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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 potato. As the quantity
of the food decreases so does
the cooking time. Overcooking
will cause the moisture content
in the food to decrease and a
fire could result. Never leave microwave
unattended while in use.
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 at 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 cooking
to allow steam to escape. Pierce 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. Do not Cook/Reheat
whole eggs with or without the shell. Steam
build up in whole eggs may cause them to
explode, and possibly damage the oven
or cause injury. Reheating SLICED hard-
boiled eggs and cooking SCRAMBLED
eggs is safe.
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 and 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.
Spacing
Individual foods, such as
baked potatoes, cupcakes
and appetizers, will cook
more evenly if placed in
the oven equal distances
apart. When possible, arrange foods in a
circular pattern.
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