Cooking and Reheating Tips

Microwave ovens play an important role in our busy lives. Unfortunately, they can sometimes cook food unevenly, leaving cold spots where harmful bacteria can survive.

Special care must be taken when cooking or reheating foods in microwaves to ensure the foods are prepared safely. Below are some tips for preventing foodborne illness when using your microwave.

Microwave Cooking Tips

• Cover foods with a lid (vented) or a microwave-safe plastic wrap to hold in moisture and provide safe, even heating.
• After reheating foods in the microwave oven, allow for standing time. Then, use a clean food thermometer to check that food has reached 165°F.

If your microwave does not come with a carousel, be sure to rotate the food. Also, stir the food occasionally during the cooking process, which will eliminate cold spots and improve heat distribution. To retain surface moisture, cover food with a lid or plastic wrap. Make sure you always loosen or vent the lid or wrap to allow steam to escape. (The moist heat will help destroy harmful bacteria and ensure uniform cooking).

• Stir or rotate food midway through the microwaving time to eliminate cold spots where harmful bacteria can survive and to ensure even cooking.
• Allow food to stand covered in the microwave for an additional two minutes to stabilize the temperature.
• Do not cook large cuts of meat on high power (100 percent). Large cuts of meat should be cooked on medium power (50 percent) for longer periods. This allows heat to reach the center without overcooking outer areas.
• Do not partially cook food in the microwave then save it for later. Food that has been partially cooked in a microwave should be transferred to another heat source, such as a barbecue grill or a conventional oven immediately.
• Use your food thermometer to make sure foods are cooked to safe temperatures.
• When defrosting in the microwave, make sure to remove food from the original packaging.

(Note: Many of the foam or plastic trays and wraps are not heat stable and may melt at the high temperatures produced by microwaves.)

Microwave Reheating Tips

• Cover foods with a lid (vented) or a microwave-safe plastic wrap to hold in moisture and provide safe, even heating.
• After reheating foods in the microwave oven, allow for standing time. Then, use a clean food thermometer to check that food has reached 165°F.