October 10, 2000
How do you convert a recipe for conventional baking method to microwave procedure? When a recipe instruct for pre-heating of oven, how is it done in microwave unit?
Kenneth
Dear Kenneth,
Cooking in the microwave is different from cooking in your conventional oven. When you use your conventional oven heat is conducted from the external source to the surface of the food and it slowly penetrates to the food's interior. The air surrounding the food must be heated first before it can cook the food. Then the outer layer of food heats and cooks before the heat gradually penetrates to the center of the food by conduction.
In a microwave oven, no preheating of the oven is needed. The microwave energy actually penetrates the food, passing straight through the surrounding air, thus saving cooking time and electricity. The microwaves themselves are not hot, but are attracted and absorbed by water, fat and sugar in the food. The microwaves cause the water, sugar or fat molecules in the food to rotate rapidly (at the rate of 5 billion times per second). They bump into each other, causing friction, and it is this heat which actually cooks the food. A similar action happens when you rub your hands together.
As you can see, it is a totally different method of cooking. It is difficult to give you instructions on converting a recipe without knowing the recipe you want to convert. The easiest method would be to find a similar recipe already written for microwave cooking so you can get an idea of the cooking time and quantities of ingredients needed. Then replace the ingredients with those in your recipe. I hope this has answered your question.
(Note: Thank you to Mister Microwave's How a Microwave Oven Cooks. Much of this answer was paraphrased from information found at this web site.
Also, since this letter was written, we have created a page at the site with suggestions on Adapting Recipes from conventional cooking to microwave.)