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12 Microwave cooking advice
Cooking techniques
Arrange Place the thickest parts of food towards the outside of the dish. E.g. Chicken drumsticks.
Cover Use vented microwave cling film or a suitable lid.
Pierce Foods with a shell, skin or membrane must be pierced in several places before cooking or
reheating as steam will build up and may cause food to explode, e.g. Potatoes, Fish, Chicken,
Sausages.
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Eggs
should not be heated using microwave power as they may explode, even
after cooking has ended, e.g. poached, hard boiled.
Stir, turn and For even cooking it is essential to stir, turn and rearrange food during cooking. Always stir and
rearrange rearrange from the outside towards the centre.
Stand Standing time is necessary after cooking to enable the heat to disperse equally throughout
the food.
Shield Some areas of food being defrosted may become warm. Warm areas can be shielded with
small pieces of foil, which reflect microwaves, e.g. legs and wings on a chicken.
Microwave cooking advice
Microwave cooking
To cook/defrost food in a microwave oven, the microwave energy must be able to
pass through the container to penetrate the food. Therefore it is important to
choose suitable cookware.
Round/oval dishes are preferable to square/oblong ones as the food in the corners
tends to overcook.
It is important to turn, rearrange or stir food to ensure even heating.
Standing time is necessary after cooking as it enables the heat to disperse equally
throughout the food.
Food characteristics
Composition Foods high in fat or sugar (e.g. Christmas pudding, mince pies) require less heating time. Care
should be taken as overheating can lead to fire.
Density Food density will affect the amount of cooking time needed. Light porous foods, such as
cakes or bread, cook more quickly than heavy, dense foods, such as roasts and casseroles.
Quantity The cooking time must be increased as the amount of food placed in the oven increases.
E.g. four potatoes will take longer to cook than two.
Size Small foods and small pieces cook faster than large ones, as microwaves can penetrate from
all sides to the centre. For even cooking make all the pieces the same size.
Shape Foods which are irregular in shape, such as chicken breasts or drumsticks, take longer to cook
in the thicker parts. Round shapes cook more evenly than square shapes when microwave
cooking.
Temperature The initial temperature of food affects the amount of cooking time needed. Chilled foods will
of food take longer to cook than food at room temperature. Cut into foods with fillings, e.g. jam
doughnuts, to release heat or steam.