Food Characteristics and Your Microwave
Many people believe that their job is done once the food goes into the microwave and the timer is set. This is far from true. The following techniques are as important to your cooking as selecting quality ingredients from the market.
Density: Microwaves penetrate porous foods such as cakes or breads more easily than heavy foods such as roasts or casseroles. Dense foods must be cooked for a longer time, and often at a lower power setting to avoid uneven cooking.
Starting Temperatures: The initial temperature of food directly affects the length of time they must cook or heat. As in a conventional oven, frozen food takes longer to cook than does refrigerated food, while food at room temperature cooks most quickly.
Moisture Content: Because microwaves are attracted to moisture, cooking time will vary accord- ing to water content. Naturally moist foods such as vegetables, fish and poultry will cook quickly and evenly; drier foods such as rice or dried beans require added moisture for microwave cooking.
Size of Foods: Small,
Quantity of Foods: Microwave times relate directly to the amount of food being cooked. Smaller quanti- ties of food cook faster than large quantities. When doubling a recipe, increase time by about half and check for doneness. Add any additional time very cautiously.
Shape of Foods: Thin parts of uneven foods cook faster than thick parts. Chicken pieces, fish fillets and other foods which vary in thickness will take longer to cook in the thicker portions. To promote even cooking, arrange foods so that thicker por- tions are to the outside, where they will absorb more energy.
Bones and Fat Content in Meat: The bone and fat distribution affects how evenly meats cook in the microwave oven. Boneless cuts cook more evenly, since bones conduct heat to areas near them. Well- marbled meat cooks more evenly. Large areas of fat attract energy away from the meat, and slow cook- ing. To prevent uneven cooking, meats with bones or large fatty areas may require frequent turning during microwaving.
Techniques for Microwave Cooking
Every different food has unique characteristics. Here are some ideas and guidelines to help you achieve optimum results from your microwave oven.
Elevating: As in conventional cooking, foods such as roasts are elevated so they are not allowed to steam in their own juices. Turning foods is espe- cially important here because it allows for more even cooking. Shielding may also be needed to prevent overcooking in some smaller areas.
Stirring: As with other cooking methods, prevent uneven cooking by stirring and rearranging food while it is cooking. Since the food towards the out- side of a dish heats first, stir from the outside toward the center to promote even heat distribution.
Browning: Many microwave utensils are specially designed to allow browning of some foods. A spe- cial coating on the bottom of these dishes absorbs microwave energy to create temperatures high enough to brown food such as hamburgers, fried eggs, and grilled sandwiches. Use these utensils according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Shielding: Certain foods that attract excess micro- wave energy, such as wing tips and leg ends of poultry, and the corners of square baking pans, can be shielded to prevent overcooking. Shielding done with small pieces of foil will not hurt your oven as long as they do not touch each other or the sides of the oven.
Arranging and Spacing: Individual foods like pota- toes and muffins should be arranged in a circle at the outside edge of the oven cooking platform. This will guarantee that all the pieces cook evenly at the same rate. Foods which are uneven in thickness, such as chicken wings, should be arranged with the meatier portions to the outside. Delicate foods like asparagus tips should be placed toward the inside of the dish to receive less microwave energy. If possible, always leave spaces between individual pieces of food.
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