
Covering food helps retain moisture, shorten cooking time and reduce spattering. Use a lid
or microwave-safe cling film with a corner folded back to prevent spilling.
Browning
Meats and poultry that are cooked fifteen minutes or longer will brown lightly in their own
fat. Food that is cooked for a shorter period of time may be brushed with a browning sauce
such as worcestershire sauce, soy sauce or barbecue sauce to achieve an appetizing colour.
Since relatively small amounts of browning sauce is added to food, the original flavour of the
recipe is not altered.
Covering with greaseproof paper
Use greaseproof paper can help to prevent spattering and help food retain some heat. But
because it makes a looser cover than a lid or cling film, hence the food to dry out slightly.
Arranging and spacing
Individual foods such as baked potatoes, small cakes and hors d'oeuvres will heat more
evenly if placed in the oven at an equal distance apart in a ring pattern. Never stack foods
on top of one another.
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