Microwave Techniques for Even Cooking
Microwaves penetrate foods only to a limited distance, and some ovens tend to cook rather unevenly. For these reasons, you’ll get better results with many recipes if you devote some extra attention to techniques for even cooking.
Begin by checking your oven’s heating pattern. Cut a piece of smooth brown paper the size of the oven floor; wet the paper, place it in the oven, and microwave on HIGH (100%) for 1 minute. Note where the paper is still damp; in these areas, food will take longer to cook.
To compensate for any tendency toward uneven cooking, be sure to arrange foods properly in the cooking dish, and to stir or rearrange the food or rotate the dish periodically during microwaving.
- Arranging foods correctly is necessary for even microwaving. For example, when cooking chicken legs, always position them with the thickest part (the thighs) toward the outside of the dish, where foods cook more quickly. And when microwaving chopped vegetables or other small pieces of food, spread them out in an even layer before you start to cook—and again after stirring.
- Rearranging foods partway through cooking may be necessary, too. Foods of even thickness, such as fish steaks, can simply be turned around to bring the uncooked parts to the outside. If the thickness varies (as for pork ribs, for instance), you’ll need to move the pieces around more—bring those at the center of the dish to the edges, and vice versa.
- Stirring is especially important for sauces, but it’s also vital when you’re “sautéing” foods. When microwaving mushrooms or onions, for example, you should stir them every few minutes to bring the cooked pieces to the center of the dish and push the uncooked ones to the outside.
- Rotating a dish or casserole ensures that foods microwave equally on all sides; it also helps even out the effects of your oven’s hot spots. Most recipes will tell you to give the dish a half-turn; that is,rotate it so the portion closest to the back of the oven ends up nearest the front. (If your oven has a carousel, rotating may not be necessary.)
