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Food Placement
Allow space between foods for proper cooking results. For
best results, arrange thickest or hardest to cook portion of
food toward outside of dish. Place smaller, easier to cook
portions toward center.
Reheating
When reheating food, cover dish loosely with plastic wrap.
Heat at full power. Reheat porous items such as breads
and cakes for a minimum amount of time.
Stir soups,
sauces and beverages vigorously before reheating.
Defrosting
It is important that most foods, especially meats, be totally
defrosted before cooking. Determine foods are totally
defrosted, by inserting sharp knife in center of food and
checking for remaining ice crystals. Turn large food items
over during defrosting, for best results.
Preventing Excess Moisture
•
Cover foods before cooking in microwave.
•
Cover potatoes and fresh vegetables with a microwave-
safe paper towel before cooking to help absorb excess
moisture. Remove paper towel immediately after
cooking to prevent vegetables from reabsorbing
moisture.
•
Open microwave door immediately after cooking to
reduce moisture inside oven.
Microwave Utensils
Recommended
utensils include: glass, glass-ceramic,
natural fiber cloth, non-recycled paper, plastic and wood.
Not Recommended
utensils include: aluminum foil,
grocery bags, lead crystal, metal, metallic trimmed china,
newspapers and recycled paper.
Utensil Check Test
U
se 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
only. 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.
Microwave Cooking Principles
Decrease
cooking times when:
Foods are high in fat and sugar.
Foods are porous.
Foods are flat, thin or prepared in shallow pan.
Increase
cooking times when:
Foods are thick and dense.
Foods are frozen or refrigerator temperature.
Food volume increases.
When cooking foods in a microwave oven, a considerable amount of steam/water vapor can be generated and accumu-
late on foods and inside of oven. This is caused by hot moist air from food coming in contact with cool surfaces inside
oven. Use the following procedures to help reduce moisture buildup.
Shielding
Porous, thin and protruding portions of large food items,
such as poultry drumsticks, can be covered with thin strips
of foil to prevent overcooking.
Browning
Some foods prepared in microwave will not brown the
same as if done in conventional oven. This is particularly
true for baked goods, such as breads and cakes.
Microwave Cooking
Piercing
Membranes or tight skins on foods, such as egg yolks,
potatoes, tomatoes, and squash must be pierced. Pierc-
ing allows steam to escape during cooking.