10
Microwave Utensils
Never use cooking containers or covers with any metal
content. This includes all metal and enameled metal-
core ware, foil and metal-trimmed containers. Suitable
heating containers include those made of paper
products, glass, china, cloth, and wicker baskets.
Recommended
Not Recommended
Glass/ceramic
Aluminum foil
Natural fiber cloth
Grocery bags
Non-recycled paper
Recycled paper
Plastic
Lead crystal
Wood
Newspapers
Metal
Metallic trimmed china
Utensil Check Test
Use the following test to check utensils for microwave
safeness.
1.
Place glass measuring cup of water next to
empty dish to be tested in microwave oven.
2.
Heat on full power for one minute.
3.
Check temperature of dish and water.
• If dish remains cool and water is hot, dish is
microwave safe.
• If dish is slightly warm, use for short term cooking.
• If dish is hot and water is cool, do not use. Dish
remains cool if not absorbing microwaves and
microwaves are being absorbed by water. Dish
becomes hot if absorbing microwaves.
Cooking Hints
Cover foods for faster, more even heating. Glass lids,
plastic wrap, plate covers or other paper products may be
used. Do not seal. Instead, allow for steam-venting at all
times.
Pierce pouches, plastic wrap covers and all foods
with a thin skin or membrane, such as potatoes, squash,
tomatoes, eggs, etc. This prevents an eruption in the
oven and allows for expansion and/or the escape of
steam.
Foods should be carefully plated. For best results,
arrange food such as vegetables or casserole-type items
evenly around the edge of the plate with slightly less
depth in the center. The edges of food items should not
overlap or overhang the rim of the container. Cover meats
with gravy or au jus and moisten all dry foods other than
bread or pastry items.
Do not stack food or plated dishes in your oven.
Instead, when heating more than one serving or platters,
all plates should be placed at the same level in the oven,
with space between all containers.
Manipulation of Foods
Sometimes recipes suggest manipulating or moving food
during cooking. There are several forms of manipulation:
Stirring is required less often in microwave cooking than
in conventional cooking. In conventional cooking, you use
a spoon to move food up from the bottom of a pan to
evenly distribute the heat. In microwave cooking, you still
stir to redistribute the heat within some foods, but you
need to stir from the outside of a dish toward the inside or
center. For the recipes in this cookbook, stir only as
needed. If a recipe states to stir once or twice during
cooking, stir at approximately even intervals. For
example, in a 12-minute cooking period, if a recipe states
to stir twice, stir after 4 minutes of cooking and again,
after 8 minutes of cooking. However, it is not necessary to
be precise. Stir only when necessary. When using lower
power settings, less stirring is required. Some examples
of foods which may require stirring are puddings, some
casseroles, some sauces, some soups, and some egg
dishes. Some foods can’t be stirred. These foods are
rearranged or turned.
Some foods can not be stirred and should be
repositioned or rearranged during cooking. Some
examples include baked potatoes, cupcakes (in custard
cups), chicken pieces, and others. Rearranging allows for
more even cooking of foods. Foods which are cooked,
covered, or which are cooked using lower power levels,
usually require little rearranging.
There are actually two types of turning. Turning is done
when foods cannot be stirred. Foods which are cooked,
covered, or which are cooked at lower power levels
usually require little turning.
Turning foods over: Turning foods over is done to
distribute heat. Meat and poultry are two types of foods
which are sometimes “turned over.” Examples include
roasts, turkeys and whole chickens. Small meat items
such as poultry pieces may need to be turned over when
in casseroles, or when in a browning skillet.
Rotating or turning dishes: There are few foods which
cannot be stirred, rearranged or turned over. Therefore, the
actual cooking dish is turned or rotated. For the recipes in
this cookbook, turn a dish one-half-turn or 180° unless
otherwise stated. A half-turn means to grasp the dish and
turn the portion of the dish that faces the oven door
around, until it faces the back of the oven. Examples of
foods which are sometimes turned or rotated in a cooking
dish include cakes, quiches, or soufflés. When cooking
foods at lower power levels or Settings, less turning of the
cooking dishes is required.
