Utensils Used in the Microwave Oven!

Here is a list of utensils and items which are safe to be used in various modes of microwave cooking.

Mode	Can Use	Do Not Use
Microwave Round or oval dishes are better for this mode as the corners of the square dish absorb more microwave energy rays and hence food at the corners tends to get over cooked.	China Pottery (earthenware) Heatproof glass dishes like pyrex, borosil, etc. Paper and cloth napkins as covers. Plastic or cling wrap can be used as cover for short durations. Wooden skewers and toothpicks. Plastic or polythene cooking bags.	China or any other utensil with gold or silver lining. Very delicate glass dishes. Metal cake tins or any other material. Aluminium foil as covers. Metal skewers.
Convection In this mode there are no microwave rays or microwave energy. The oven becomes a conventional oven when put on this mode so all utensils which go in the regular oven work well in the microwave oven when set on the convection mode.	Metal cake tins or any other metal utensil. Heat proof glass dishes like pyrex or borosil Metal skewers Aluminium foil as covers	Delicate glass dishes which are not heatproof Wooden skewers Paper and cloth napkins or plastic wraps
Grill In this mode there are no microwaves so all heatproof utensils work well.	All as given for convection mode.	All as given for convection mode.
Combination (Micro + Oven) (Micro + Grill) Utensils must be microproof as well as heatproof for both the combination modes	Heat proof glass dishes like pyrex or borosil Use a glass microproof and heatproof glass plate as cover	Metal tins China Wooden and metal skewers Aluminium foil, paper or cloth napkins or plastic wrap
Combination (Grill + Oven) Utensils must be heatproof	All as given for convection mode.	All as given for convection mode.

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.