THE
MICRO
WAY \Jf
m
BLOOMER
BASIC MICROWAVE
TECHNIQUES
When you learn to cook in a
microwave, you don’t have to learn
to cook all over again! But
microwave cooking is different.
Understanding these few basic
microwave techniques will give
you good, tender food instead of
unevenly cooked, dried or burned
food.
Let’s start at the beginning.
When microwaves enter food, they
cause the food molecules (tiny
particles) to vibrate. As the
molecules vibrate millions of times
each second, friction causes heat
to build up quickly. This heat from
the friction cooks the food. Rub
your hands together and you can
feel the heat friction produces. In
an oversimplified sense, your food
rubs itself cooked in a microwave
oven!
Since microwaves heat food
from the outside in to the center, a
“problem” in microwave cooking
is this; How to get the middle of
Her quality control
Nature assures quality in a well-kept bird, but what
assurance do you have of quality in the system that
cares for her?
Be sure the equipment and service you get in your
poultry, swine, or grain handling system is top-quality.
Anything less can sift away your profit in nothing flat!
If it’s worth-your investment. . .
it’s worth the quality you get from Hershey!
I 1
I YES! I want to know more about |
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i or grain handling system on the j
| market at an affordable price
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food cooked without burning the
edges. The microwave cooking
techniques that differ from range
cooking are based on solving this
problem..
These basic microwave cooking
techniques are discussed in
greater detail in microwave
cookbooks if you need more in
formation.
1. To get even cooking in your
oven stir your food during the
cooking time. This distributes the
heat from the edges in to the center
of the food. Stirring once or twice
during the cooking or reheating
time is usually all that’s needed.
Don’t stir too much!
2. When you are cooking food on
high power that you can’t stir,
arrange it in a doughnut shape
whenever possible. If there’s no
food in the middle, it can’t be cold
when the edges are cooked! For
example, put a meatloaf in a ring
mold instead of a loaf pan. If you
don’t have a ring mold, use a
casserole dish with a custard cup
Designers of Quality Systems for Poultry, Swine, and Grain Handling
ZIP
or glass in the middle.
When freezing ground meat like
hamburger, make a doughnut
shaped patty with a hole in the
middle so it defrosts evenly. (How
many times have you defrosted
hamburger and ended up with a
lump of frozen meat in the middle
surrounded by patches of cooked
brown meat? A doughnut shape
stops this!) Arrange separate
foods like potatoes or cookies in a
ring for even baking.
3. Larger food pieces like
chicken parts can’t be stirred, so
these are rearranged during the
cooking time. Rearranging means
taking the pieces from the comers
or edges and putting them
in the center; then moving the
center or least done pieces to the
comers and the edges. If you have
unevenly shaped food pieces, put
the biggest ones around the edges
of a container, so you won’t have to
arrange them.
There are two techniques to
prevent drying out the edges of
food like cakes or lasagna, where
you can’t stir, rearrange or use a
doughnut shape.
4. The first (and best) is use a
lower power. Instead of cooking
these foods on high, turn your oven
down to medium (50 percent
power, which is listed as 50 or 5 on
most oven brands). Turning the
power down slows the rate at
which the microwaves heat the
edges of your food. This gives heat
time to be conducted into the
center evenly, but it takes longer to
cook the food.
5. If you can’t turn the power
down, shield the edges of food with
Hershey Equipment Company promises consistently
top-notch brand name equipment, reliable service, and
professional systems design so you can relax and profit
from your investment. Don’t sacrifice quality for a
lower price tag. If it’s worth your investment, trust it
to Hershey ... that’s the best assurance of quality con
trol the industry offers!
Rte. 30 West
at the
Centerville Exit
foil to keep them from burning on
high power. Put small strips of
aluminum foil on the edges of
roasts, over turkey drumsticks,
and on the comers of a cake or
lasagna pan. This keeps some of
the microwave energy from
penetrating in these Small areas.
Foil, even though it is metal, can
be used in most ovens if you follow
these rules:
- Keep foil one inch or more
away from the walls and oven
door.
- Don’t let metal touch other
metal, such as foil on an oven rack
or a TV dinner tray.
- When using foil for shielding,
check the oven for arching
(sparks) when you turn the power
on. If you see any arching, stop the
oven and remove the source so the
oven is not damaged.
, - Medium density or size food
(vegetables, baked potatoes,
chicken pieces, bar cookies, etc.)
need 5 minutes standing time to get
fully tender.
- Larger or denser food
(casseroles, small roasts, whole
poultry, cakes, pies, etc.) need
about 10 minutes to stand.
- Very large meats (turkeys,
big roasts, etc.) need about 15
minutes standing time.
Remember, hard or dry food has
been overcooked. Food that is
properly cooked in a microwave is
juicy, moist and tender. Enjoy the
cool microwave way of cooking on
the hot days to come!
Copyright 1986 Lam Bloomer
Maryland To Hold Ethnic Festival
6. Thick foods like roasts and
turkeys should be turned over
during the cooking time. Turning
them over ensures even cooking of
both the top and the bottom.
7. One last technique that is
different from range cooking is
allowing standing time for the
foods to finish cooking. All foods,
especially those cooked on high
power, will cook a little more after
they are removed from the
microwave.
Standing time is time you let the
WESTMINSTER, Md.
The Carrol] County
Farm Museum in
Westminster, Maryland
is built
Is yours?
chmaiu J§
IPMENT
I N C.
SYCAMORE INDUSTRIAL PARK
255 PLANE TREE DRIVE
LANCASTER, PA. 17603
(717) 393-5807
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 28,1986-813
food stand somewhere to allow for
this extra cooking. (Cover your
food and just let it sit somewhere
- you don’t have to “stand” the
bacon on edge!) It is the biggest
difference between microwave and
range cooking. Not allowing for
this extra cooking causes many
beginners to overcook their food.
The amount of standing time
microwaved food needs isn’t
magic. The time is determined by
the size and density of the food.
Clip this for easy reference!
- Small, less dense food (eggs,
breads, hot dogs, fish fillets) need
only 2 to 3 minutes of standing
time.
in
will be hosting it’s 3rd
Annual Heritage/Ethnic
Festival on July 20 from
10 a.m. until 8 p.m.
Sponsored by the
Carroll County Times,
the day will feature
Hungarian, Italian,
Ukrainian and Native
American dancers, as
well as musicians
playing Irish, Scottish,
Canadian and German
music. The Carribean
Steel Band with their
stilt dancer will also be
performing.
Many countries will
be represented by sales
of a variety of foods
from around the world.
Cultural exhibits will
showcase the handiwork
and life styles of the
Ukraine, the Philip
pines, Lithuania,
Scotland and many
other nations.
Admission is $2. For
those six to 18 and 60 and
over, the charge is $1.50.
Children under six are
admitted free.
AT LAST!!
A Truly Dependable
WORK WATCH!
Rugged metal case,
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numeral dial with sweep
second hand and
calendar
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SHOCK RESISTANT!
And, best ol all
rrSIORUS QUARTZ!
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i V > ■%
#526.95
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JEWELERS
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