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Elevating: Thick or dense foods are often elevated
so that microwaves can be absorbed by the
underside and center of the foods.
Piercing: Foods enclosed in a shell, skin, or
membrane are likely to burst in the oven unless they
are pierced prior to cooking. Such foods include both
yolks and whites of eggs, clams and oysters, and
many whole vegetables and fruits.
Testing if cooked: Because foods cook so quickly in
a microwave oven, it is necessary to test food
frequently. Some foods are left in the microwave until
completely cooked, but most foods, including meats
and poultry, are removed from the oven while still
slightly undercooked and allowed to finish cooking
during standing time. The internal temperature of
foods will rise between 5°F (3°C) and 15°F (8°C)
during standing time.
Standing time: Foods are often allowed to stand for
3 to 10 minutes after being removed from the
microwave oven. Usually the foods are covered
during standing time to retain heat unless they are
supposed to be dry in texture (some cakes and
biscuits, for example). Standing allows foods to finish
cooking and also helps flavors to blend and develop.
HOW FOOD CHARACTERISTICS
AFFECT MICROWAVE COOKING
Density of foods: Light, porous food like cakes and
breads cook more quickly than heavy, dense foods
such as roasts and casseroles. You must take care
when microwaving porous foods that the outer edges
do not become dry and brittle.
Height of foods: The upper portion of tall foods,
particularly roasts, will cook more quickly than the
lower portion. Therefore, it is wise to turn tall foods
during cooking, sometimes several times.
Moisture content of foods: Since the heat
generated from microwaves tends to evaporate
moisture, relatively dry foods such as roasts and
some vegetables should either be sprinkled with
water prior to cooking or covered to retain moisture.
Bone and fat content of foods: Bones conduct heat
and fat cooks more quickly than meat. Therefore,
care must be taken when cooking bony or fatty cuts
of meat that the meats do not cook unevenly and do
not become overcooked.
NOTE: It is a common misconception that micro-
waves cook food from the inside out. This comes
from heating filled pastries with a high sugar content,
like jelly doughnuts. The pastry is cool but the filling is
very hot! If you cook a chicken or a roast, you’ll see
the outside is cooked first.
Shape of foods: Microwaves penetrate only about 1
inch (2.5cm) into foods; the interior portion of thick
foods is cooked as the heat generated on the outside
travels inward. In other words, only the outer edge of
any food is actually cooked by microwave energy; the
rest is cooked by convection.
It follows then that the worst possible shape for a food
that is to be microwaved is a thick cube. The corners
will burn long before the center is even warm. Round,
thin, and ring shaped foods cook most successfully in
the microwave.
Quantity of foods: The number of microwaves in
your oven remains constant regardless of how much
food is being cooked. Therefore, the more food you
place in the oven, the longer the cooking time.
Remember to decrease cooking times by at least
one-third when halving a recipe.
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