GETTING THE BEST RESULTS FROM YOUR MICROWAVE OVEN
Keep an eye on things. The instructions in this book have been formulated with great care, but your success in preparing food depends, of course, on how much attention you pay to the food as it cooks. Always watch your food while it cooks. Your microwave oven 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 recipe. 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 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. While undercooked food may always be cooked a bit more, overcooked food is ruined for good. Some of the recipes, particularly those for bread, cakes, and custard, 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 foods gradually travels inward. If the foods are left in the oven until they are cooked all the way through, the outer portions will become overcooked or even burnt.
As you gain experience in using your microwave oven, you will become increasingly skillful in estimating both cooking and standing times for various foods.
SPECIAL TECHNIQUES IN MICROWAVE COOKING
Browning: Meats and poultry that are cooked fifteen minutes or longer will brown lightly in their own fat. Foods that are cooked for a shorter period of time may be brushed with a browning sauce to achieve an appetizing color. The most commonly used browning sauces are Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and barbecue sauce. Since relatively small amounts of browning sauces are added to foods, the original flavor of recipes is not altered.
Covering: A cover traps heat and steam and causes food to cook more quickly. You may either use a lid or microwave cling-film with a corner folded back to prevent splitting.
Covering with waxed paper: Waxed paper effectively prevents spattering and helps food retain some heat. Since it makes a looser cover than a lid or cling-film, it allows the food to dry out slightly.
Wrapping in waxed paper or paper towel: Sandwiches and many other foods containing prebaked bread should be wrapped prior to microwaving to prevent drying out.
Arranging and spacing: Individual foods such as baked potatoes, small cakes, and hors d’oeuvres will heat more evenly if placed in the oven and equal distance apart, preferably in a circular pattern. Never stack foods on top of one another.
Stirring: Stirring is one of the most important of all microwaving techniques. In conventional cooking, foods are stirred for the purpose of blending. Microwaved foods, however, are stirred in order to spread and redistribute heat. Always stir from the outside towards the center as the outside food heats first.
Turning over: Large, tall foods such as roasts and whole chickens should be turned so that the top and bottom will cook evenly. It is also a good idea to turn cut-up chicken and chops.
Placing thicker portions near the edge: Since microwaves are attracted to the outside portion of foods, it makes sense to place thicker portions of meat, poultry and fish to the outer edge of the baking dish. This way, thicker portions will receive the most microwave energy and the foods will cook evenly.
Elevating: Thick or dense foods are often elevated so that microwaves can be absorbed by the underside and center of the foods.
Piercing: Foods enclosed in a shell, skin, or membrane are likely to burst in the oven unless they are pierced prior to cooking. Such foods include both yolks and whites of eggs, clams and oysters, and many whole vegetables and fruits.
Testing if cooked: Because foods cook so quickly in a microwave oven, it is necessary to test food frequently. Some foods are left in the microwave until completely cooked, but most foods, including meats and poultry, are removed from the oven while still slightly undercooked and allowed to finish cooking during standing time. The internal temperature of foods will rise between 5°F (3°C) and 15°F (8°C) during standing time.
Standing time: Foods are often allowed to stand for 3 to 10 minutes after being removed from the microwave oven. Usually the foods are covered during standing time to retain heat unless they are supposed to be dry in texture (some cakes and biscuits, for example). Standing allows foods to finish cooking and also helps flavors to blend and develop.
