User Manual
16 SolwaveOvens.com
Cooking Guidelines
The Solwave Microwave Oven can make your job easier. You’ll cook ahead and pre-portion more. You’ll also spend
less time preparing special-order dishes. To be sure of consistently good results, you’ll want to remember a few
simple guidelines.
Food Variables
Microwave cooking can be directly affected by different
food variables:
The shape of foods can greatly affect the amount of
cooking time. Foods that are flat and thin heat faster
than foods which are chunky. For example, a casserole
will cook faster in a flat dish, rather than if heaped in a
small dish. Foods cut into small pieces will cook faster
than large-shaped foods. Pieces should be of a uniform
size and shape for more uniform cooking, or the smaller
pieces will cook faster. The greatest amount of cooking
takes place within 3/4” (1.9 cm) of the food’s surface.
The interior of large food items, or dense foods, is
heated by the heat conducted from the outer food layer.
The most uniform cooking occurs in flat, doughnut
shaped foods. For best results, cook foods together
which have similar sizes and shapes.
The quantity or volume of a food can affect the
amount of cooking time. As the volume of the food is
increased, the time required to cook or heat the item
increases almost proportionately. If twice the amount
of food is placed in the oven, it will take almost twice
as long to cook. To determine the time for larger
quantities, multiply the individual serving time by the
increased amount, then reduce the total cooking time
by about 20%.
The density of foods can greatly affect the amount of
cooking time. Porous foods, such as breads, cakes or
pastries, will heat much more quickly than dense meats
of the same size. Porous foods absorb microwaves
quickly throughout. Meats absorb microwaves mostly
at the exterior surface, and the interior is heated by
conduction, increasing the cooking time. Meats can
be cooked in a sauce, if desired. Due to the moisture
content, a sauce will heat rapidly. The heat will transfer
to the meat, so the meat will heat faster due to heat by
conduction as well as by microwaves.
The starting temperature of foods affects the amount
of cooking time. Each temperature degree that the
food item is to raise must be supplied with a definite
amount of energy. Lower initial starting temperatures
require more energy and more time to cook. Therefore,
refrigerator temperature foods require a longer cooking
time than do room temperature foods. Foods already
slightly warm will heat very quickly in the oven.
The moisture content of foods affects the amount of
cooking time. The higher the moisture content is in a
food the longer the amount of cooking time.
The salt, fat, and sugar content of foods affects the
amount of cooking time. Foods containing high salt, fat,
and sugar levels heat very quickly and may reach much
higher temperatures than foods having low salt, fat, and
sugar levels. Foods having lower salt, fat, and sugar
levels require longer cooking times.
The arrangement of food within a microwave oven
cavity affects the way in which the food cooks. A
“round” arrangement is best. Use round utensils
whenever possible. Also, arrange foods such as baked
potatoes in a circle, rather than in rows, for cooking.
When only one food item is being cooked, place it in the
center of the oven glass shelf for cooking.
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