Timings for Micro-Cooking
Several variables affect the cooking times of foods prepared in a microwave oven. For instance, house voltage may be high or low. Other variables can be grouped into two major categories, then oven itself and the food to be cooked in the appliance.
Ovens: Brands of ovens vary by model and by manufacturer. They also produce different amounts of cooking power. Therefore, the timings given in recipes are approximate to allow for various models (See tip box for information regarding recipe timings.)
Food: Micro-cooking times also depend on the characteristics of the food to be cooked. Some of these characteristics are:
1. Beginning temperature-foods just out of the refrigerator take longer to heat than room temperature foods.
2. Size and shape- small foods cook faster than large items. Regular-shaped foods heats foods heat more evenly than irregularly shaped foods. Thin foods cook more quickly than thicker foods.
3. Density-porous foods micro-cook faster than more compact and solid food items.
4. Quantity-the more food being cooked at one time, the longer the food will take to cook. Remember this when you’re thinking about doubling a recipe. It’s better to cook in smaller batches and repeat the cooking procedure rather than to cook a large quantity at once. Or, if available, use the browning unit of the microwave oven or the special microwave browning dish.
December 18 2007 05:34 am | Micro-Cooking and Microwave Appliance
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
