Microwave cooking is the modern
technique of cooking. It is a safe and an easy way of cooking various
foods in a short span of time. Special cookwares are designed for use in
microwave. These are called microwave cookwares. They
are made of materials that allow transmission of microwaves through it
and also the food. The cookwares should not have any
metal trimmings or decorations.
Testing of a Microwave Cookware
If one is not sure of the cookwares to be used in microwave cooking,
one should undergo a test for testing whether a dish or container is
microwave safe.
- Fill a cup with water.
- Place it next to the dish or container in the microwave.
- Start the microwave on high power and run for a minute.
- Check the container, if it is hot it is not microwave safe.
Microwave Cookware Material
They are made of several materials
- Ceramic : Ceramic or earthenware
dishes are safely used. Unglazed ceramic cookwares are widely
used.
- Glass : Heat resistant glass cookwares should
be used because non resistant glass cannot withstand high and uneven
heat of the microwave.
- China Clay : Dishes without metal trimmings can
be used.
- Plastic : Plastic are transparent to microwave
and are ideal for microwave cooking.
- Melamine dishes : Melamine dishes can be used
at times but are usually limited to one or two minutes of cooking
time.
- Aluminum : Aluminum cookwares are not suited
for microwave cooking but aluminum foil can be used for shielding.
- Wood and Natural Materials : Wood and natural
materials like straw are limited to their use in microwave.
Style and Size of Microwave Cookwares
The best style of microwave cookware to use is a dish that has shallow
sides and is round or oval in shape. Round dishes are preferable to
square ones. The cooking in a round dish is more uniform, unlike square
where the food cooks first in corners then centre. The size of the
cookware should be big enough to avoid the food from spilling over.
The covering dish should not be very tight so that steam can easily
escape. Ideal covering dishes used in a microwave has a hole in the
center.
There are several microwave cookwares that are used in every kitchen
today for easy and convenient cooking of a complete range of foods. Few
of the microwave cookwares include baking dish, heating dish, bacon
rack, frying pan, saucepan, potato rack, food steamer and food
container.
Cookware > Microwave Cookware
