How to Microwave Food Safely

How to Microwave Food Safely By eHow Home & Garden Editor

Microwaving is a quick way to cook delicious food in a matter of minutes. Even though there is no flame involved, you should practice these safety measures while microwaving.

Instructions

Step 1:Place meat in the microwave immediately after defrosting. The longer that the meat sits out, the more likely it will have bacteria present.

Step 2:Use only microwave safe dishes. You should not use any dishes that will become damaged in the microwave or become too hot during heating. Most glass and ceramic items are safe to use.

Step 3:Heat the food evenly. To do this, rotate the food several times during cooking. Certain food items, such as baby formula should not be heated in the microwave since uneven heating can result in scalding.

Step 4:Test the food's temperature. Use a meat thermometer to ensure that food has been cooked thoroughly.

Step 5:Take out any bones in any meat that you microwave. Bones can prevent the meat from cooking properly.

Step 6:Poke holes in certain food items. Foods, such as hot dogs and potatoes, will explode in the microwave if you do not poke holes for ventilation.

Tips To Heat Up Food

Microwave comes in very handy in heating up cooked food or leftovers, because it is fast, clean and the food won't stick to the food container (saves you a lot of time in cleaning and washing).

I would like to share with you the amount of time that we need to heat up different types of food. It is faster and time saving if you put the food in a container and cover it (not air tight container, it might explode in the microwave oven as the steam build up from within!)

1. 30 seconds: bread, cakes
2. 1 minute: cooked rice, porridge, noodles, soup, coffee, tea
3. 2 minutes: canned food, meat, poultry, seafood
4. 2-4 minutes: frozen cakes / pizza (depends on your preferences)

I hope this serves you as a guideline in heating up food, especially if you are a new microwave oven user. It took me a while to figure out how much time for different types of food.

Tips And Suggestions Of Ingredients For The Making Of Perfect Steak Marinades

I would like to share with you an article about steak marinades. I would like to try it and share with you soon. Enjoy!

Cuisines from all over the world rely on a diversity of steak marinades to prepare meat for cooking. Wine, vinegar, lime juice or other acid ingredients are used to tenderize the texture of red meats: pork, veal, beef, lamb and venison. However, tenderizing is not the only great advantage of steak marinades, they also add up to the taste richness and make the dish twice more savory. Furthermore, given the fact that the alternative for marinade is either meat pounding or cooking it for hours on end until it gets soft enough to be stabbed with the fork, marinating remains the least time-consuming solution.

Regardless of which combination of ingredients you choose for the steak marinades, the important part is to leave the meat covered in the solution for at least six hours; the most advisable thing to do under the circumstances is to actually let it marinate over night. Here are some further tips and suggestions of ingredients for the making of perfect steak marinates; yet, mention must be made first that very often, creativity can help you improvise some wonderful recipes too, therefore, personal contribution should not be ignored either.

Let's start by saying that at the basis of all steak marinades lies an acid ingredient which prevails in the composition: the most commonly used are vinegar, wine and lime juice. When it comes to vinegar, the best suggestion is to use a balsamic type that has the most pleasant flavor of all; then, red wine always works best than white wine too. The former is indicated for red meats while the latter for poultry only. Steak marinades also rely on a little oil added to the composition, and there are free variations here too: vegetable oil would be the general solution, however olive oil or peanut oil are also valid options.

Spices are next on the list for cooking steak marinades, and here improvisation works at its best. There are certain ones that are an absolute must like pepper and chilly, but for some very special dishes variations include cinnamon powder, garlic powder, ginger and so on. Instead of garlic powder, it is often recommended to use fresh cloves, not only for the natural flavor, as for the fact that a lot from the powder form consists of additives and taste enhancers. Various steak marinades are also include soy sauce, mustard or Dijon sauce as well, but in small quantities no larger than two teaspoonfuls

About the author:Muna wa Wanjiru Has Been Researching and Reporting on Steak for Years. For More Information on Steak Marinades, Visit His Site at STEAK MARINADES
Article Source: http://www.free-articles-zone.com/author/10642

Nutritional Value Of These 7 Key Fruits By : Susan Banks

Fruits are important for our health. Today Susan Banks is sharing with us the nutritional value of 7 Key Fruits. Talking about fruits, I am going to grab an apple on my way out later. Enjoy your FRUITFUL day!

Fruit is a great way to start eating more nutrition and eating at least five to nine servings can make a big difference in the way you feel. Some fruits are more nutritionally valuable than others. We will discuss some of the most nutritious fruits and why they are so good for you.

