Cooking Tips
Timing
A range in heating time is given in each recipe. The time
range compensates for the uncontrollable differences in
food shapes, starting temperature and personal
preferences. Always cook food for the minimum cooking
time given in the recipe and check for doneness. If the
food is undercooked, continue cooking. It is easy to add
time to an undercooked product. Once the food is
overcooked, nothing can be done.
Spacing
Individual foods, such as baked potatoes or cupcakes,
will heat more evenly if placed in the oven equal
distances apart.
When possible, arrange food in a circular pattern.
Similarly, when placing food in a baking dish, arrange
around the outside of the dish, not lined up next to each
other. Food should not be stacked on top of each other.
Piercing
The skin or membranes on some food will cause steam to
build up during microwave cooking. Food must be pierced,
scored or have a strip of skin peeled off before cooking to
allow steam to escape.
Eggs - Pierce egg yolk twice and egg white several times
with a toothpick.
Whole Clams and Oysters - Pierce several times with a
toothpick.
Whole Potatoes and Vegetables - Pierce with a fork.
Frankfurters and Sausages - Score smoked polish
sausage and frankfurters. Pierce fresh sausage with a fork.
Browning
Meats and poultry may appear cooked or browned
effects after 10-15 minutes cooking. The reason is
the fat in the meat absorbs microwave more easily
to make food browned. If you want to shorten the
cooking time and get a good appearance, you can
marinate food in soy sauce or any other sauce
before cooking. For quick breads or muffins, brown
sugar can be used to take the place of granulated
sugar, or the surface can be sprinkled with dark
spices before cooking.
Covering
As with conventional cooking, moisture evaporates
during microwave cooking. Because microwave
cooking is done by time and not direct heat, the rate
of evaporation cannot be easily controlled. This,
however, can be easily corrected by using different
materials to cover dishes. However, unless specified,
a recipe is heated uncovered. Casserole lids or cling
film are used for a tighter seal. Various degrees of
moisture retention are also obtained by using wax
paper or paper towels.
Stirring
Stirring is usually necessary during microwave
cooking. We have noted when stirring is helpful,
using the words once, twice, frequently or
occasionally to describe the amount of stirring
required. Always bring cooked outside edges towards
the center and the less cooked center portions
towards the outside.
Turning and Rearranging
It is not possible to stir some food to redistribute the
heat. At times, microwave energy will concentrate in
one area of a food. To help ensure even cooking,
some food needs to be turned or rearranged. Turn
over large food such as roasts or chickens.
Rearrange small items such as chicken pieces,
shrimp, hamburger patties or pork chops. Rearrange
pieces from the edge to the center and pieces from
the center to the edge of dish.
Standing Time
Most food will continue to cook by conduction after
the microwave oven is turned off. In meat cookery,
the internal temperature will rise 5 to 15 ˚C if allowed
to stand, covered for 10 to 20 minutes. Casseroles
and vegetables need a shorter amount of standing
time, but this standing time is necessary to allow food
to complete cooking in the center without
overcooking on the edges.
Converting Favorite Recipes
Select recipes that convert easily to microwave
cooking. A basic rule when converting conventional
recipes to microwave recipes is to cut the suggested
cooking time to a quarter. Also, find a similar
microwave recipe and adapt that time and power
setting. Season meats with herbs and spices before
cooking and salt after cooking. Stews are not
browned before cooking. Omit any oil or fat that
would be used for browning. Cut stew meat into 2.5 cm
pieces. Cut carrots, potatoes and other vegetables into
small pieces. Carrots should be thinly sliced and
potatoes diced. Cover with a glass lid and cook at
High to bring liquid to a boil and then cook at Low
until tender. Stir occasionally.
Note: A small plate placed on top of the meat and
vegetables will help stop the meat overcooking.
Microwave ovens cook casseroles well. Cut food into
uniform pieces. Condensed soup makes a good base
for casseroles. Select a dish that is large enough to
allow for stirring. Cooking covered with a glass lid or
cling film reduces cooking time. To keep crumb
toppings crisp, sprinkle on before the standing time.
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