THE
MICRO
VM \
lAN I
BLOOMER
Copyright 1984 Lani Bloomer
One night a man in my beginning
microwave class told me that
standing time was needed to let the
“microwaves get out of the food so
it would be safe to eat”! This is
quite wrong but shows the con
fusion about standing time in
microwave cooking. The answers
below to the most common
questions about standing time
should help clear up some of the
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confusion.
What is standing time and why
do I have to allow for It?
Standing time means letting the
food rest for some time before it is
cut up or served. It is needed
because microwaves cook from
from the outside in to the center.
(This is contrary to a popular myth
that food cooks from the inside out
in a microwave!) The outside
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edges cook first and very rapidly.
Standing time allows the middle of
the food to “catch up” with the
edges.
While food stands, heat from the
edges is conducted in to the middle
to finish cooking the center of the
food. In large dense food like
roasts or turkeys, the microwave
never reach the center of the food.
The center cooks slowly by heat
conduction, just as in your range.
In a microwave, the edges cook so
quickly, that you have to allow a
little extra time for the heat to be
conducted in to the center.
How long do I have to let
my food stand?
The amount of standing time a
food needs depends on its size and
density. The larger or denser the
food, the longer heat takes to be
conducted to the center. Some
average standing times are shown
in the accompanying chart.
Standing time is most important
when you cook food on high power,
because the edges are cooked more
quickly than the center. But even
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at lower cooking speeds, standing
time is still called for to let the
temperatures even out in food, and
for flavors to develop fully.
Why does my food get hard when
it stands?
Food that is dry or hard, or that
has hard spots on it is overcooked.
Food cooked properly in the
microwave is juicy and moist. The
most important thing to un
derstand about standing time is
that food continues to cook while it
stands. For this reason, some
cookbooks call standing time
“carry-over cooking.” If you cook
your food in the microwave until it
is “done” by conventional cooking
standards, the food will be over
cooked by the time you sit down to
eat it.
You need to revise your
“doneness” tests for microwave
cooking, to allow for this extra
countertop cooking. A cake cooked
in the mircowave has cooked
enough when it has risen all over,
but still has a damp looking spot
about 2” in diameter in the center.
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This wet, shiny spot will finish
cooking and dry up during stan
ding time. A roast, even if you have
cooked it to a well done tem
perature, may still have red juices
coming out of the meat at the start
of standing time. If you cook the
roast longer before letting it stand,
you will have dried out, tough
meat.
How can I tell when my food
Is done?
Cook foods for the shortest time
given and let it stand. Theh check
your food to see if it is done after
the standing time. This is par
ticularly important with big items
like roasts or turkeys. Microwave
cooking times and probe tem
peratures take into account the
cooking that goes on during
standing time. Temperatures
inside a roast, for instance, will
increase 1 or 2 degrees a minute
for up to 15 minures while the roast
stands and finishes cooking.
If your food is not done when you
check it after the standing time,
you can cook it longer then. If you
cook it for more than 5 minutes
more, let it stand another few
minutes. With a little experience,
you can soon tell when your food is
done. If you’re not sure, remember
that you can always cook
something another minute or two
after the standing time, but you
can’t uncook it!
Where should my food stand, and
won’t it get cold during standing
time?
During standing time your food
can remain in the microwave if it’s
turned off. Or, if you need to cook
additional food, let the cooked food
stand on your counter covered with
a lid, foil or a towel to keep warm.
(But don’t cover cakes.) Wrap
baked potatoes in a small terry
towel to keep them piping hot. The
towel lets the steam escape so the
potatoes aren’t soggy. Many
people are “nervous” about letting
cooked food sit around on their
pounters. Just remember, food is
still cooking during standing time,
and won’t cool down if it’s covered.
If food stands longer than
necessary, while you cook
something else for instance, and
does cool down too much, reheat it
briefly before serving.
When you have several foods to
cook for a meal, cook the food with
the longest standing time first
Usually this food has the longest
cooking time as well. Cook the food
that cools down fastest, or has the
shortest standing time last. This
way, all the foods are ready to
serve at the same time, even
though they came out of the
microwave at different times.
If you are getting dry or hard
food from your microwave, it has
been overcooked. Cook it less, and
let it stand!
FOOD TYPES STANDING TIME
Turkeys, big roasts,
hams
Casseroles, smaller roasts,
whole chickens,
cakes, pies
Vegetables, baked potatoes,
chicken pieces,
bar cookies I
Scrambled eggs, muffins,
hamburgers,
fish fillets
15 minutes
10 minutes
5 minutes
1-2 minutes