1. Microwave Cooking Techniques
Chapter 9.4

2. Advantages Warms up leftovers Defrosts meat
Softens brown sugar if used immediately
Plumps raisins
Freshens snacks and chips

3. The microwave oven has been around since 1945
Nearly 6 Feet Tall, Weighing 750 Pounds
$5000 each

4. The Microwave
Cooks food fast with less fat and liquid than conventional methods
Read owners manual understand how to use your microwaves different setting

5. Microwave power levels
Some microwaves identify power levels with percentages
Others use a description like high, medium, and low.
Microwave Power Levels
Description
% of Power
High
100
Med-High 70
Medium 50
Med-Low 30
Low 10

6. How Microwaves Cook Cook by making food molecules vibrate
Can penetrate food 1 ½ inches in depth
Cooks some foods better than other especially foods can be cooked in moist heat

7. How Food Composition Affects Microwave cooking
Foods high in water cook faster than foods low in water
Foods with fat, sugar, & salt also attract microwaves (be careful for hot spots)

8. Other Cooking Factors
Food Density: The more dense the longer it takes to cook
Shape and Size: small pieces cook faster than large ones
Starting temp. of food
Amount of food: the more you have the longer it will take to cook

9. Microwave Cookware
Microwaves are reflected by metal but pass through glass, plastic, and paper.
Use oven proof glass
Microwave safe plastic
Microwave safe paper towels
(avoid recycled paper because they may contain fragments of metal and chemicals)

10. Unacceptable dishes for the microwave:
Metal and Foil because they cause arcing ( electrical sparks)
dishes with gold or silver on it

11. Food Placement Best arrangement is a ring shape
If possible leave spaces between food
Put the thickest and toughest foods along the outside of the plate
Example: Place the tops of broccoli spears toward the center and the stalks toward the outside

12. Covering Food Shortens cooking time Keeps in moisture and steam
Can use paper towels, waxed paper, glass and plastic covers

13. Stirring, Rotating, & Turning
Microwaves aren’t always distributed evenly
Be sure to stir, rotate, and turns foods ½ way through cook time unless otherwise directed

14. 2 part cooking
First part is when the microwave is on and the waves are being produced.
Second part is the standing time in which the heat inside the food continues cooking the food.

15. Accident Prevention
Don’t turn on the microwave unless there is food in it.
Follow a foods microwave directions
Loosen tight lids on containers
Do not put magnets on microwave

16. The END