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Microwave cooking advice
To cook/defrost food in a microwave oven, the microwave energy must be able to pass through the container to penetrate the food. Therefore it is important to choose suitable cookware.
Round/oval dishes are preferable to square/oblong ones, as the food in the corners tends to overcook.
Food characteristics
It is important to turn, rearrange or stir food to ensure even heating.
Standing time is necessary after cooking, as it enables the heat to disperse equally throughout the food.
Composition | Foods high in fat or sugar (e.g. Christmas pudding, mince pies) require less heating |
| time. Care should be taken as overheating can lead to fire. |
Density | Food density will affect the amount of cooking time needed. Light porous foods, such |
| as cakes or bread, cook more quickly than heavy, dense foods, such as roasts and |
| casseroles. |
Quantity | The cooking time must be increased as the amount of food placed in the oven |
| increases. E.g. Four potatoes will take longer to cook than two. |
Size | Small foods and small pieces cook faster than large ones, as microwaves can pen- |
| etrate from all sides to the centre. For even cooking make all the pieces the same size. |
Shape | Foods which are irregular in shape, such as chicken breasts or drumsticks, take |
| longer to cook in the thicker parts. Round shapes cook more evenly than square |
| shapes when microwave cooking. |
Temperature | The initial temperature of food affects the amount of cooking time needed. Chilled |
of food | foods will take longer to cook than food at room temperature. Cut into foods with |
| fillings, for example jam doughnuts, to release heat or steam. |
Cooking techniques | |
Arrange | Place the thickest parts of food towards the outside of the dish. E.g. Chicken |
| drumsticks. |
Cover | Use vented microwave cling film or a suitable lid. |
Pierce | Foods with a shell, skin or membrane must be pierced in several places before cooking |
| or reheating as steam will build up and may cause food to explode, e.g. Potatoes, Fish, |
| Chicken, Sausages. |
| Important: Eggs should not be heated using microwave power as they may explode, |
| even after cooking has ended, e.g. poached, hard boiled. |
Stir, turn and | For even cooking it is essential to stir, turn and rearrange food during cooking. Always |
rearrange | stir and rearrange from the outside towards the centre. |
Stand | Standing time is necessary after cooking to enable the heat to disperse equally |
| throughout the food. |
Shield | Some areas of food being defrosted may become warm. Warm areas can be shielded |
| with small pieces of foil, which reflect microwaves, e.g. legs and wings on a chicken. |
