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[ Food Characteristics J I Cooking Techniques I
Bone and Fat
Both bone and fat affect cooking. Bones may cause irregular cooking. Meat next to the tips of bones may overcook while meat positioned under a large bone, such as a ham bone, may be undercooked. Large amounts of fat absorb microwave energy and the meat next to these areas may overeook,
Density
Porous, airy foods such as breads, cakes or rolls take less time to cook than heavy_ dense foods
such as potatoes and roasts. When reheating donuts or other foods with different centers be
very careful. Certain foods have centers made with sugar, water or fat and these centers attract microwaves (For ex., jelly donuts). When a jelly donut is heated, the jelly can become extremely hot while the exterior remains warm to the touch This could result in a burn if the food is not
allowed to cool properly in the center.
Quantity
Two potatoes take _onger to cook than one pota- to. AS the quantity of the food increases so does the cooking time. When cooking small amounts of
food such as one or two potatoes, do not leave oven unattended. The moisture content in the
food may decrease and a fire could result.
Shape
Uniform sizes heat more evenly. The thin end of a drumstick will cook more quickly than the meaty end. To compensate for irregular shapes, place thin parts toward the center of the dish and thick pieces toward the edge.
Piercing
Foods with skins or membranes must be pierced scored or have a strip of skin peeled before cook- ing to allow steam to escape. Pierce whole egg yolks and whites, clams, oysters, chicken livers. whole potatoes and whole vegetables. Whole apples or new potatoes should have a
of skin peeled before cooking. Score sausages and frankfurters.
Browning
Size
Thin pieces cook more quickly than thick pieces.
Starting Temperature
Foods that are room temperature take less time
to cook than if they are chilled or refrigerated or frozen
Foods will not have the same brown appearance as conventionally cooked foods or those foods which are cooked utilizing a browning feature Meats and poultry may be coated with browning sauce, Worcestershire sauce, barbecue sauce or
For quick breads or muffins, brown sugar can be used in the recipe in place of granulated sugar, or the surface can be sprinkled with dark spices before baking,
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