29
FOOD CHARACTERISTICS & MICROWAVE COOKING
keeping an eye on things
The recipes in this book have been formulated with great care, but your success in preparing them depends on
how much attention you pay to the food as it cooks. Always watch your food while it cooks. Your microwave
function is equipped with a light that turns on automatically when the oven is in operation so that you can see
inside and check the progress of your food. Directions given in recipes to elevate, stir, and the like should be
thought of as the minimum steps recommended. If the food seems to be cooking unevenly, simply make the
necessary adjustments you think are 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 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 because overcooked food is ruined for good. Some of the recipes, particularly those for bread, cake, and
custards, recommend that food be removed 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 skillful in estimating both cooking and standing times for various foods.
density of food
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 food so that the outer edges do not become dry and
brittle.
Height of food
The upper portion of tall foods, particularly roasts, will cook more quickly than the lower portion.
Therefore, it is wise to turn tall food several times, during cooking.
Moisture content of food
Since the heat generated from microwaves causes moisture to evaporate, 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 in order to prevent unevenly or overcooked meat.
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 cm into food, the interior portion of thick foods are 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 that is to be microwaved is a thick square.
The corners will burn long before the centre is even warm. Round thin foods and ring shaped foods cook most
successfully in the microwave.
Covering
A cover traps heat and steam which causes food to cook more quickly. Use a lid or microwave cling film with a
corner folded back to prevent spitting.
Food CHArACterIstICs & MICroWAve CookIng
