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Introduction
How Food Characteristics Affect Microwave Cooking
Density of foods: Light, porous food such as cakes and breads cook more quickly
than heavy, dense foods, such as roasts and casseroles. You must take care when
microwaving porous foods that the outer edges do not become dry and brittle.
Height of foods: The upper portion of tall foods, particularly roasts, will cook more
quickly than the lower portion. Therefore, it is wise to turn tall foods during cooking,
sometimes several times.
Moisture content of foods: Since the heat generated from microwaves tends to
evaporate moisture, relatively dry foods such as roasts and some vegetables should
either be sprinkled with water prior to cooking or covered to moisture.
Bone and fat content of foods: Bones conduct heat and fat cooks more quickly than
meat. Therefore, care must be taken when cooking bony or fatty cuts of meat that the
meats do not cook unevenly and do not become overcooked.
Quantity of foods: 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 halfing a recipe.
Shape of foods: Microwaves penetrate only about 1 inch (2.5 cm) into food; the
interior portion of thick food is cooked as the heat generated on the outside travels
inward. In other words, only the outer edge of any food is actually cooked by
microwave energy; the rest is cooked by convection. It follows then that the worst
possible shape for food that is to be microwaved is a thick square. The corners will
burn long before the center is even warm. Round, thin foods and ring shaped foods
cook successfully in the microwave.
Special Techniques In Microwave Cooking
Browning: Meats and poultry that are cooked fifteen minutes or longer will brown
lightly in their own fat. Foods that are cooked for a shorter period of time may be
brushed with a browning sauce to achieve an appetizing color. The most commonIy
used browning sauces are Worcestershire sauce, soya sauce and barbecue sauce.
Since relatively small amounts of browning sauces are added to foods, the original
flavors of recipes are not altered.
Covering: A cover traps heat and steam which causes food to cook more quickly. You
may either use a lid or microwave clingfilm with the corners folded back to prevent
splitting.
Covering with greaseproof paper: Greaseproofing effectively prevents spattering
and helps food retain some heat. But, because it makes a looser cover than a lid or
clingfilm, it allows the food to dry out slightly.
Wrapping in greaseproof or paper towel: Sandwiches and many other foods
containing prebaked bread should be wrapped prior to microwaving to prevent
drying out.
Arranging and spacing: Individual foods such as baked potatoes, small cakes and
hors d'oeuvres will heat more evenly if placed in the oven an equal distance apart,
preferably in a circular pattern. Never stack foods on top of one another.
Stirring: Stirring is one of the most important of all microwaving techniques. In
conventional cooking, foods are stirred for the purpose of blending. Microwaved
foods, however, are stirred in order to spread and redistribute heat. Always stir from
the outside towards the center, as the outside of the food heats first.
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