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Posts Tagged ‘microwave ovens’

Microwave cooking is one of the most modern and convenience ways to cook.  However, knowing the right technique makes it easier, more fun and helps you master nearly every dish attempted. There are some basics you need to understand as you tackle basic microwave cooking recipes.

Microwave oven beginner cooks should select moist, not fat laden recipes. Choose recipes that have high moisture content and that are cooked by moisture such as steaming, boiling, braising, and blanching. Foods that require fat and oil for a change of flavor usually require more skill.

When browning foods like chicken and turkey in a large microwave oven you may find the following tips on browning useful.

• Fat absorbs heat and if you remove foil covering fatty portions of the meat, these will crisp and brown lightly or to whatever browning extent you desire.
• Baste with oil to give a better crisp to the meat. Oil increases the temperature of the meat surface which promotes crispiness.
• A microwave cooking tray such as a browning dish, preheated, will brown food beautifully if you press the food down, and turning it a couple of times so the surfaces make contact with the base of the dish.
• Soy sauce, the ever-present favor of Chinese recipes, is an excellent browning agent.

One little known technique used in commercial microwave kitchens requires you put in the sauce first, giving time for heat to be absorbed and allows the to release a delicious aroma and brown nicely at the same time. Smaller microwave ovens are best for family meals and when entertaining small groups, although this technique works just as well.  Whether cooking, defrosting or freezing, food should be arranged to take advantage of the principles of microwave cooking. Remember the following guidelines:

1. Microwave activity is greater at the edges, less at the center.  Pieces of food should be placed at the edge of any container. If they are equal size, thicker portions should be placed at the edge or at corners of square containers where they will cook more quickly than the thinner portions in the center. To cook large quantities of food evenly require stopping the cooking cycle halfway, and stirring so that food at edges exchange places with food in the center.
2. Food cooks quicker in hot spots as well.  So, place larger portions of meat in the hotter spots for quicker cooking.
3. A single layer of food cooks more evenly. So cook in single layers and do not overlap food if you can help it.
4. Raise large portions of meats on a rack for more even distribution of heat. When meat is heated, fat melts and falls to the bottom.  This area will absorb more heat thus making larger pieces of meat cook faster in a microwave.
5. Covering food when cooking in your microwave will prevent drying of some dishes. The most common cover is cling or plastic wrap. Since pressure builds up within a completely enclosed container, it is necessary to cover loosely, or leave a gap through which steam my escape.
6. Shielding food with foil to prevent overcooking and drying out is a common practice to use since the skin may brown quickly and the insides of the meat will still be frozen.  The foil helps prevent this in microwave cooking. Just ensure the foil does not touch the sides of the microwave oven.
7. Food that has a skin or membrane on the outside such as liver, tomato or fish, you should pierce or slit them so the steam that builds up under the skin can vent.

Keep these pointers in mind and before long you’ll be able to cook nearly any meal in your microwave, saving time and money, while creating dishes the taste like they were prepared in an oven. Microwave cooking can be fun when you understand just a few rules of thumb.