20
fOOd ChaRaCTERIsTICs & MICROWavE COOkINg
keeping an eye on things
The recipes in the book have been formulated with great care, but your success in preparing them
depends on how much attention you pay to the food as it cooks. Always watch your food while it
cooks. Your microwave function is equipped with a light that turns on automatically when the oven is in
operation so that you can see inside and check the progress of your food. Directions given in recipes to
elevate, stir, and the like should be thought of as the minimum steps recommended. If the food seems
to be cooking unevenly, simply make the necessary adjustments you think appropriate to correct the
problem.
Factors affecting microwave cooking times
Many factors affect cooking times. The temperature of ingredients used in a recipe makes a big
difference in cooking times. For example, a cake made with ice-cold butter, milk, and eggs will take
considerably longer to bake than one made with ingredients that are at room temperature. All of the
recipes in this book give a range of cooking times. In general, you will find that the food remains under-
cooked at the lower end of the time range, and you may sometimes want to cook your food beyond
the maximum time given, according to personal preference. The governing philosophy of this book is
that it is best for a recipe to be conservative in giving cooking times because overcooked food is ruined
for good. Some of the recipes, particularly those for bread, cake, and custards, recommend that food be
removed from the oven when they are slightly undercooked.
This is not a mistake. When allowed to stand, usually covered, these foods will continue to cook outside
of the oven as the heat trapped within the outer portions of the food gradually travels inward. If the
food is left in the oven until it is cooked all the way through, the outer portions will become overcooked
or even burnt. You will become increasingly skillful in estimating both cooking and standing times for
various foods.
density of food
Light, porous food such as cakes and breads cook more quickly than heavy, dense foods such as roasts
and casseroles. You must take care when microwaving porous food so that the outer edges do not
become dry and brittle.
Height of food
The upper portion of tall foods, particularly roasts, will cook more quickly than the lower portion.
Therefore, it is wise to turn tall food several during cooking.
Moisture content of food
Since the heat generated from microwaves causes moisture to evaporate, relatively dry food 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 food
Bones conduct heat and fat cooks more quickly than meat. Care must be taken when cooking bony or
fatty cuts of meat in order to prevent unevenly or overcooked meat.
Quantity of food
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.
FOOd CHArACTErISTICS & MICrOWAvE COOkINg
