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Food Facts in Microwave Cooking
The quality of the food:
Poor quality ingredients are rarely improved by any
method of cooking and this applies particularly to microwave cooking,
as the process is so fast.
Temperature:
The colder the food before cooking, the longer it will take to cook.
Quantity:
The cooking time relates to the amount of food in the microwave oven.
Do not overload the microwave. For very large quantities it is better, and may be
quicker, to cook in two or more batches.
Density:
The more porous the food, the faster it will cook. A light airy cake
mixture will cook faster than jacket potatoes.
Size and Shape:
Uniform shapes cook more evenly. In an irregular shape, such
as a leg of lamb, the thinner parts will cook faster than the thick part. The smaller
the individual piece of food is (such as the vegetables in a soup) the quicker
the cooking.
Moisture:
There is very little evaporation in microwave cooking so foods can be
cooked in the minimum water. Casseroles need about half the usual amount of
stock; vegetables need only two or three tablespoons of water.
Bones:
Meat and poultry bones conduct heat, therefor the areas around them will
cook faster than the rest of the meat. Insert a microwave meat thermometer into the
thickest part of the flesh away from any bone for an accurate grading.
MHM-6 Manual.qxd 2003.11.10 14:49PM Page 12
