This is a great article on microwave oven and tips in cooking with it. I find it really helpful and most importantly to cook healthy meal. Please share with your friends and loved ones too.
This is an article by Mark Thorne.
Next to the bottle opener and the toaster oven, the microwave is the closest thing to heavy machinery you get to operate in the kitchen. But once you're done reheating yesterday's coffee or nuking one of those instant frozen dinners, you're at a loss as to what to do when you step up to the mic. Well, fear not: You're about to make the transition from microwave tyro to seasoned pro.
Our guide to the kitchen's most versatile appliance presents a trio of microwaves ranging from mighty mite to tower of power. We've also consulted the grand dame of microwave cooking herself, Barbara Kafka, author of Microwave Gourmet, to provide you with tips on getting the most zip from your zap.
MULTITALENTED MICROWAVES
We know you like your electronics with ample bells and whistles, but at mealtime your microwave needs only the capacity to deliver 600 watts at full power. The three machines here offer up all the standard basic features, as well as a slew of other convenient functions such as the preprogrammed popcorn button (hold the salt and butter, naturally). They run the gamut in size, power and price. Kafka suggests buying one larger than you think you need, especially if you plan to do some serious cooking in it.
HOW TO COOK PROTEIN
Chicken: Cooks quickly and evenly in the microwave when covered. If you're cooking with the bone in, use liquid; if you're cooking a boneless piece, cover it with plastic wrap.
* Two boneless chicken breasts, about a half-pound of meat, covered tightly on a dinner plate, cook in 3 1/2 minutes.
* Two breasts with the bones in, steamed in a quarter-cup of broth on a round, eight-inch plate, cook in 5 1/2 minutes.
Fish: Heats up like a champ. When cooking with the skin on, cut the fillet across the width so it doesn't curl. Fold over thin tips to keep them from overcooking. When steaming on a tightly covered plate just large enough to hold the meat:
* A one-inch boneless steak, about six ounces, cooks in three minutes; together, two similar slabs cook in 4 1/2 minutes.
* A one-inch-thick fillet, six to eight ounces, cooks in three minutes.
* A 12-ounce whole fish, gutted and steamed in two tablespoons of liquid, cooks in two minutes.
Eggs: Temperamental. Never cook them in the shell unless you're fond of explosions. Yolks must be pricked once or twice with a sharp knife or they will burst as well--don't worry, they won't fall apart.
* A single egg in a 3 1/2-inch by 2-inch ramekin, covered lightly with a paper towel, cooks in one minute; two eggs in separate ramekins cook in a minute and 45 seconds.
Beef, Pork and Lamb: Your microwave won't do a good job of roasting, and it won't cook an edible steak, either. However, meat dishes such as meat loaf, chili, stew, and pasta sauce can be cooked successfully.
HOW TO MICROWAVE RIGHT EVERY TIME
You've probably cooked food in the microwave with mixed results, producing a tender and delectable chicken breast one time and something about as edible as a Yokohama tire the next. "The trick is to understand how different foods, spices and herbs respond to microwaves," says Kafka. "Even your cooking time depends on the protein, fat, sugar and liquid content in the meal." To get a grip on the basics of microwave cooking, follow Kafka's sage advice:
1. The key to evenly cooked, moist meat is to cover the container tightly with microwave-safe plastic wrap. (Kafka recommends plastic wraps made from polyvinyl chloride, such as Reynolds.)
2. The plastic wrap will balloon if properly sealed; this lengthens the cooking process. Puncture before unwrapping.
3. Because most meats have a high liquid content, covering them tightly during the cooking process creates a steaming effect.
4. Unlike stovetop cooking, which heats from the center out, microwaves heat from the outside in. So when preparing meat, always fan out your cuts around the dish like spokes on a wheel, with the thickest part of the meat on the outside.
5. Microwaves heat protein and fat quickly, greatly reducing cooking time.
6. Vegetables are best when cooked in the microwave, losing fewer of their vitamins and nutrients and less of their color.
7. Fold over the thin end of fillets to prevent overcooking; cover tips of thin strips of meats with aluminum foil for the same protection.
8. Aluminum foil is the only metal suitable for microwave use.
9. You don't need to add fat to keep food from sticking to dishes; food doesn't stick in the microwave.
10. The size of your dish will affect cooking times. Use dishes just large enough to hold your food.
11. Because all foods respond differently to microwaves, closely follow the recipe directions. Portions have been calibrated to cook together at the given times.
