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You'll hear a lot of advice about cooking in the microwave, and some of it's even contradictory. If you're confused about microwave cooking, don't worry. Many other people aren't sure about this fast and easy food preparation method, either. Here are a few tips to help you cook in the microwave with success. First, be sure that you use the correct plastics. Plastics work well in the microwave, and do a lot in the kitchen. But there are different plastics, and not all are heat proof. Some will deform or melt when microwaved. Others can leach toxins and harmful substances into the food inside them. That's why it's important only to use plastics that are meant for microwave use. Don't reuse packaging like butter tubs in the microwave, and only heat packaged foods that have instructions for use in the microwave. If a food doesn't have these instructions, take it out of the packaging before heating. Food cooks best in the microwave if you use small pieces. Larger items should be cut into pieces of similar shape and size, and evenly spread in your cooking dish. You'll need to move or rotate some of the food while it's cooking. Thick areas should be near the outside walls of the container, since the outer part of foods cook faster in the microwave. Anything that has a shell, skin, or impermeable outside coating should be pierced before you cook it. This includes eggs and many vegetables. Failure to pierce foods means that steam can build up inside, causing an explosion. Remember to cook in a slightly larger container than would be used in a conventional oven, for even heating. A round or oval shaped container is better for microwave cooking than a rectangle or square. That's because corners can cause heat build up. When cooking from a microwave recipe, start by cooking for the time at the shorter end of the range given. You can always cook food longer, but overcooked food is ruined. Microwaves without a turntable must be stopped periodically so that you can rotate the food. Remember that dishes inside the microwave will be very hot, so use an oven mitt. If you cover a food in a conventional oven, use a lid in the microwave so that moisture will be retained and cooking will occur evenly. Leave all lids slightly open so that pressure won't build up inside the container, and lift lids carefully when you remove food. Turn the opening away from you when you do this to prevent yourself from being burned. If food needs to be salted, do this after cooking it. That's because salt can cause microwaved foods to dry out. When baking, you can soften solid sticks of butter by heating them for about half a minute on fifty percent power. Likewise, if you're heating sour cream, use a lower power to prevent it from curdling. Brown sugar that has hardened can be microwaved in a loosely covered container for about thirty seconds with a slice of apple or a piece of bread. This remoistens the sugar. Bread crumbs can be made by microwaving cubed bread until sale. Then, crush them in a sealed bag to make cleaning up easy. Frozen meat can be separated by defrosting for thirty seconds to a minute. Then, if you wish to cook it further, arrange it evenly in the dish. You can also drain hamburger fat by microwaving the meat in a plastic colander on top of a bowl or other dish. The fat runs into the dish and out of the meat.
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Robert Cooksey has developed a number of websites covering household and kitchen appliances including information about microwave ovens, and specifically relating to the Sharp Microwave Oven series. Visit the Uber Article Directory to get a totally unique version of this article for reprint.
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