A is for Apple

We have all heard the expression, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away". This might not be entirely true, but eating apples is a great way for you to get the fiber you need in your diet. They are delicious and readily available all year around. Apples also contain pectin and that aids in lowering the bad cholesterol. They are also known to contain flavenoids that are beneficial to fighting cancer. It is better to eat a fresh apple rather than drink apple juice. The reason behind this is that some of the nutrients and important minerals may be lost during the processing.

A is also for Apricots

Apricots are chock full of zinc, folic acid, vitamins A and K, calcium and protein. They are also very high in beta carotene, fiber and potassium. Apricots are often found on the top ten lists for fruits and you can purchase them fresh, canned or dried. Eating dried apricots will give you an excellent source of essential nutrients. If you are going to purchase dried apricots, it is good to read the label. You will want to avoid those dried apricots that are laden with chemicals and preservatives. The best place to purchase dried apricots or any other dried fruit is from a health food store or a natural market. You will find a large selection of tasty treats that contain no additives; just the valuable nutrients you need in order for your body to perform in peak condition.

An Avocado is a Fruit Too

Many people mistakenly think of avocados as a vegetable when in reality they are a fruit. An avocado is considered a "super fruit" and is loaded with zinc, riboflavin, thiamin and niacin to name just a few of the important nutrients that an avocado has. Avocados are great for growing kids. Those who are conscious of their weight may want to forgo avocados because of their high calorie content. They also have a high fat count, but it is the heart healthy monounsaturated fats such as the Omega 3 fatty acid, an important brain food. Avocados can be eaten fresh after they have been peeled, or can be made into guacamole by adding garlic, onions and tomatoes.

Start Monkeying Around

Bananas are high in potassium and can aid in those people who take such medications as diuretics which are known to deplete the potassium from your body. They are easily mashed for easy consumption for babies and toddlers and because you have to peel one before you eat it, they will not contain pesticides that many other fruits are vulnerable to. A banana is a handy snack for eating on the go and keeping a supply of them in your home will make snack time a snap.

Blueberries

For many years, blueberries have been thought of as a tasty summertime treat. We now know that blueberries can pack a lot of punch because of the anthocyanin, a cancer fighting antioxidant that can be found in the skin. They are a tasty addition to any health conscious person's diet and can make many other foods even tastier with their addition. You can add blueberries to a salad, cereal or ice cream or use them to make your fruit smoothie even more delicious. Adding blueberries to your diet whether fresh or frozen is a great nutritional step for you to take.

Cantaloupe Tonight, My Father is Using the Ladder

Cantaloupes are not only juicy and delicious; they are high in potassium, vitamin C and beta carotene. Melon that is fresh can be enjoyed in a variety of ways and is nutrition that is tasty as well as good for you. There are other varieties of melon, but cantaloupe is a melon that you can trust to give you the healthy nutrients you need.

Grapefruit

Eating grapefruit has long been a staple of dieters. It is a fruit that is high in fiber yet low in calories. The best grapefruit for you are the red or pink type. So if you have a choice, opt for these instead of the white variety. There is a lot of fiber packed into the strings that attach the grapefruit segments, so do yourself a favor and donĂ¢€™t use a spoon to scoop out the tasty flesh.
Author Resource:- Susan is a monthly contributing copywriter to Fuzing.com where you can discover hundreds of free trade leads for Apples Suppliers.
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As Easy As ABC

Today I am cooking a dish that is commonly called ABC soup locally, but I am cooking it a different way in microwave. Maybe you can give it a try too.


Ingredients:


200mg of red carrot
200mg of potatoes
2 pcs of shitake mushroom
A pinch of salt and white pepper for taste
40ml shitake mushroom broth
1 1/2 tbsp of cornflour


Method:
Cut red carrot and potatoes into cubes.
Cut shitake mushroom into small pieces.
Put the red carrot, potatoes and shitake mushroom into the claypot.
Pour 40ml of shitake broth into the claypot.
Add a pinch of salt and white pepper for taste.
Pop it into the microwave and cook it for 6 minutes.
Put the cornflour into a small bowl and mix it well with the balance of shitake mushroom broth (mixture)
Take the claypot out from the microwave after 6 minutes and add in the mixture.
Pop it back into the microwave for another 2 more minutes.

That's it. Now you can enjoy a great ABC dish within 8 minutes.