Food characteristics & Microwave cooking
Keeping an eye on things |
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The recipes in the book have been formulated with great care, but your success in preparing |
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them depends on how much attention you pay to the food as it cooks. Always watch your food |
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while it cooks. Your microwave function is equipped with a light that turns on automatically |
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when the oven is in operation so that you can see inside and check the progress of your food. |
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Directions given in recipes to elevate, stir, and the like should be thought of as the minimum |
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steps recommended. If the food seems to be cooking unevenly, simply make the necessary |
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adjustments you think appropriate to correct the problem. |
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Factors affecting microwave cooking times |
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Many factors affect cooking times. The temperature of ingredients used in a recipe makes a |
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big difference in cooking times. For example, a cake made with |
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will take considerably longer to bake than one made with ingredients that are at room |
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temperature. All of the recipes in this book give a range of cooking times. In general, you will |
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find that the food remains |
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sometimes want to cook your food beyond the maximum time given, according to personal |
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preference. The governing philosophy of this book is that it is best for a recipe to be |
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conservative in giving cooking times because overcooked food is ruined for good. Some of the |
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recipes, particularly those for bread, cake, and custards, recommend that food be removed |
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from the oven when they are slightly undercooked. This is not a mistake. When allowed to |
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stand, usually covered, these foods will continue to cook outside of the oven as the heat |
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trapped within the outer portions of the food gradually travels inward. If the food is left in the |
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oven until it is cooked all the way through, the outer portions will become overcooked or even |
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burnt. You will become increasingly skillful in estimating both cooking and standing times for |
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various foods. |
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Density of food |
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Light, porous food such as cakes and breads cook more quickly than heavy, dense foods such |
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as roasts and casseroles. You must take care when microwaving porous food so that the outer |
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edges do not become dry and brittle. |
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Height of food |
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The upper portion of tall foods, particularly roasts, will cook more quickly than the lower |
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portion. Therefore, it is wise to turn tall food several during cooking. |
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Moisture content of food |
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Since the heat generated from microwaves causes moisture to evaporate, relatively dry food such |
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as roasts and some vegetables should either be sprinkled with water prior to cooking or covered |
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to retain moisture. | 42 |
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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.
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 such as worcestershire sauce, soy sauce or barbecue sauce to achieve an appetizing colour. Since relatively small amounts of browning sauces are added to food, the original flavour of the recipe is not altered.
Covering with greaseproof paper
It is a looser cover than a lid or cling film, the food may dry out slightly. But because it makes a looser cover than a lid or clingfilm, it allows the food to dry out slightly.
Arranging and spacing
Individual foods such as baked potatoes, small cakes and hors d’oeuvres will heat more evenly if placed in the oven an equal distance apart, preferably in a circular pattern. Never stack foods on top of one another.