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Here is a test you can use at home todetermine the approximate power of your homemicrowave.

Use a 4-cup glass measuring cup and fill it with 34 ounces (1 liter or

414cups) of cool water. Use a thermometer to measure the temperature of the water. Record the temperature of the water. Place the cup of water in the center of

the microwave oven. Heat the water at the highest setting for twominutes.

Stir the water with the thermometer andrecord the temperature.

Subtract the first temperature from thesecond temperature reading.

Multiply the difference by 19.5. The numberobtained is the approximate wattage ofthe oven.

Betty Greer, Associate ProfessorFood, Nutrition and Health

Amicrowave oven can be a real timesaver by reducing the amount oftime it takes to prepare a meal. Themicrowave oven cooks food faster

than a conventionaloven by using short,high-frequencyenergy waves

similar to TV, radarand radio waves.

These waves arecreated by amagnetron, a part ofyour microwave oven. These wavescause molecules inside the food to moverapidly and create heat. It is this heat thatcooks the food.

Magnetron tubes have different poweroutputs: 500-600 watts, 600-750 watts and

700-900 watts. Some commercial microwaveshave power outputs at greater than 1,000watts.

The power wattage will vary according tothe power load on the line at different timesand whether other appliances are pluggedinto the same circuit.

The recipes in the cookbook that came

with your microwave were written specifi-cally for the power wattage of your micro-wave. Other microwave recipes are gener-ally written for 600-700 power wattage.

The following are general tips for cooking in

the microwave:

Since microwaves enter the food to alimited depth, the food should be arranged sothe waves can strike it from all sides. If thereare a number of pieces to cook at once,arrange the pieces in a circle to create moreoutside pieces.Do not g roup pieces in a pile.Longer cooking time would be necessary andwould probably overcook the outer portions ofthe food.

Uniform sizes and shapes heat moreevenly. To compensate for irregular shapes,place thin pieces toward the center of the dishand thicker pieces toward the edge of the dish.

Bone and fat affect heating. Bonesmay cause irregular cooking. Large amounts offat absorb microwave energy, and meat next tothese areas may become overcooked.

YOUR MICROWAVE OVEN:

Ge ne ral Tips for Coo kin gin t he Microwave

a real time

saver

Agricultural Extension ServiceThe University of Tennessee

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Foods at room temperature take lesstime to cook than foods at refrigerator tem-perature or frozen foods.

Meats and poultry cooked for 10 to 15minutes brown from their own fat. Foodscooked for shorter periods can be browned

using Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce.Simply brush one of these sauces over the

meat or poultry before cooking.Baked goods do not need along cooking time and,therefore, do not brown.

When cakes or cupcakesare frosted, no one willnotice this visual differ-ence. For quick breads

or muffins, use brownsugar instead of granulated

sugar or, before baking, sprinkle the surfacewith dark spices or brown sugar.

Moisture evaporates during conven-tional or microwave cooking. A cover on thecontainer helps reduce moisture loss. Acasserole lid or plastic wrap can be used for atighter seal and will help retain the greatestamount of heat and moisture. These coversare sometimes used with vegetable dishes,when it is important to retain moisture. Wax

paper placed loosely over the food retainsmoisture, prevents splattering and heat loss,but allows excess moisture to escape.

Plastic wraps should not touch thefood and a small opening should be left atone corner to prevent steam from building up.

The skin or membranes on some foodswill cause steam to build up during microwavecooking and the food may burst. To preventthis from happening, pierce, score (notchescut into it) or peel off a small strip of skinbefore cooking to allow steam to escape.

Stirring is usually necessary duringmicrowave cooking. The words once,twice, frequently or occasionally de-scribe the amount of stirring necessary. Whenstirring, bring the cooked outside edgestoward the center and the less cooked centerportions toward the outside.

Some foods, such as large cuts ofmeat, cannot be stirredto redistribute heat.

To help insureeven cooking,these foods needto be turned orrearranged. Gener-ally, they are turned once, halfway throughcooking. To rearrange small items such aschicken pieces, shrimp, hamburger patties orpork chops, move pieces from the edge to thecenter and pieces from thecenter to the edgeof the dish.

Cooking time is given as a time range,such ascook 10 to 12 minutes. Always cookfood for the minimumcooking time given andcheck for doneness. If the food isundercooked, continue cooking. You can addtime to an undercooked product, but once thefood is overcooked, nothing can be done.

Most foods will continue to cook afterthe microwave oven is turned off. Whencooking meat, the internal temperature of themeat will raise 5 F to 15 F if allowed to

stand covered for 10 to 15 minutes. Casse-roles and vegetables need a shorter amountof standing time. However, standing time isnecessary to allow foods to complete cookingin the center without overcooking on theedges.

The same test for doneness used inconventional cooking may be used for micro-wave cooking.

Eggs Pierce egg yolk twice and egg whiteseveral times with a toothpick.

Whole clams and oysters Pierce severaltimes with a toothpick.

Whole potat oes and vegetables Piercewith a fork.

Whole apples and new pot atoes Peel off1-inch strip of skin before cooking.

Frankfurt ers and sausages Score smokedPolish sausage and frankfurters. Piercefresh sausage or brown-and-serve.

