Safely Cooking Food in a Microwave
Cooking a lot of things in the microwave oven is very basic. For
example, heating leftovers, popping popcorn, baking a potato, heating up
a beverage, etc. But just like cooking in any other environment there
are some foods that require some precautions to make sure they are
cooked properly and thoroughly.
If you are cooking processed foods like a can of chili or soup, it’s
usually just a matter of heating it up. However, if you are cooking
frozen processed foods it could be a different story. In fact, you may
have noticed that in the microwave instructions for many frozen foods
now it tells you not only how long to cook the food, but to what
temperature the food should be. This is to help you avoid getting any
kind of illness from eating foods that are not thoroughly cooked.
Some modern and fancy microwave ovens come with a probe that you can use
while you are cooking. This really helps. If you don’t have one of
those, you will need to check the food before serving. This will require
that you have your own food thermometer and check the food as
instructed. Just be sure to take the thermometer out of the food before
placing it back in the microwave for additional heating.
Microwaving Fresh Fish, Poultry and Meat
Another thing you need to be cautious with is poultry, beef, fish and
any other kinds of fresh meat and seafood. If you don’t get these cooked
thoroughly you could end up with food poisoning such as salmonellae.
This can range from very uncomfortable to deadly.
If you are cooking these foods by themselves in the microwave, you would
do well to get a cooking back, especially one designed for the
microwave. This will help to ensure more thorough cooking and usually
faster cooking.
If you are making a casserole or some other dish that includes chicken,
fish or beef you will definitely want to get a food thermometer so you
can check the dish during cooking. This will help you to not overcook it
and keep from undercooking it.
Here are some United States Department of Agriculture recommended safe
internal temperatures for meats and such:
- Ground beef: 160 F / 70 C
- Roasts and steaks: 145 F / 65 C
- Poultry: 165 C / 75 C
- Egg dishes: 160 F / 70 C
- Fish: 145 F / 65 C
Remember, those are recommended safe internal temperatures. It
doesn’t mean you can’t go higher for a well done steak, etc. Some charts
actually recommend lower for rare steaks and roasts. Just use your own
good sense and judgment, but this author doesn’t recommend you cook
steaks in the microwave oven anyway. A steak deserves better than that
<grin>.
One last thought: As always, don’t cross contaminate foods (like on a
chopping block), always wash with soap and warm water before touching
anything else after handling raw meats, and always put your leftovers
into the refrigerator as soon as you are done eating.
Learning to use your microwave oven safely and cooking foods thoroughly
in it will give you some great and enjoyable meals that will make you
want to go back and try your next microwave recipe right away.
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