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Food
Characteristics
Bone
and
Fat
Both
bone and
fat
affect
cooking.
Bones
may
cause
irregular
cooking.
Meat
next
to
the
tips
of
bones
may
overcook
while
meat
positioned
under
a
large
bone,
such as a
ham
bone,
may
be
undercooked. Large
amounts
of
fat
absorb
microwave energy and
the
meat
next
to
these
areas
may
overcook.
Density
Porous,
airy
foods
such as
breads,
cakes
or
rolls
take
less
time
to
cook
than heavy,
dense
foods
such as
potatoes
and
roasts.
When
reheating
donuts
or other
foods
with
different
centers
be
very
careful.
Certain
foods
have
centers
made
with sugar, water, or
fat
and
these centers
attract
microwaves
(For
example,
jelly
donuts).
When
a
jelly
donut
is
heated, the
jelly
can
become
extremely
hot while the
exterior
remains
warm
to
the touch. This
could
result
in
a burn
if
the food
is
not
allowed
to
cool properly
in
the center.
Quantity
Two
potatoes take longer
to
cook
than
one
pota-
to.
As
the quantity
of
the food increases
so
does
the
cooking
time.
When
cooking
small
amounts
of
food
such as
one
or
two
potatoes,
do
not leave
oven
unattended.
The
moisture content
in
the
food
may
decrease and a
fire
could
result.
Shape
Uniform
sizes
heat
more
evenly.
The
thin
end
of
a
drumstick
will
cook
more
quickly
than
the
meaty
end.
To compensate
for
irregular
shapes, place
thin
parts
toward
the center
of
the dish
and
thick
pieces
toward
the
edge.
Size
Thin pieces
cook more
quickly
than
thick
pieces.
Starting
Temperature
Foods
that
are
room
temperature take
less
time
to
cook
than
if
they are
chilled,
refrigerated,
or
frozen.
Cooking Techniques
Piercing
Foods
with skins or
membranes
must be
pierced
scored
or
have
a
strip
of
skin
peeled before cook-
ing
to
allow
steam
to
escape.
Pierce
whole egg
yolks
and
whites,
clams,
oysters,
chicken
livers,
whole
potatoes
and whole
vegetables.
Whole
apples
or
new
potatoes should
have a
1
-inch
strip
of
skin
peeled before
cooking.
Score sausages
and
frankfurters.
Browning
Foods
will
not
have
the
same
brown appearance
as
conventionally
cooked
foods
or
those foods
which
are
cooked
utilizing
a
browning
feature.
Meats and
poultry
may
be
coated
with
browning
sauce, Worcestershire sauce,
barbecue sauce
or
shake-on browning
sauce.
To
use,
combine
browning sauce
with
melted
butter or
margarine;
brush
on
before cooking.
For quick breads
or muffins,
brown
sugar
can be
used
in
the recipe
in
place
of
granulated
sugar, or
the surface
can be
sprinkled with
dark spices
before baking.
17
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