Did you ever wonder why you
can’t put food in your microwave
and forget about it until it’s done
like you do in conventional
baking? Why do you have to be
there to stir or rearrange food or
rotate the dish?
Here’s why. Microwave cook
ing is so fast and all microwave
ovens don’t cook the same in all
spots, so in order to cook the food
evenly, the food needs some help
from you.
Stirring a casserole halfway
through the short 10 to 15 minute
cooking time helps heat the entire
mixture and actually speeds total
cooking time. Rearranging and
turning oyer pieces of swiss steak
or chicken once during cooking
allows thicker parts to cook done
and prevents thinner parts from
overcooking and toughening.
When a food can’t be stirred or
rearranged for example with
lasagna or meatloaf—rotating the
dish helps insure that all sides will
be cooked the same amount.
Stirring, rearranging or rotating
are not difficult to do. And, once
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you get into the habit of doing
them, they become automatic.
Stir food from the outside edges
to the center - so the cooked edges
are moved to the center of dish.
Stirring speeds cooking of most
foods. But some foods also need
stirring to thicken properly. If not
stirred at the times called for in
recipe, puddings. Easy Cheese
Sauce (below) and other starch or
egg thickened foods, form a big
lump of starch in the dish bottom.
Rearrange foods so the most
cooked parts are repositioned in
dish or in microwave (usually
placing most-cooked parts to cen
ter). Individual foods like hambur
gers, Swiss steak, or pork chops
should be rearranged to avoid
overcooking and toughening.
Large amounts of whole or large
vegetables, like broccoli spears,
com-on-the-cob and baked pota
toes may be rearranged for even
cooking.
With some foods rearranging
isn’t possible; so before cooking,
food is arranged in a ring or
doughnut shape. Or, food is
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placed with the thickest parts to
the outside edges of dish (or to the
area in your microwave where
fastest cooking occurs). Individual
foods such as cupcakes, cus
tards or potatoes are arranged
in a circle with the center open.
Cakes, quick breads and meat
loaves are cooked in a ring-shaped
dish.
Along with rearranging, some
foods must be turned over halfway
through cooking. Large meats
like ham, roasts, whole chicken
and turkey— must be turned over;
otherwise the top edges become
hard and brown, while the bottom
remains undone. Turning over
also helps keep smaller meats, like
round steak and pork chops, from
overcooking and toughening. It
speeds cooking of large veget
ables, like whole squash and
baked potatoes.
Rotate the cooking dish, espe
cially if your microwave cooks
unevenly. This is necessary for
some delicate foods, micro
baking, and when food can’t be
stirred. About halfway through
cooking time, rotate the dish by
turning it so the side closest to
back of oven is closest to front of
oven.
Even though you have to be
around to stir, rearrange or rotate,
cooking time is so much faster and
convenient that you’re still ahead
when microwaving.
Take today’s recipe. Micro
wave Turkey and Broccoli Bake,
for example. If you make this
microwave version, you have to
stay close to the kitchen to rotate
the dish once during the 8 to 10
minutes of heating. But, in the
conventional oven, you’d need to
butter the baking dish to prevent
food from sticking to it. (And,
cleaning the dish would include
scrubbing off dry cooked-on
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food.) Baking time would be 30 to
40 minutes when you’d be free.
(Except for the last 10 minutes,
when you’d want to check to make
sure the top doesn’t bum.)
When you make Microwave
Turkey and Broccoli Bake you’ll
get to practice rotating the cook
ing dish once. You’ll see that both
sides will be evenly cooked
(bubbly or at the same tempera
ture) at the end if you’ve rotated
the dish. You won’t need to rear
range food during cooking, but
you’ll start by arranging broccoli
with the more tender, quick
cooking floweretlcs to the dish
center and the tougher, longer
cooking stems to the outside
edges. You’ll also be able to prac
tice stirring when making Easy
Cheese Sauce.
Microwave Turkey
and Broccoli Bake
Easy Cheese Sauce (below)
V* -1 pound broccoli or 1 package
(10 ounces) frozen
V* cup water
4 large cooked slices of turkey or
8 thin slices turkey breast lunc
heon meat
1 cup herbed croutons
Paprika
Trim fresh broccoli into 5-inch
long spears. Split any 1-inch or
thicker diameter stems. Arrange
broccoli in microwave-save
9-inch square or round dish, plac
ing flowcrette-cnds to dish center
(flowcrcttcs may overlap) and
thicker stem-ends to dish edges.
Add water; cover with plastic
wrap. Microwave (High) 4 to 6
minutes, rotating dish once, until
almost tender. Let stand, covered,
5 minutes. If using frozen brocco
li, prepare according to package
directions.
Meanwhile, prepare Easy
Cheese Sauce (below). Drain
cooked broccoli; arrange evenly in
cooking dish so flowcrclte-ends
are to dish center. Layer turkey
slices over broccoli. Pour sauce
over turkey. Sprinkle with crou
tons; then evenly with paprika.
Cover with waxed paper. Micro
wave (High) 3 to 5 minutes or
until sauce is bubbly around
edges, rotating dish once. Makes 4
servings.
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Bach serving: 309 calories, 25g
protein, 19gfat, 13g carbohydrate,
377 mg sodium, 81 mg cholesterol.
Easy Cheese Sauce
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup skim, 2 percent or whole
milk
% teaspoon salt (optional)
Dash pepper, preferably white
(optional)
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Melt butter in microwave-safe
1-quart measure by microwaving
(High) 30 to 45 seconds; stir in
flour. Microwave (High) 20 to 30
seconds or until mixture is bubbly.
Gradually stir in milk, mixing
until smooth; stir in salt and pap
per. (A wire wisk works well.)
Microwave (High) 3 to 4 minutes,
stirring after each 1 minute, until
boiling and thick. Stir in cheese
until cheese melts. Makes 1 cup.
Hint: Melting butter first, stir
ring in flour and then microwav
ing the two together for about 30
seconds is an important step that
cooks the flour and makes the dif
ference between a good-tasting
cheese sauce and a starchy-tasting
one. Gradually add milk, stirring
constantly to make a smooth
sauce.
Each serving - '/< cup, made
jyith 2% milk and butter; 207 calo
ries, 9g protein, 16g fat, 6g car
bohydrate, 303 mg sodium, 49mg
cholesterol.
For lower calories; Use skim
milk and low-fat natural cheese.
Questions for Joyce?
Do you have a question about
microwave cooking? Send it to
Microwave Minutes, c/o Extra
Newspaper Features, P.O. Box
6118, Rochester, MN 55903.
Please include a self-addressed,
stamped, business-size envelope.
Recipes in this column are
tested in 600- and 650-watt micro
wave ovens. With an oven of dif
ferent wattage output, timings
may need slight adjustment.
Joyce Battcher is an indepen
dent home economist microwave
specialist. She is author of
“Microwave Family Favorites"
and editoir of "A Batch of Ideas"
newsletter.
© 1989 Extra Newspaper
Features