– 22 –
Microwave Recipe Techniques
(continued)
Covering
Covering food minimizes the microwave cooking time.
Because microwave cooking is done with time and not
direct heat, the rate of evaporation cannot be easily
controlled. However, this can be corrected by using
different materials to cover dishes. Plastic wrap is the
best substitute for a lid as it creates a tighter seal and
so it retains more heat and steam. Wax paper and
paper towels hold the heat in but not the steam. These
materials also prevent splattering. Use a paper towel,
wax paper or no cover when steam is not needed for
tenderising.
Browning
Meats and poultry, when cooked longer than 10 to 15
minutes, will brown from their own fat. Foods cooked
for shorter periods of time can be aided with the help
of a browning sauce, worcestershire sauce or soy
sauce. Simply brush one of these sauces over meat
or poultry before cooking. Baked goods do not need
long cooking time and therefore, do not brown. When
cakes or cupcakes are iced, no one will notice the
visual difference. For cakes or cupcakes, brown sugar
can be used in the recipe in place of caster sugar or
the surface can be sprinkled with dark spices before
baking.
Standing Time
The moisture molecules continue to vibrate in the food
when the microwave oven has turned itself off. After
all, the molecules were vibrating at 2,450,000,000
times per second during cooking. So cooking
continues even after the food is no longer being
exposed to the microwaves whether in or outside your
microwave oven.
Standing time refers to the time it takes (after the
microwave time is completed) to allow the interior of
the food to fi nish cooking.
The amount of standing time varies with the size
and density of the food. In meat cookery, the internal
temperature will rise between 5°C and 10°C if allowed
to stand covered for ten to fi fteen minutes. Rice and
vegetables need shorter standing time, but this time
is necessary to allow foods to complete cooking in the
centre without overcooking on the edges.
The power level used in microwave cooking also
determines the standing time. For example, when
using a lower power level the standing time is shorter
because of a lower concentration of heat in the food.
Foods should always be kept covered while standing
in order to retain the heat. If a longer standing time is
required (while you cook another food to serve with
the fi rst, for instance), cover with aluminum foil.
Converting Your Favourite Conventional
Recipes for Microwave Cooking
When adapting conventional recipes for microwave
cooking, times are reduced considerably.
For example, a chicken which takes 1 hour to cook in
a moderate oven will take 20 to 30 minutes on Medium
Power in your microwave oven.
Use similar microwave recipes to help you adapt
conventional recipes. Remember, it is always best to
undercook a recipe and then add an extra minute or
two to fi nish it off.
Here are some other tips that may help:
• Reduce liquids in a conventional recipe by one half
to two thirds, e.g. 1 cup (250 ml) should be reduced
to
1
⁄
2
cup (125 ml).
• Add more thickening such as fl our or cornfl our to
sauces and gravies if you do not reduce the liquid.
• Reduce seasonings slightly in a recipe where
ingredients do not have time to simmer by
microwave.
• Do not salt meats, poultry or vegetables before
cooking; otherwise, they will toughen and dry out.
• If one ingredient takes longer to cook than the
others, precook it in the microwave oven fi rst.
Onion, celery and potato are examples.
• When cooking meat or vegetables, omit any oil or
fat that would have been used for browning in a
conventional recipe.
• Reduce leavening agents for cakes by one quarter
and increase liquids by one quarter.
• Biscuits require a stiff dough. Increase fl our by about
20 percent. Substitute brown sugar for white sugar
and use biscuit recipes that have dark spices or
require icing. Because of the short cooking time,
biscuits don’t have to brown. Chill dough for half an
hour before baking. This produces a crisper biscuit.
Bake biscuits on a glass tray lined with greaseproof
paper.
• Since microwaves penetrate foods about two
centimetres from the top, bottom and sides, mixtures
in round shapes and rings cook more evenly.
Corners receive more energy and may overcook.
• Items with a lot of water, such as rice and pasta,
cook in about the same time as they would on
a conventional stove. (Refer to Rice and Pasta
chapter.)
Select recipes that convert easily to microwave
cooking such as casseroles, stews, baked chicken,
fi sh and vegetable dishes. The results from foods such
as grilled meats, cooked souffl es or two-crust pies
could be less than satisfactory. Never attempt to deep
fry in your microwave oven.
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