Microwave cooking tips
Amount of food
l The more food you want to prepare, the longer it takes. A rule of thumb is that a double amount of food requires almost double the time. If one potato takes four minutes to cook, you need about seven minutes to cook two potatoes.
Starting temperature of food
l The lower the temperature of the food being put into the microwave oven, the longer it takes to cook. Food at room temperature will be reheated more quickly than food at refrigerator temperature.
Composition of food
lFood with a lot of fat and sugar will be heated faster than food containing a lot of water. Fat and sugar will also reach a higher temperature than water in the cooking process.
l The more dense the food, the longer it takes to heat. “Verydense” food like meat takes longer to reheat than lighter, more porous food like sponge cakes.
Size and shape
l Smaller pieces of food will cook faster than larger pieces and
l With unevenly shaped foods, the thinner parts will cook faster than the thicker areas. Place the thinner parts of chicken wings and legs in the center of the dish.
Stirring, turning foods
l Stirring and turning foods distributes heat quickly to the center of the dish and avoids overcooking at the outer edges of the food.
Covering food
Cover food to:
l Reduce splattering
l Shorten cooking times l Retain food moisture
All coverings that allow microwaves to pass through are suitable.
Releasing pressure in foods
l Several foods (for example: baked potatoes, sausages, egg yolks, and some fruits) are tightly covered by a skin or membrane. This can cause the food to burst from steam building up in them during cooking. To relieve the pressure and to prevent bursting, prick these foods with a fork, cocktail pick or toothpick.
Using standing time
l Always allow food to stand for a while after cooking. Standing time after defrost- ing, cooking, or reheating always improves the result since the temperature will then be evenly distributed throughout the food.
l When cooking in a microwave oven,
food continues to cook even when the microwave energy is turned off. Food is no longer cooked by microwaves, but it is still being cooked by the high heat left over from the microwave oven.
l The length of the standing time depends on the volume and density of the food. Sometimes it can be as short as the time it takes you to remove the food from the oven and take it to the serving table. However, with larger, denser food, the standing time may be as long as 10 minutes. During standing time, the internal food temperature will rise as much as 46°F as the food finishes cooking.
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