MICROWAVECOOKING RECIPESAND TABLES
INTRODUCTION
Your microwave oven can be one of the most useful appliances in your home. If you follow a few basic instructions, this book will teach you how to make microwave cooking both enjoy- able and safe. All of the recipes in this book have been tested and proven to provide many rewarding meals for you and your family. Before you begin trying the recipes, take a few moments to read these pages of instructions and helpful hints.
How Your Microwave Oven Works: Quite sim- ply, microwaves are a form of energy, just as sunlight and radio waves. The only difference is in the shape and form of the energy wavelengths. When the magnetron tube in your oven is activated, electricity is converted into high frequency radiating energy in the form of very small (micro) waves. The micro- waves are released into the oven compartment through an opening in the top of the appliance, and are distributed evenly by a
Power and Standing Time: Like any conven- tional oven, microwave appliances are affected by fluctuations in local energy sup- plies The location of your house, the weather and the time of day may all affect energy avail- ability and thereby vary the rate at which your microwave oven cooks. This book provides you with minimum and maximum cooking times for each recipe to accommodate this possible variation in energy availability.
Standing times, which allow the extra cooking to take place, can vary from one to five minutes for vegetables, or five to ten minutes for a large roast. Experience will help you determine standing times for the various foods you prepare.
UTENSILS
Never use metal or
How to Test for Microwave Use: Here is a simple test to determine whether or not a uten- sil is compatible with your microwave oven. Measure one cup of water into a glass con- tainer, and place it on or near the dish you wish to test. Turn microwave on HIGH for one minute, until water is hot, then test the con- tainer in question. If the dish remains cool to the touch, it is safe for the microwave oven.
Utensils to Use in a Microwave Oven: Con- tainers made of glass, ceramics, and some forms of paper and plastic, allow microwaves to pass freely through them, making them ideal for microwave use. Boilable pouches and oven cooking bags are usually equally effective in your microwave oven.
Many utensils are made especially for use in a microwave oven. These