43
FOOD CHARACTERISTICS & MICROWAVE COOKING
ENGLISH
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.
Shape of food
Microwaves penetrate only about 2 cm into food, the
interior portion of thick foods are cooked as the heat
generated on the outside travels inward. Only the
outer edge of food is cooked by microwave energy;
the rest is cooked by conduction. The worst possible
shape for a food that is to be microwaved is a thick
square.
The corners will burn long before the centre is even
warm. Round thin foods and ring shaped foods cook
most successfully in the microwave.
Covering
A cover traps heat and steam which causes food to
cook more quickly. Use a lid or microwave cling film
with a corner folded back to prevent splitting.
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.
