Microwave Cookware Influences The Quality Of Your Food
Microwave ovens are omnipresent in today's kitchens and dorm rooms, representing the ultimate in convenience cooking. While ovens may provide somewhat more uniform heat, microwaves allow for very fast cooking to take place. Due to this rapid exchange of energy, it is important to select suitable microwave cookware. Thankfully, a large selection exists, with items created for both general and specialized purposes.
A microwave oven cooks food by using microwaves to stimulate the electrons inside it. This causes rapid vibrations which generate heat and cook the food from the inside out. A number of variables, including the food's moisture and fat content and its thickness and quantity affect the rate of cooking. Microwave cookware needs to be selected with these facts in mind. Cookware made from metals must not be used because microwaves cannot penetrate them appropriately and they generate too much heat and can cause a fire.
Some plastics do not do well in the microwave so cookware made with melamine is not acceptable because it can char. Disposable microwave cookware may be fine for just reheating but could melt with actual cooking. Some can even be dangerous to reuse, such as browning discs and sleeves meant for one time use.
When preparing food to be cooked in a microwave, cut the food to even sizes. The distribute the food evenly in the dish prior to cooking. For even cooking, choose shallow microwave cookware with straight sides. This is because is the sides of the dish slope, the food in the shallow parts will cook faster than the food in the deeper parts of the dish.
Special considerations for the microwave method include using tube shaped or ring pans for things like meatloaf or cakes that cannot be stirred. Other special cookware includes browning elements, since foods do not brown in a microwave as they do with thermal cooking. Most of these need to be preheated before adding the food.
Specialized microwave cookware is designed to expose as much of the food's surface area as possible. This makes cooking more even and uniform, and allows for shorter overall cooking times. Examples of such specialized items include bacon cookers and potato chip makers, some of which have browning capabilities and separate ridges for draining grease.
Concerns about possible toxins in heated plastic have led many people to choose ceramic and glass cookware for use in the microwave. Although ceramics and glass can be heavy and breakable and can even shatter at high temperatures, many feel that they are still preferable for microwave use because they don't release dangerous chemicals like plastics may do.
Most every kitchen and dorm room has a microwave oven. It is the best tool for convenience cooking. Choosing the proper microwave cookware is crucial for success in microwave use. Some materials do not perform as well in the microwave as others. Plastic cookware made with melamine has been known to char. If the sides are sloping, food in shallow parts may cook faster. Food should also be cut into pieces of uniform size and be evenly distributed to allow for even and fast cooking. To prevent dangerous build up of steam, covered dishes should have vents to allow for steam to be released.
- Robin Holland-Smith
