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GETTING THE BEST RESULTS FROM YOUR
MICROWAVE OVEN
Keep an eye on things. The instructions in this book
have been formulated with great care, but your success
in preparing food depends, of course, on how much
attention you pay to the food as it cooks. Always watch your
food while it cooks. Your microwave oven is equipped with
a light that turns on automatically when the oven is in
operation so that you can see inside and check the
progress of your recipe. Directions given in recipes to
elevate, stir, and the like should be thought of as the
minimum steps recommended. If the food seems to be
cooking unevenly, simply make the necessary adjustments
you think appropriate to correct the problem.
Factors affecting cooking times. Many factors affect
cooking times. The temperature of ingredients used in a
recipe makes a big difference in cooking times. For
example, a cake made with ice-cold butter, milk, and eggs
will take considerably longer to bake than one made with
ingredients that are at room temperature. All of the recipes
in this book give a range of cooking times. In general, you
will find that the food remains under-cooked at the lower
end of the time range, and you may sometimes want to
cook your food beyond the maximum time given, according
to personal preference. The governing philosophy of this
book is that it is best for a recipe to be conservative in
giving cooking times. While undercooked food may always
be cooked a bit more, overcooked food is ruined for good.
Some of the recipes, particularly those for bread, cakes,
and custard, recommend that food be removed from the
oven when they are slightly undercooked. This is not a
mistake. When allowed to stand, usually covered, these
foods will continue to cook outside of the oven as the heat
trapped within the outer portions of the foods gradually
travels inward. If the foods are left in the oven until they are
cooked all the way through, the outer portions will become
overcooked or even burnt.
As you gain experience in using your microwave oven, you
will become increasingly skillful in estimating both cooking
and standing times for various foods.
SPECIAL TECHNIQUES IN MICROWAVE
COOKING
Browning: Meats and poultry that are cooked fifteen
minutes or longer will brown lightly in their own fat. Foods
that are cooked for a shorter period of time may be brushed
with a browning sauce to achieve an appetizing color. The
most commonly used browning sauces are Worcestershire
sauce, soy sauce, and barbecue sauce. Since relatively
small amounts of browning sauces are added to foods, the
original flavor of recipes is not altered.
Covering: A cover traps heat and steam and causes food
to cook more quickly. You may either use a lid or
microwave cling-film with a corner folded back to prevent
splitting.
Covering with waxed paper: Waxed paper effectively
prevents spattering and helps food retain some heat. Since
it makes a looser cover than a lid or cling-film, it allows the
food to dry out slightly.
Wrapping in waxed paper or paper towel: Sandwiches
and many other foods containing prebaked bread should be
wrapped prior to microwaving to prevent drying out.
Arranging and spacing: Individual foods such as baked
potatoes, small cakes, and hors d’oeuvres will heat more
evenly if placed in the oven and equal distance apart,
preferably in a circular pattern. Never stack foods on top of
one another.
Stirring: Stirring is one of the most important of all
microwaving techniques. In conventional cooking, foods are
stirred for the purpose of blending. Microwaved foods,
however, are stirred in order to spread and redistribute
heat. Always stir from the outside towards the center as the
outside food heats first.
Turning over: Large, tall foods such as roasts and whole
chickens should be turned so that the top and bottom will
cook evenly. It is also a good idea to turn cut-up chicken
and chops.
Placing thicker portions near the edge: Since
microwaves are attracted to the outside portion of foods, it
makes sense to place thicker portions of meat, poultry and
fish to the outer edge of the baking dish. This way, thicker
portions will receive the most microwave energy and the
foods will cook evenly.
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.
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