How Foods Cook in Microwave Oven
You’ll increase your enjoyment of the counter top microwave oven if you understand how this appliance cooks the food and why it is so different from conventional method cooking.
Conventionally: In your gas or electric oven you cook with hot air. The hot air cooks the surface of the food and the heat gradually works its way to the center of the food. By the time the food is heated all the way through, it is also brown on the outside. The heat of the air is regulated by a thermostatic control.
By Microwave: By this new method of cooking, the food is cooked inside and out at the same time. For this reason, many quick-cooking foods do not brown – unless you use a browning unit.
The food cooks directly by means of electromagnetic energy similar to radio or light waves. The energy waves are called microwaves. These waves, travelling in straight lines, bounce off the walls of the oven cavity and are absorbed by the food. The microwaves causes the molecules in the food to vibrate and rub against one another. The rubbing or friction produces the heat simultaneously throughout the food.
You will notice that a standing time is sometime specified in a recipe. This standing time, which comes after cooking in the microwave oven allows for “carry-over” cooking. During this time, the heat spreads throughout the food, equalizing the temperature.
Some recipes also specify to stir mixtures, turn dishes, and/or rearrange foods during cooking. One reason for this is that there is an uneven distribution power in most microwave ovens. Another reason is that the waves lose power as they penetrate the food. When stirring is not possible, turning the dish is a solution.
While microwaves are absorbed by food, they are reflected by metal and pass through glass, paper china, pottery, and plastic. That’s why the container you use for micro-cooking makes such difference.
December 16 2007 01:20 pm | Micro-Cooking and Microwave Appliance
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