6
and helps food retain some heat.
Since it makes a looser cover than a
lid or cling-film, it allows the food to
dry out slightly.
Wrapping in waxed paper or
paper towel
: Sandwiches and many
other foods containing prebaked
bread should be wrapped prior to
microwaving to prevent drying out.
Arranging and spacing
: Individual
foods such as baked potatoes, small
cakes, and hors d’oeuvres will heat
more evenly if placed in the oven and
equal distance apart, preferably in a
circular pattern. Never stack foods on
top of one another.
Stirring
: Stirring is one of the
most important of all microwaving
techniques. In conventional cooking,
foods are stirred for the purpose of
blending. Microwaved foods, however,
are stirred in order to spread and
redistribute heat. Always stir from the
outside towards the center as the
outside food heats first.
Turning over
: Large, tall foods such
as roasts and whole chickens should
be turned so that the top and bottom
will cook evenly. It is also a good idea
to turn cutup chicken and chops.
Placing thicker portions near the
edge
: Since microwaves are attracted
to the outside portion of foods, it
makes sense to place thicker portions
of meat, poultry and fish to the outer
edge of the baking dish. This way,
thicker portions will receive the most
microwave energy and the foods will
cook evenly.
Elevating
: Thick or dense foods are
often elevated so that microwaves
can be absorbed by the underside
and center of the foods.
Piercing
:Foods enclosed in a shell,
skin, or membrane are likely to burst
in the oven unless they are pierced
prior to cooking. Such foods include
both yolks and whites of eggs,
clams and oysters, and many whole
vegetables and fruits.
Installation and Operation
(Continued)
Testing if cooked
: Because foods
cook so quickly in a microwave oven,
it is necessary to test food frequently.
Some foods are left in the microwave
until completely cooked, but most
foods, including meats and poultry,
are removed from the oven while still
slightly undercooked and allowed to
finish cooking during standing time.
The internal temperature of foods will
rise between 5° F (3° C) and 15° F
(8° C) during standing time. Standing
time: Foods are often allowed to
stand for 3 to 10 minutes after being
removed from the microwave oven.
Usually the foods are covered during
standing time to retain heat unless
they are supposed to be dry in
texture (some cakes and biscuits, for
example). Standing allows foods to
finish cooking and also helps flavors
to blend and develop.
HOW FOOD
CHARACTERISTICS
AFFECT MICROWAVE
COOKING
Density of foods
: Light, porous food
like cakes and breads cook more
quickly than heavy, dense foods such
as roasts and casseroles. You must
take care when microwaving porous
foods that the outer edges do not
become dry and brittle.
Height of foods
: The upper portion
of tall foods, particularly roasts, will
cook more quickly than the lower
portion. Therefore, it is wise to turn
tall foods during cooking, sometimes
several times.
Moisture content of foods
: Since
the heat generated from microwaves
tends to evaporate moisture,
relatively dry foods 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 foods:
Bones conduct heat and fat cooks
more quickly than meat. Therefore,
care must be taken when cooking
bony or fatty cuts of meat that the
meats do not cook unevenly and do
not become overcooked.
NOTE
: It is a common misconception
that microwaves cook food from the
inside out. This comes from heating
filled pastries with a high sugar
content, like jelly doughnuts. The
pastry is cool but the filling is very
hot! If you cook a chicken or a roast,
you’ll see the outside is cooked first.
Shape of foods
: Microwaves
penetrate only about 1 inch (2.5
cm) into foods; the interior portion
of thick foods is cooked as the heat
generated on the outside travels
inward. In other words, only the outer
edge of any food is actually cooked
by microwave energy; the rest is
cooked by conduction. It follows
then that the worst possible shape
for a food that is to be microwaved
is a thick cube. The corners will
burn long before the center is even
warm. Round, thin, and ring shaped
foods cook most successfully in the
microwave.
Quantity of foods
: 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.
