Ruchi's Kitchen

1. How can I use my Microwave oven to make Delicious Meals in minutes?

Here are a few tips, to use your microwave effectively :

1. Use heat resistant glass, ceramic, china or thick plastic containers to cook in .
2. Cut the food into equal sized pieces to ensure that it cooks quickly and evenly.
3. Covering the food, holds in the steam to keep the food moist, distributes the heat evenly and causes less splatters. Use close fitting lids or microwaveable plastic film.
4. Some foods such as cakes, and food with a crumb coating are cooked uncovered to promote a dry surface.
5. Stirring curries, rice and vegetables during cooking is most effective in distributing heat.
6. Whole vegetables like potatoes should be pierced before microwaving, as the heat generated during cooking creates pressure in the potato causing it to explode in the oven.
7. If the recipe has Standing Time, be patient. It is important for complete cooking.
8. Cook only one dish at a time, you will get better results and the flavors of each dish will be different.
9. Always use oven mitts while removing food from the microwave.

2. Why did I get Blue sparks in my microwave?

If your oven starts sparking the first thing you do is to switch it off at once to avoid damage.

Secondly the reason which caused this is,You must have placed an utensil made of metal inside your oven, which caused sparking or arcing (blue sparks). In this case the micro waves cannot pass through the metal and reflects them back out into the cavity, causing sparking.

It will in turn distort the pattern of the microwaves, and so affect the oven's performance. In extreme cases, it may even destroy the magnetron.

3. How to arrange food in the Microwave?

A microwave oven heats the center of a dish more slowly than the edge, so you must place food carefully for even cooking. If food is unevenly shaped, arrange it so that more delicate parts are in the center, and denser, thicker parts near the edge. Arrange foods of an unequal size in a circle around the edge, spacing them out evenly so those microwaves can reach all sides.

Pierce food
Steam can build up considerably during microwaving, so you should pierce any foods that have a tightly fitting skin or membrane to prevent them bursting while they are cooking. Pierce the skin of whole vegetables and fruit with a fork, or with the tip of a sharp knife. Use a cocktail stick to pierce the membrane that covers egg yolks, chicken livers, or oysters. Do not pierce whole fish, but slash it across the thickest part on both sides.

Shield food
To prevent delicate or thin areas of food such as the bony ends of joint of meat, or the heads and tails of large fish from overcooking, shield them with small, smooth strips of aluminum foil for part of the cooking time. The amount of food left uncovered must be greater than that shielded by the foil. Secure the strips well. Wooden cocktail sticks make effective ties. If any foil becomes loose, switch of the power and remove the loose piece.

4. What are the benefits of using a Microwave ?

Once you have become familiar with the various cooking techniques, you will find that microwave cooking has many advantages:
A microwave is quick and convenient to use. It can cook most foods in a fraction of the time they would take using conventional stoves or ovens.
Microwave cooking is healthy. Because foods cook more quickly than in a conventional oven, the nutrients and vitamins they contain are better pre-served. Shorter cooking times mean that there is less risk of food drying up or losing its moisture and appearance