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fl Ontario Dunc-n M Allen Denim Mimllni Ministry of Agriculture and Food Hon |. an a c Hun unlann unnum- HOME ECONOMICS BRIEFS Jan Waldon, Food Specialist Home Economics Branch. MEMO ON THE MICROWAVE There‘s more to microwaving than pushing buttons. Along with adapting to its speed and convenience, users need to consider new techniques, different timings and less traditional equipment. To get the most from your mi- crowave investment, food and nutrition specialists with OMAF recommend taking the time to master the new cook- ing methods. The microwave oven uses beams of energy similar to radio waves, They penetrate the food causing water molecules present to vibrate. The resulting friction quickly raises the temperature and cooks the food. In a conventional oven, you save energy by cooking two or more foods at one time, In contrast, the more food you put into a microwave oven, the longer it takes. The number of energy waves available at one time is limited; a single food will absorb them all. With two items, the same number of waves must be shared so it takes longer. Metal utensils should never be used in a microwave. They interfere with the cooking process and may cause “arcing”. a shower of sparks that could damage the ap- pliance. Even the bit of metal in some decorative borders on china may cause problems. Use heatâ€"resistant glass. ceramics, glass-ceramics (freezer-to-oven ware) and designedfor-microwave plastics. Ordinary plastics proba- bly won‘t melt but they could transfer chemicals to the fond during cooking. For short oven times, paper plates, wax paper, and paper towelling can be used. Pierce all foods which have a skin or membrane, i.e. egg yolks, sausages. potatoes, squash, and wieners. to prevent bursting as steam develops during microwaving. Foods should be turned, stirred. or rotated during the cooking process to promote even cooking. PROTECTING THE QUALITY OF MILK Often we ignore the three C's of milk care â€" cold, cit and covered. Keeping it cold is frequently the biggest problem. Milt often left in a warm car for hours after shopping, Someti; the big container is left out at room temperature all thro‘ the meal, or while we‘re cooking. Pour out only as mucl is needed and put the rest back in the fridge. Check the refrigerator to make certain it‘s the prt‘ temperature, 4°C or 40°F. If it warms up to even 45°F 1']! will spoil more quickly. The point on keeping milk clean, speaks for itself. why covered? Milk easily picks up flavors of other foods. Keepir: covered prevents this. Another ‘C‘ not mentioned is code dating. This Sit times is called, a durable life date. code date. or best be date, it means the manufacturer guarantees it will retan flavor and high quality until that date IF it is unopened kept cold. That is the best situation. However. in most L. it will be opened before the date shown. so revert to ll C's of milk care. The question might be asked if it is good after the before date? it could continue at its peak for some lint the quality might slowly diminish. If it's not too far be): the time and the milk has been stored properly. it is fectly safe. Do try to use it up quickly though. Have you ever wondered why all dairy products, so. butter and most cheeses don’t carry a code? It is require law only on items that have a shelflife of less than 90 t That would include all forms of cream, fluid milk. C(‘l cheese and yogurt. Look for the “best before date“ and this information to get the tops in quality from nature‘s ' nearly perfect food. DON‘T CONVERT JUST COOK METRICALLY Metric cooking is difficult, right? Wrong! lt's surprisingly easy. You don‘t have to convert recipes; you shouldn’t even try. Just arm yourself with a few metric measures and go ahead. The measurements are slightly different, but the method is exactly the same. Don‘t discard old. treasured recipes or your familiar measuring cups and tablespoons, say food and nutrition specialists with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food. Keep your favorites and just add the metrics. You’ll need three kinds Of measuring utensils. Metric spoons come in a set of l, 2, 5, 15, and 25 millilitres (mL), The dry measures are 50. 125. and 250m]... if your old glass measuring cups are marked with millilitres as well as fluid ounces you already have the metric liquid measure. The 10 over-all cost of metric utensils is about five dollars, IHSI those with the Metric Commission Canada's stylized m leaf and "M" symbol, It is your assurance of acrt equtpment. An oven temperature replacement chart will tell you glance what the degrees Celsius would be in Fahrenit ‘ These charts are available free from many sources. int 3* ing Metric Commission Canada, Box 4000. Ottawa- If you are confronted with metric weights in a Em -“ store, remember 500 grams is a bit more than a pound a. i J kilogram is 2.2 pounds. Mastering metric cooking is very easy. Don't if? 1“ convert or substitute. Keep your old utensils and recli‘“ Just get the right metric equipment and keep on cooking