...About Microwave Cooking
• Arrange food carefully. Place thickest areas toward outside
of dish.
• Watch cooking time closely
.
Cook for the shortest amount
of time indicated and add more as needed
.
Food severe
l
y
overcooked can smoke or ignite.
· Cover foods while cooking. Check recipe or cookbook for
suggestions: paper towels, wax paper, microwave plastic
wrap or a lid. Covers prevent spatter
i
ng and help foods to
cook eve nIy
.
• Shield with small flat pieces of aluminum toil
any thin
areas
of meat or poultry to prevent overcooking before dense,
thick areas are cooked thoroughly
.
• Stir foods from outside to center of dish once or twice
during cooking
,
if possible
.
...About Safety
- Turn foods over once during microwaving to speed
cooking of such foods as chicken and hamburgers
.
Large
items like roasts must be turned over at least once.
, Rearrange foods like meatballs halfway through cooking
both from top to bottom and from the center of the dish tc
the outside
.
*
Add standing time. Remove food from oven and stir,
if
possible
.
Cover for standing time which allows the food to
finish cooking without overcooking.
*
Check for doneness. Look for signs indicating that cooking
temperatures have been reached. Donenesssigns include:
*
Food steams throughout, not just at edge .
.. Center bottom of dish is very hot to the touch.
, Poultry thigh joints move easily.
• Meat and poultry show no pinkness.
, Fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork .
TEMP
FOOD
160°F
.
.
.tor
fresh pork, boneless white meat
of poultry,
ground
meat, fish,
seafood, egg dishes a
n
d frozen
prepared food.
165°F
.
_.for
leftover,
ready
-
to-re heat
refrigerated and deli and carry-out
"fresh" food.
170°F
...white meat of poultry.
180°
F
...dark meat of poultry.
'-
, Check foods to see that they are cooked to the United
States
Department
of Agriculture's
recommended
temperatu
r
es
.
...About Children and the
Microwave
• Children
below the age of 7 should
use the
microwave with a supervising person very near to
them. Between the ages of 7 and 12, the supervising
person should be in the same room.
,
T
he child must be able to reach the oven comfortably;
if not, he/she should stand on a stu
r
dy stool.
.. At no time should anyone be allowed to lean on or
swing on the oven door.
\
, ALWAYS use potholders to prevent burns when handling
utens
i
ls that are in contact with hot food. Enough heat
from the food can transfer through utensils to cause skin
burns .
.. Avoid steam burns by directing steam away from
the face
and hands. Slowly lift the farthest edge of a dish's covering
and carefully open popcorn and oven cooking bags away
from the face.
*
Stay near the oven whi
l
e it's in use and check cooking
progress frequently
so that there
i
s no chance of
overcook
i
ng food
.
'NEV
E
R
use the cavity for storing cookbooks or other
items.
, Select, store and handle food carefully to preserve its high
quality and minimize the spread of foodborne bacteria.
.. Keep wave guide cover clean. Food residue can cause
arcing and/or fires
.
, Children should be taught all safety precautions: use
potholders,
remove cove
r
ings carefully, pay special
attention to packages that crisp food because they
may be extra hot.
.. Don
'
t assume that because a child has mastered one
cooking skill he/she can cook everything.
.. Children need to learn that the microwave oven is not
a toy.
6