12. Big hunks of food aren't microwave-compatible because they cook unevenly, and hollow cavities should also be avoided because they take time to heat, thus throwing off cooking times.
13. Microwaves can't roast meat, and they won't make good souffles or edible bread. Stick to traditional methods for these items.
HOW TO COOK VEGETABLES, HERBS AND SPICES
Vegetables: Arrange slow-cooking vegetables near the outside of the plate and quick-cooking ones toward the inside. (For a list of slow- and fast-cooking vegetables, see page 553 in Kafka's Microwave Gourmet.)
* A half-pound of broccoli stalks in one tablespoon of water, covered tightly in a dish just large enough to hold them, cooks in four to six minutes.
* Six ounces of broccoli florets, covered tightly in a dish just large enough to hold them, cooks in two minutes. Arrange both stalks and florets in a single layer.
* A half-pound of tightly covered, fresh whole green beans cooks in 4 1/2 minutes.
Salt: Use sparingly. The minimal liquid requirements in most recipes means that when evaporation occurs, the salt flavor will intensify. Don't put salt on vegetables that are cooked without liquid; it will leech moisture from them.
Pepper: Generally, use a quarter of your normal amount of pepper, as microwaves really bring out its bite.
Garlic: Becomes soft and sweet and loses much of its bite after eight minutes of cooking. So for longer-cooking meals, use about twice the recommended amount. For stronger flavor, add the garlic during the last three minutes of cooking or after you remove the food from the oven.
Herbs: Use fewer herbs when they're dried; use more when they're fresh, or add them later in the cooking process to ensure the best flavor.
COOKING DISHES
You'll need a small selection of microwavable containers before you get started. Pyrex and Corningware make some of the best. Start here, then expand your collection as needed. You can also use dinner plates and glass measuring cups.
1. Corningware Creations 24-ounce au gratin dish
2. Corningware Creations 7-ounce ramekin
3. Pyrex 1.5-quart bowl with lid
4. Pyrex 2.5-quart baking dish
5. Corningware 23-ounce oval dish
6. Microwave Gourmet by Barbara Kafka
7. Corningware 22-ounce mug
8. Pyrex 9.5-inch pie dish
9. Corningware Creations 3-quart oblong dish
10. Corningware French White 4-quart dish
Men's Fitness, March, 2003 by Mark Thorpe
COPYRIGHT 2003 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group
Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts
Olive Oil, Your Health, Your Kitchen
This is a good article that I would love to share with you all. I am using olive oil for cooking too and it is great. You should try it.
OLIVE OIL, YOUR HEALTH, YOUR KITCHEN
Extra virgin olive oil has become such a symbol of healthy eating that it is hard to believe that it was once accused of increasing the harmful cholesterol. It was a fat, so it had to be bad for us. Fortunately, we left those times behind and now olive oil and most fats are much better understood.
The main reason olive oil is healthy is because it is rich in healthy monounsaturated fatty acids.About 75% of that monounsaturated fat is oleic acid, which is very stable even at high temperatures. Moreover, our body processes oleic acid easier than other fatty acids.
Secondly, organic extra virgin olive oil also contains high levels of antioxidants like phenols,and vitamins E and A, which fight free radicals and thus prevent premature aging. Those antioxidants help neutralize the oxidation process, which is common to alls fats, and preserve the properties of olive oil too.
So, the fact that olive oil is capable of resisting oxidation at higher temperatures much better than seed oils makes it the safest vegetable oil for frying.
Many in the non-Mediterranean industrialized countries feel uneasy when a Mediterranean recipe calls for frying in olive oil. Frying is an old cooking technique that is very popular in the Mediterranean cuisines. It is as much an integral part of the healthy traditional Mediterranean diet as consuming raw olive oil with bread and salads.
Some olive oil tips for the kitchen.
When heated up, olive oil expands in volume and food absorbs it less than other cooking oils. Therefore, you need a smaller quantity of olive oil.
If it didn't burn in your frying pan, you can reuse olive oil up to three times. Some say even five times, but I personally never use it more than twice.
Olive oil transmits flavors between foods, so never fry meat in olive oil you used to fry fish and vice versa. My grandmother always kept a jar for fish and one for meat next to the olive oil bottle. It is the best way not to get flavors mixed up.