Tips for releasing st eam:

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Stew meats do not need to bebrowned before cooking. Omit any oil or fatthat would be used for browning. Cut stewmeat into 112-inch pieces. Cut carrots,potatoes and otherfirmvegetables into smallpieces. Reduce liquid by one-fourth. Coverwith a lid and cook at HIGH to bring liquid to

a boil, then cook at LOW until tender.Stir occasionally.

To further illustrate the versatility ofyour microwave oven, here are some tips tohelp you save more time. Since microwaveovens vary considerably from one to another,the times given below are approximate.

DO NOT LEAVE THE MICROWAVE OVENUNATTENDED.

To soften dried fruits,place fruit in asmall bowl and sprinkle with water. Cover withplastic wrap and heat at HIGH for 30 to 40seconds.

To melt but t er or chocolat e,place14pound butter or one square (1 ounce)

of chocolate in a dish. On MEDIUM-LOWsetting, heat butter for 1 to 2 minutes orchocolate for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir beforeadding more time.

To toast coconut, spread 13cupcoconut in a 9-inch pie plate. Cook at HIGHor 1 to 112minutes or until golden brown,stir twice.

To remove an oven odor,combine waterwith the juice and peel of one lemon in a

small bowl. Heat on HIGH for 5 minutes, wipeoven interior with damp cloth.

To dry herbs,place a few sprigs or 12cupleaves between paper towels. Heat on HIGHfor 1 to 112 minutes or until dry and crumbly.Check frequently. Timing may vary withdifferent herbs.

Select recipes that convert easily tomicrowave cooking, such as casseroles,stews, baked chicken, fish and vegetabledishes. Broiled meats, cooked souffles or two-

crust pies do not cook well in the microwave.Never att empt t o deep-fat fry in your micro-wave oven.

As a basic rule, when convertingconventional recipes to microwave recipes,cut the suggested cooking time by one-fourth.For example, if the conventional recipe callsfor 30-minutes cooking time, the microwavetime should be six to eight minutes. It ishelpful to find a similar microwave recipe andadapt the recommended time and power

setting to the conventional recipe you areadapting. The cookbook that came with yourmicrowave oven will be helpful.

Casseroles cook well in the micro-wave. Cut foods into uniformpieces. Condensedsoup makes agood base forcasseroles.Select a dish

that is largeenough to allowfor stirring. Stiroccasionally duringcooking. To keep crumb toppings crisp,sprinkle on just before standing time.

Season meats with herbs and spicesbefore cooking, salt after cooking.

Cakesare done when a toothpickcomes out clean (no batterstuck to it) and cake pulls awayfrom the side of the pan.

Meat is done when fork-tender or splits

at fibers.Chickenis done when juices are clear

yellow and drumstick moves freely.Fishis done when it flakes and is

opaque (cannot see through it).Microwave Shortcuts

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Tips for judging doneness:

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To dry lem on or orange peel ,place gratedpeel in a glass bowl. Heat at HIGH for 30 to60 seconds or until dry, stir once.

To soften hard ice cream,warm a halfgallon at LOW for 312to 5 minutes.

To heat liqueurs for flaming desserts,place 14cup liqueur in glass measure. Heatat HIGH for 15 to 25 seconds. Pour overdessert and ignite.

To roast nuts,place 112cups nuts in9-inch glass pie plate. Heat at HIGH for 3 to 4minutes, stir twice.

To toast sesame seeds,place 14cup ofsesame seeds in a small bowl. Cook at HIGHfor 212to 312minutes, stir twice.

To make croutons,cut enough dry breadto make 2 cups of bread cubes. Spreadcubes in a shallow dish. Cook at HIGH for 3 to4 minutes, stir occasionally.

To soft en brown sugar,place 1 cup hardbrown sugar in a dish with a slice of bread or awedge of an apple. Cover with plastic wrap.Heat at HIGH for 30 to 60 seconds.

To soften a 3-ounce package of cream

cheese or 14pound of butter,remove from

wrapper and place on a dish. Heat at LOW for30 to 60 seconds.

To warm a slice of fruit pie, place on adish and heat at MEDIUM-HIGH for 15 to 45seconds.

To short en barbecue cook ing t ime,par-tially cook chicken, ribs, etc. in the microwaveoven. Then season and finish cooking on abarbecue grill.

To cook c hick enpieces, the microwaveshould be set at HIGH especially when youneed chicken for salad, sandwiches or casse-roles. One pound of chicken should cook 7 to8 minutes.

To separate cold bacon,heat packages atHIGH for 15 to 30 seconds.

References:

Freeland-Graves, J .H. Foundations ofFood Preparation,6thEdition.Prentice-Hall. 1996

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.,Ltd. The Genius Panasonic MicrowaveOven Cookbook. 1984.

Keep your microwave oven clean. Wipe up spills

or splattered food after each use or they will be-come very hard to remove later. Keep the door andthe seals around it clean, so the door closes tightly.

After thawing food in the microwave, cook itimmediately or refrigerate it. DO NOT REFREEZE.Do not let it sit in the microwave more than a fewminutes after thawing, because bacteria will growand the food will become unsafe.

M ore microwave t ips:

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The Agricultural Extension Service offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, age, national origin, sex or disability

and is an Equal Opportunity Employer. COOPERATIVE EXTENSION WORK IN AGRICULTURE AND HOME ECONOMICS

The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and county governments cooperating in furtherance of

Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914. Agricultural Extension Service, Billy G. Hicks, Dean

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