OT: Microwave cooking

[tabbypurr]

yes, you can do several things if sufficiently careful about it.

NT

[tabbypurr]

Neither safety nor a few minutes have much to do with it.

NT

[Dave Plowman (News)]

You might be happy eating part cooked food. Others will take a different view.

Of course its about a few minutes. The extra time to cook things separately.

[John Rumm]

He possibly hopes we won't notice when he is blathering...

and as is often the case, when you attack the man and not the message it suggests the opposite!

[The Natural Philosopher]

You are welcome tpo run tests on my microwave.

Of course the WHOLE POINT of a microwave versus a conventional oven is that the microwaves DO penetrate

"Microwave ovens heat foods quickly and efficiently because excitation is fairly uniform in the outer 25?38 mm (1?1.5 inches) of a homogeneous, high water content food item; food is more evenly heated throughout than generally occurs in other cooking techniques. "

So wiki agrees that Harry B was talking twaddle.

I will await your apologies.

[Harry Bloomfield]

The Natural Philosopher used his keyboard to write :

Microwaves penetrate from the outside, just as a conventional oven would, the difference being that the the penetration of microwaves is much deeper. None the less the ability to heat becomes much less, the deeper they go into the food - which is why they use a powered turntable, to attempt to even out the cooking/heat.

Try boiling a cup of water in your microwave. You will find it boils first and much sooner, on the outer surfaces and the outer surface nearest the microwave horn.

Boiling milk in cup for a coffee in the microwave, I bring it to the boil, let it sit a few seconds and repeat - so as to ensure it is boiling throughout. I sometimes do a dish of rice pudding in the microwave, I use the heat, stir, then repeat method otherwise it can be cool in the middle. If it is something which cannot be stirred, then I heat, rest it, then heat it some more.

..and no, there is absolutely nothing wrong with our microwave, before you ask!

[tabbypurr]

No I'm not

NT

[alan_m]

You check them to see if they are hot and not rely of the guide times on the packet.

[Tim+]

Is the correct answer.

Tim

[Josh Nack]

Not really. The best approach is to double the time and check that its hot enough, just like you do with one.

[John Rumm]

You seem to be doing harry's trick of not reading what you are posting.

Try this bit:

"Heating characteristics Microwave ovens produce heat directly within the food, but despite the common misconception that microwaved food cooks from the inside out,

2.45 Ghz microwaves can only penetrate approximately 1 centimeter (0.39 in) into most foods. The inside portions of thicker foods are mainly heated by heat conducted from the outer 1 centimeter (0.39 in).[37][38] "

Perhaps you should read it more carefully.

I feel no need, either specifically in this case or more generally. You frequently insult people and resort to ad hominem attacks.

[Bill Wright]

What about ones that use an inverter?

Bill

[Bill Wright]

No, that's because of standing wave patterns in the oven.

Bill

[Bill Wright]

Inverter ones don't switch on and off.

Bill

[Bill Wright]

The instructions for ours advise the use of foil to direct the microwaves.

Bill

[tabbypurr]

that's unusual

NT

[tabbypurr]

of a homogeneous,

Rf intensity reduces exponentially as depth of food penetrated increases, a nd the amount of rf entering varies from one point on the food to another. So giving a fixed penetration depth figure is a bit iffy.

If you put a rectangular block of cake in (which won't flow) the biggest he ating occurs not on the outer edge but slightly further in, and the centre stays cold until the outside reaches boiling. Life's too short to explain m ore.

NT

[Fredxx]

Nothing unusual. I've seen an instruction booklet to include the wrapping of the thin end of drumsticks in foil.

American, I know, but this government document is often referenced by wikipedia and others:

"However, small pieces of aluminum foil can be used to ?shield? areas of foods, such as poultry drumsticks and wings, to prevent overcooking."

[Tim Lamb]

Don't put fancy crockery decorated with gold leaf anywhere in a microwave!

[John Rumm]

"Heating characteristics

They normally quote the depth at a particular roll off - often where the power density is reduced to 37% of the value at the surface... it obviously also varies with the nature of the "material" being heated, and also the temperature of the material. Quite often the penetration will get a bit deeper as the outer layers heat up.

There is a somewhat deeper analysis of dielectric heating shown here:

The centre will heat by conduction - that does not necessarily require the actively heated region to be "boiling" though.