.+
Whenadaptingrecipesfor themicrowave,itisbest
to startwitha familiarrecipe.Knowinghowthe
food should
lookandtaste~U helpwh;n adapting
recipesformicrowaving.I?oodsthatrequire
browningorcrisp, drysurfaceswillcook
betterin regularovens.
QMoistfoods,such as vegetables,fruits,poultryand
seafood,microwavewell.
~Rich foods,such as bar cookies,moistcakesand
candies,are suitableformicrowavingbecauseof their
high fatand sugarcontent.
eReduceregularovencookingtimesby one-halfto
one-third.Checkfood afterminimumtime to avoid
overcooking.
*Small amountsofbutteror oil can be used for
flavoring,but are not neededto preventsticking.
~Seasoningsmay need to be reduced.Saltmeats and
vege~b]es after cooking.
Covering. In bothregularbakingand microwave
cooking,covershold in moisture,allowfor more even
heating and reducecookingtime.Inregularovens,
partialcoveringallowsexcesssteamto escape.Venting
plastic wrap or coveringwith wax paperservesthe same
purpose whenmicrowaving.
Venting. After coveringa dish with plasticwrap, you
vent the plasticwrap by turningbackone corner so
excess steamcan escope.
Arranging Food in
Oven.When bakingin regular
ovens, you positionf’oods,such as mke layers or
potatoes,so hot air can flow aroundthem. When
microwaving,you arrangefoods in a ring, so that
ullsides arc exposed to microwaveenergy.
Stirring.Inrange-topcooking,you stirfoodsup from
thebottomto heat themevenly.When microwaving,
you stircookedportionsfrom the outsideto the center.
Foodsthatrequireconstantstirringwillneed only
occasionalstirringwhen microwaving.
Turning Over. In range-topcooking,you turn over
foods,suchas hamburgers,soboth sidescan directly
contactthehotpan. When microwaving,turningis
oftenneededduringdefrostingor when cooking
certainfoods,such as frozen hamburgers.
Standing Time. When you cook withregularovens,
foodssuch asroasts or cakes are allo’;.ddto standto
finishcookingor to set. Standingtime is especially
importantin microwavecooking.Note that a
microwavedcake is notplaced on a coolingrack.
Shielding.In a regular oven, you shieldchicken
breastsor bakedfoods to preventover-browning.
When microwaving,you use smallstripsof foil to
shieldthinparts, such as the tips of wings and legs
on poultry,which would cook before largerparts.
Arcing. Sparkscaused by too much metal in the
microwaveoven or metal touchingthe side of the
ovenor foil that is not molded to food.
Prick Foods to Release Pressure. Steam buildsup
pressurein foods that are tightly coveredby a skin
Or rnernbrane. Prick foods, such as potatoes(as you
do before regular oven cooking),egg yolks and
chickenlivers, to prevent bursting.
Rotating.Occasionally,repositioninga dish in the oven
helpsfood cook more evenly,To rotate 1/2turn, turn the
dish untilthe side that was to the back of the oven is to
the front.To rotate 1/4turn, turn the dish until the side
that was to the back of the oven is to the side.
Piece Size. Small pieces cook faster than large ones.
Pieces that are similar in size and shape cook more
~vcnlj).~~itillarge pieces of food, reduce the power
setting for even cooking.
Shape of Wood.In both types of cooking, thin areas
cook faster than thick areas. This can be controlled in
microwaving by placing thick pieces near the outside
edge ~lndthin pieces in the center.
Wat+fing%’emperatww.Foods taken from the freezer
or refrigerator take longer to cook than foods at room
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