10
Information You Need To Know
About microwave cooking
•
Arrange food carefully. Place thickest areas
towards outside of dish.
•
Watch cooking time. Cook for the shortest
amount of time indicated and add more as
needed. Food severely overcooked can smoke
or ignite.
•
Cover foods while cooking. Check recipe or
cookbook for suggestions: paper towels, wax
paper, microwave plastic wrap or a lid. Covers
prevent spattering and help foods to cook
evenly.
•
Shield with small flat pieces of aluminum foil
any thin areas of meat or poultry to prevent
overcooking before dense, thick areas are
cooked thoroughly.
•
Stir foods from outside to center of dish once or
twice during cooking, if possible.
•
Turn foods over once during microwaving to
speed cooking of such foods as chicken and
About food
Food
Eggs,
sausages,
nuts, seeds,
fruits &
vegetables
Popcorn
Baby food
General
Do
•
Puncture egg yolks before cooking to
prevent "explosion".
•
Pierce skins of potatoes, apples, squash,
hot dogs and sausages so that steam
escapes.
•
Use specially bagged popcorn for
microwave cooking.
•
Listen while popping corn for the
popping to slow to 1 or 2 seconds or use
special popcorn pad.
•
Transfer baby food to small dish and heat
carefully, stirring often. Check temperature
before serving.
•
Put nipples on bottles after heating and
shake thoroughly. "Wrist" test before
feeding.
•
Cut baked goods with filling after heating
to release steam and avoid burns.
•
Stir liquids briskly before and after heating
to avoid "eruption".
•
Use deep bowl, when cooking liquids or
cereals, to prevent boilovers.
hamburgers. Large items like roasts must be
turned over at least once.
•
Rearrange foods such as meatballs halfway
through cooking both from top to bottom and
from the center of the dish to the outside.
•
Add standing time. Remove food from oven
and stir, if possible. Cover for standing time
which allows the food to finish cooking without
overcooking.
•
Check for doneness. Look for signs indicating
that cooking temperatures have been reached.
•
Doneness signs include:
- Food steams throughout, not just at edge.
-
Center bottom of dish is very hot to the
touch.
- Poultry thigh joints move easily.
- Meat and poultry show no pinkness.
-
Fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
•
Cook eggs in shells.
•
Reheat whole eggs.
•
Dry nuts or seeds in shells.
•
Pop popcorn in regular brown bags
or glass bowls.
•
Exceed maximum time on popcorn
package.
•
Heat disposable bottles.
•
Heat bottles with nipples on.
•
Heat baby food in original jars.
•
Heat or cook in closed glass jars or air
tight containers.
•
Can in the microwave as harmful
bacteria may not be destroyed.
•
Deep fat fry.
•
Dry wood, gourds, herbs or wet papers.
Don't