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 finish 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 fifteen 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 first, 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 finish it off.
Here are some other tips that may help:
•Reduce liquids in a conventional recipe by one half
to two thirds, e.g. 1cup (250 ml) should be reduced to 1⁄2 cup (125 ml).
•Add more thickening such as flour or cornflour 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 first. 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 flour 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, fish and vegetable dishes. The results from foods such as grilled meats, cooked souffles or two-crust pies could be less than satisfactory. Never attempt to deep fry in your microwave oven.
