Basics of Microwave Cooking!

Before cooking food in microwave one must take care of the following things to make the cooking better and healthy.

Timing: Set the timings carefully, foods can become hard and leathery, if overcooked. It is always better to under-cook then to overcook in a microwave. The larger the volume of food there is, the more timing is needed to cook it. 4 potatoes cook in 6 minutes, whereas 8 potatoes cook in about 9 minutes. Therefore, if the quantity in a recipe is changed, an adjustment in time is necessary. When doubling a recipe, increase the cooking time 50% approximately and when cutting a recipe in half, reduce time by 40%.

Standing Time: Food continues to cook for sometime, even after its removed from the microwave. For example, the cake cooked in a microwave looks very moist and undone when removed from the oven after microwaving it for  specified time, but after it is left aside for 8-10 minutes, it turns perfect.

Covering: Coves are used to trap steam, prevent dehydration, speed cooking time and help food retain it's natural moisture. When covering with paper napkins, a good microwave cooking practice, be sure to use a double width, that will enable you to tuck the paper under the bottom of the cooking dish. Otherwise, it will tend to rise off the dish due to the air movement. A handy idea to keep in mind; a heat proof china plate is a good substitute for a lid. For shorter cooking time(within 6 minutes) cling films can also be used.

Stirring: If necessary, stir from the outside to centre because the outside area heats faster than the centre when microwaves are in use. Stirring blends the flavours and promotes even heating. Stir only as directed in the recipes, constant stirring is never required, frequent stirring is rare.

Arrangement: The microwaves always penetrate the outer portion of food first, so food should be arranged with the thicker areas near the edge of the dish and the thinner near the centre. Chicken/Mutton should be so placed that the meaty part is towards the outside. Food such as tomatoes, potatoes and corn should be arranged in a circle, rather than in rows.