Choosing the Right Utensils for Microwave Cooking

When cooking in a microwave oven, choosing the right utensils is very essential. This will ensure that the food is cooked properly and the microwave oven is not damaged,

Tip #1

First of all, do NOT use metal utensils such as steel, brass etc. for cooking food in Microwave Mode of microwave oven.

Why metal utensils are not used in microwave oven?

Metal utensils, when used in microwave mode, reflect back the microwave radiations coming from the magnetron. This heats the magnetron too much and cause serious damage to the microwave oven.

What will happen if I use metal utensils for microwave cooking?

Metal utensils slow down or stop cooking completely making the whole process inefficient. Even dishes with a metal trim, gold or silver lines should not be used in a microwave since they can cause sparking and result in food not being cooked or heated properly.

Tip #2

It is always recommended to use dishes made of glass like Pyrex or Borosil for reheating and cooking food in a microwave oven. Other glass dishes marked Microwave Safe can also be used.

Are round/oval dishes better than square dishes when used for microwave cooking?

Yes. It is advisable to use round or oval dishes rather than square dishes since food in the corners of square dishes tend to get overcooked. Therefore it is sometimes recommended to cover the corners of a square dish with paper or foil to prevent the food from getting overcooked at the corners.

Tip #3

Paper plates and boxes without any aluminium lining can be safely used for reheating food in a microwave oven.

How long can I reheat food on a paper plate/box in a microwave oven?

Not more than two minutes. After two minutes, the paper plate or box might catch fire and cause an accident/hazard.

Tip #4

Ceramic crockery without any gold or silver lines can also be used safely in a microwave oven.

What is a Microwave Oven?

Microwave Oven a.k.a. simply Microwave is a kitchen appliance that lets you heat and cook food by exposing it to microwave radiation. Some people are skeptic about using microwaves since there is a lot of mystery in the minds of common people regarding microwave energy but actually it is no different than any other energy used for cooking. Microwaves are converted to heat the moment they are absorbed by the food.

Microwave ovens heat foods quickly and efficiently because excitation is fairly uniform in the outer 1-1.5 inches of a homogeneous, high water content food item. Water molecules absorb microwaves fairly well, sugar and fat are better while salt beats all of these when it comes to absorbing microwaves. Due to this variation in rate of absorbing microwaves among different food items, the cooking time of each item may vary significantly with respect to other items. Hence, it is strongly recommended to follow the cooking time and other instructions mentioned in microwave recipes as they have been tested by experts on a microwave oven.