Information You Need To Know
areas of meat or poultry to prevent overcooking before
dense, thick areas are cooked thoroughly.
• Stir foods from outside to center of dish once or twice
during cooking, if possible.
• Turn foods over once during microwaving to speed
cooking of such foods as chicken and hamburgers.
Large items like roasts must be turned over at least
once.
• Rearrange foods such as meatballs halfway through
cooking both from top to bottom and from the center
of the dish to the outside.
ABOUT FOOD
FOOD
Eggs, sausages,
• Puncture egg yolks before cooking to prevent
nuts, seeds, fruits
"explosion".
& vegetables
• Pierce skins of potatoes, apples, squash, hot
dogs and sausages so that steam escapes.
Popcorn
• Use specially bagged popcorn for the
microwave oven.
• Listen while popping corn for the popping to
slow to 1 or 2 seconds or use special Popcorn
pad.
Baby food
• Transfer baby food to small dish and heat
carefully, stirring often. Check temperature
before serving.
• Put nipples on bottles after heating and shake
thoroughly. "Wrist" test before feeding.
General
• Cut baked goods with filling after heating to
release steam and avoid burns.
• Stir liquids briskly before, during and after
heating to avoid "eruption".
• Use deep bowl, when cooking liquids or cereals,
to prevent boilovers.
E
• Add standing time. Remove food from microwave
oven and stir, if possible. Cover for standing time which
allows the food to finish cooking without overcooking.
• Check for doneness. Look for signs indicating that
cooking temperatures have been reached.
Doneness signs include:
-
Food steams throughout, not just at edge.
-
Center bottom of dish is very hot to the touch.
-
Poultry thigh joints move easily.
-
Meat and poultry show no pinkness.
-
Fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
DO
8
DON'T
• Cook eggs in shells.
• Reheat whole eggs.
• Dry nuts or seeds in shells.
• Pop popcorn in regular brown bags or
glass bowls.
• Exceed maximum time on popcorn
package.
• Heat disposable bottles.
• Heat bottles with nipples on.
• Heat baby food in original jars.
• Heat or cook in closed glass jars or air
tight containers.
• Can in the microwave as harmful bacteria
may not be destroyed.
• Deep fat fry.
• Dry wood, gourds, herbs or wet papers.