Finally, olive oil looks thicker than other vegetable oils, but this is only appearance as, contrary to popular belief, it has no more calories than sunflower oil, for instance.
Olive oil for your health.
In the 13th century Arnau de Vilanova, doctor of the Catalan royal family, already realized that a moderate intake of olive oil enhanced the vital functions of the body. In the 20th century, the late American doctor, Ancel Keys MD, documented that the olive oil based Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.
We see that contemporary research has confirmed what the Mediterranean peoples knew and practiced intuitively all along.
Heart disease is the Achilles' heel of modern societies living at a frantic pace. Since Dr. Keys and his followers realized that we in the Mediterranean have a better cardiovascular health,the first medical studies on olive oil focused mainly on that area.
They proved that olive oil balances the cholesterol levels, can reduce the risk of a heart attack, can play a role in the prevention of arteriosclerosis, and fights high blood pressure.
Later, research was extended to other areas like digestion, cancer, and diabetes. The results have been very positive and olive oil usually comes through with flying colors.
One particular study concluded that with only two tablespoons of virgin olive oil every day you can begin to experience the health benefits that the Mediterranean peoples have enjoyed for so long. Incorporating it naturally into your eating practices is simple.
Integrating olive oil
The easiest way is to get into the habit of drizzling olive oil over slices of bread or toasts, consuming it as a dressing for sandwiches instead of butter, and adding it to salads with some salt.
Wherever you go in the Mediterranean, Morocco, Provence, Tunisia, Italy, Greece, Catalonia, Andalusia, or Majorca, you'll find people eating their own combination of bread and raw olive oil.
As a Catalan I eat pa amb tomaquet, literally bread with tomato, almost every day: as part of my breakfast, as a snack, or, I admit, when I am too lazy to cook dinner. It is the Catalan bruschetta, so to say, and you can prepare it in no time with slices of bread or toasts, both are fine.
Here is the most basic recipe for pa amb tomaquet.Cut a very ripe tomato crosswise, rub the bread with one half on both sides, drizzle olive oil liberally over the bread and sprinkle some salt.
You can eat it plain or add any topping and accompaniment you like: prosciutto-style or cooked ham, cheese, tuna fish, an omelet, anchovies, figs, olives. Even with a chocolate bar at tea or coffee time, it may sound weird, but it is delicious.
Other recipes with raw olive oil are authentic allioli, salads with olive oil dressing, cold sauces like romesco, and sopa de farigola or thyme soup. As the Catalan saying goes: Sopa sense oli no val un dimoni, literally, Soup without oil isn't worth a devil, meaning that a soup with no oil is junk.
Here is the recipe. In a soup pot, bring 2-quart (2 l) water to a boil together with 2 peeled garlic cloves and 2 sprigs thyme. Simmer for 10 minutes and drain. Place 1 or 2 slices of country-style bread on the bottom of each soup bowl, drizzle them liberally with extra virgin olive oil and ladle the soup over it. In the spring and summer this soup is also great with mint instead of thyme.
Recent studies have shown that the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet are not derived from olive oil alone, but from the Mediterranean diet as a whole. So, eat well and enjoy!
© 2007 Núria Roig, mediterranean-food-recipes.com
Author Info:
At Mediterranean Diet Aromas Núria Roig helps you explore delicious Mediterranean recipes, undiscovered Catalan cuisine, and the relaxed Mediterranean lifestyle from the inside.
Visit www.mediterranean-food-recipes.com/olive-oil.html to keep up to date on the fascinating world of the healthy Mediterranean diet and enjoy the visuals.
OLIVE OIL, YOUR HEALTH, YOUR KITCHEN
Extra virgin olive oil has become such a symbol of healthy eating that it is hard to believe that it was once accused of increasing the harmful cholesterol. It was a fat, so it had to be bad for us. Fortunately, we left those times behind and now olive oil and most fats are much better understood.
The main reason olive oil is healthy is because it is rich in healthy monounsaturated fatty acids.About 75% of that monounsaturated fat is oleic acid, which is very stable even at high temperatures. Moreover, our body processes oleic acid easier than other fatty acids.
Secondly, organic extra virgin olive oil also contains high levels of antioxidants like phenols,and vitamins E and A, which fight free radicals and thus prevent premature aging. Those antioxidants help neutralize the oxidation process, which is common to alls fats, and preserve the properties of olive oil too.
So, the fact that olive oil is capable of resisting oxidation at higher temperatures much better than seed oils makes it the safest vegetable oil for frying.
