Microwaving Principles
Microwave energy has been used in this country to cook and reheat food since early experiments with RADAR in World War II. Microwaves are present in the atmosphere all the time, both naturally and from manmade sources.
Manmade sources include radar, radio, television, telecommunication links and car phones.
HOW MICROWAVES COOK FOOD
In a microwave oven, electricity is converted into microwaves by the MAGNETRON
13 Amp fused socket
REFLECTION
The microwaves bounce off the metal walls and the metal door screen.
TRANSMISSION
Then they pass through the cooking containers to be absorbed by the water molecules in the food, all foods contain water to a more or lesser extent.
Microwave | Water Molecule Absorption | Vibration |
The microwaves cause the water molecules to vibrate which causes FRICTION, ie. HEAT. This heat then cooks the food. Microwaves are also attracted to fat and sugar particles, and foods high in these will cook more quickly. Microwaves can only penetrate to a depth of
IMPORTANT NOTES
The dish used to cook or reheat the food will get warm during cooking, as the heat conducts from the food. Even in microwaving, oven gloves are required!
MICROWAVES CANNOT PASS THROUGH METAL AND THEREFORE METAL COOKING UTENSILS CAN NEVER BE USED IN A MICROWAVE, FOR COOKING ON MICROWAVE ONLY
Foods Not Suitable for Cooking by Microwave Only
Yorkshire Puddings, Souffles, Double Crust Pastry Pies.
Because these foods rely on dry external heat to cook correctly, do not attempt to cook by microwave.
Foods that require deep fat frying cannot be cooked either.
Boiled Eggs
Do not boil eggs in your microwave. Raw eggs boiled in their shells can explode and cause serious injury
STANDING TIME
When a microwave oven is switched off, the food will continue to cook by conduction – NOT BY MICROWAVE ENERGY. Hence STANDING TIME is very important in microwaving, particularly for dense foods i.e. meat, cakes and reheated meals. (Refer to page 9.)
8
