The instructions on ready mals say to pierce the plastic film before microwaving and of course this prevents pressure building up to the point of explosion.
However my mum's visiting carers pierce the plastic film so very many times that it's very nearly like a sieve.
Pressurised steam can reach a higher temperature or something like that. Aren't these ready meals actually designed to benefit from some additional pressure which would mean fewer holes are actually better than many?
If there's any holes at all, the extra pressure will be close enough to zero to make no odds.
Fewer holes are certainly easier IMO, but it's not worth fussing about.
Lots of holes means the stuff can splash on the inside of the microwave. Do the carers clean it up?
I've experimented with a cottage pie. Makes no bloody difference whatsoever as long as you put the container in a dish and cover it with a lid with vents in it. Brian
It also depends on what the meal consists of. Generally, you don't want the pressure and an explosion in the microwave.
Read about pthalates before using this stuff. Just in case.
Some of the carers don't just stab gently but almost slash the film to ribbons. I'm sure you would get splashes although, mercifully, somebody somewere along the line must be cleaning it up.
Even if the plastic film swells under force from steam pressure it seems ok to me. Just two holes in the film seems to me enough to vent most of the pressure.
Won't do any harm. Some of the ready meals intended for the elderly use a microporous plastic film which doesn't need piercing at all - check the instructions. It makes it proof against forgetting to puncture it.
The first hole is enough provided something doesn't block it up. But if it gets overpessure and then depressurises the result is a big mess. A few holes is enough to let the steam out but more holes do no harm.
If you want to understand why it is important try making a poached egg in the microwave without puncturing the yolk. Be sure to clean up the resulting mess carefully after the yolk explodes.
Don't whatever you do try to hardboil an egg in the microwave that will potentially destroy the thing entirely when the egg shell fails and the superheated contents released explosively are seriously dangerous.
Proxy voodoo doll...
...unless you use s special microwave egg boiler...
The carer is called Freddie Krueger?
That's what SWMBO told me, and I followed her advice rigorously, until one time I forgot. Nothing exploded. So now I never bother. Small shallow glass dish, well greased, with small saucer on top, 3 minutes at 30% (100% is 900 watts). As near perfect as you'll get, poaching in a microwave, where the yolk always cooks faster than the white.
One poke, or do as I do and lift the corner.
A single fork-point hole would be enough.
One hole in the center of the plastic. This causes the hot air/steam from the edges to travel over the center of the entree where it needs more heat to thaw and cook. The outsides of those entrees always cook quicker, so it's best to direct more heat towards the center.
-sw
I have seen this done in a work common room. The person involved was warned not to do it by the several physicists present but (being a doctor) insisted that he knew best.
The egg did not explode until he had opened the door of the microwave oven. The mess was spectacular - mostly over his suit, but the opposite wall was also redecorated. He stormed off, leaving us to clean up the mess.
John
I agree, I tend to pierce frozen food more than chilled.
The ones I've seen aren't for the elderly, usualy it's food that needs steaming or uses steam when cooked in the microwave.
Poached eggs were one of the few things I did cook for myslef in the microwave. about 15-30 seconds at power, add celery salt then anoth 15 or so seconds at level 5 (about 50% on my 650W uW)
I did cover the container with a bit of kitchen towel just in case.
Even reheating tea and coffee can if not careful, I had a mince pie and a chicken leg catch fire. Other things not to try are grapes cut in half and the old style neon indicator bulbs.
They probably have had a bad messy experience that required a clean up, or find stabbing the defenceless packet, er, stress relief....
In that case, stand back and leave them some space. I'm sure the food will be OK.
Perhaps someone should standardise a packet size that slots into a specially designed microwave oven, that reads a bar code, automatically starts cooking, pauses for effect, repeats the heating, checks the temperature, releases the pressure, and announces (with cheery background music)...
'Your magnificent deluxe lasagne from Morrisons "I can't believe it's not really fresh!" range, is now cooked to what we think is absolute perfection. It's ready for your consumption. Why not enjoy it with one of our deluxe wines!
'Be careful, in accordance with our UKFood checked H&S policy, we have to advise you in some circumstances drinking alcohol might be dangerous for some persons, and that from the oven, the lasagne sauce will be hot and on initially scooping some of the product on a fork, you may wish to gently blow ...'
'Thank you for your purchase from Morrisons. Enjoy, and don't forget about our wine tip. We think it really enhances the experience!'
Most of the pressure??
Where does the rest of it go?
Fizzy cottage pie??
AB
Not forgetting building into the packaging an RFID chip that can also detect temperature.
Just think, there are deprived people out there who have to cook food with nothing more than a flame. :-)
There can't be much worse than ready-meal lasagna. It often turns out to be a boiling hot slithery mess of nondescript flavours.
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