Many in the non-Mediterranean industrialized countries feel uneasy when a Mediterranean recipe calls for frying in olive oil. Frying is an old cooking technique that is very popular in the Mediterranean cuisines. It is as much an integral part of the healthy traditional Mediterranean diet as consuming raw olive oil with bread and salads.
Some olive oil tips for the kitchen.
When heated up, olive oil expands in volume and food absorbs it less than other cooking oils. Therefore, you need a smaller quantity of olive oil.
If it didn't burn in your frying pan, you can reuse olive oil up to three times. Some say even five times, but I personally never use it more than twice.
Olive oil transmits flavors between foods, so never fry meat in olive oil you used to fry fish and vice versa. My grandmother always kept a jar for fish and one for meat next to the olive oil bottle. It is the best way not to get flavors mixed up.
Finally, olive oil looks thicker than other vegetable oils, but this is only appearance as, contrary to popular belief, it has no more calories than sunflower oil, for instance.
Olive oil for your health.
In the 13th century Arnau de Vilanova, doctor of the Catalan royal family, already realized that a moderate intake of olive oil enhanced the vital functions of the body. In the 20th century, the late American doctor, Ancel Keys MD, documented that the olive oil based Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.
We see that contemporary research has confirmed what the Mediterranean peoples knew and practiced intuitively all along.
Heart disease is the Achilles' heel of modern societies living at a frantic pace. Since Dr. Keys and his followers realized that we in the Mediterranean have a better cardiovascular health,the first medical studies on olive oil focused mainly on that area.
They proved that olive oil balances the cholesterol levels, can reduce the risk of a heart attack, can play a role in the prevention of arteriosclerosis, and fights high blood pressure.
Later, research was extended to other areas like digestion, cancer, and diabetes. The results have been very positive and olive oil usually comes through with flying colors.
One particular study concluded that with only two tablespoons of virgin olive oil every day you can begin to experience the health benefits that the Mediterranean peoples have enjoyed for so long. Incorporating it naturally into your eating practices is simple.
Integrating olive oil
The easiest way is to get into the habit of drizzling olive oil over slices of bread or toasts, consuming it as a dressing for sandwiches instead of butter, and adding it to salads with some salt.
Wherever you go in the Mediterranean, Morocco, Provence, Tunisia, Italy, Greece, Catalonia, Andalusia, or Majorca, you'll find people eating their own combination of bread and raw olive oil.
As a Catalan I eat pa amb tomaquet, literally bread with tomato, almost every day: as part of my breakfast, as a snack, or, I admit, when I am too lazy to cook dinner. It is the Catalan bruschetta, so to say, and you can prepare it in no time with slices of bread or toasts, both are fine.
Here is the most basic recipe for pa amb tomaquet.Cut a very ripe tomato crosswise, rub the bread with one half on both sides, drizzle olive oil liberally over the bread and sprinkle some salt.
You can eat it plain or add any topping and accompaniment you like: prosciutto-style or cooked ham, cheese, tuna fish, an omelet, anchovies, figs, olives. Even with a chocolate bar at tea or coffee time, it may sound weird, but it is delicious.
Other recipes with raw olive oil are authentic allioli, salads with olive oil dressing, cold sauces like romesco, and sopa de farigola or thyme soup. As the Catalan saying goes: Sopa sense oli no val un dimoni, literally, Soup without oil isn't worth a devil, meaning that a soup with no oil is junk.
Here is the recipe. In a soup pot, bring 2-quart (2 l) water to a boil together with 2 peeled garlic cloves and 2 sprigs thyme. Simmer for 10 minutes and drain. Place 1 or 2 slices of country-style bread on the bottom of each soup bowl, drizzle them liberally with extra virgin olive oil and ladle the soup over it. In the spring and summer this soup is also great with mint instead of thyme.
Recent studies have shown that the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet are not derived from olive oil alone, but from the Mediterranean diet as a whole. So, eat well and enjoy!
© 2007 Núria Roig, mediterranean-food-recipes.com
Author Info:
At Mediterranean Diet Aromas Núria Roig helps you explore delicious Mediterranean recipes, undiscovered Catalan cuisine, and the relaxed Mediterranean lifestyle from the inside.
Visit www.mediterranean-food-recipes.com/olive-oil.html to keep up to date on the fascinating world of the healthy Mediterranean diet and enjoy the visuals.
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