Lower-Calorie Sausages in Less Time

Breakfast sausage may not be something you’d consider microwaving, but, in fact, it’s a natural. And it emerges from the microwave with fewer calories than sausages browned in a skillet on top of the stove because most of the fatty drippings cook out.

Here are a few points to bear in mind if your microwaved sausages are to be properly brown and juicy:

--Always make sure that fresh (raw) pork sausages are fully cooked before you serve them. This means that no pink is visible in the center of the sausages. If they aren’t done after the minimum recommended cooking time, microwave in one-minute increments thereafter, testing often. The best way to determine doneness is simply to cut a sausage in half.

--Ignore whistling/popping noises as the sausages microwave. This is just the air inside them expanding and escaping.

--To give sausages a rich brown color, brush with browning glaze. Or transfer cooked sausages to a preheated broiler and brown quickly. Or use a browning skillet according to manufacturer’s directions. Just be careful not to overbrown the sausages because they’ll toughen and dry.

BROWNING GLAZE FOR SAUSAGES

1/2 cup liquid gravy browner

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon sugar

Combine liquid gravy browner, water and sugar in 1/2-pint preserving jar. Cover tightly and refrigerate. Shake well before using. Makes 1 cup.

FRESH SAUSAGE LINKS: Choose small links (12 to 14 per pound) and separate. Pierce each link three to four times, brush with browning glaze and arrange, not touching, on rack in bake/roast pan (both microwave-safe).

Cover with wax paper and microwave until no pink shows in center, using times below as guide, and turning sausages every two minutes or at half time if cooking time is less than four minutes. Remove wax paper last two minutes and drain off drippings.

Number of Sausages; Minutes on HIGH (100% power)

2 to 4; 1 1/2 to 2

4 to 6; 2 to 3

6 to 8; 3 to 4

8 to 10; 4 to 4 1/2

10 to 12; 4 1/2 to 5

12 to 14; 5 to 5 1/2

BROWN AND SERVE LINKS: Microwave unwrapped one (eight-ounce) package brown and serve links (eight to 10 links) on MEDIUM-LOW (30% power) one minute to thaw. Remove wrapper and arrange links spoke-fashion on rack in bake/roast pan (both microwave-safe). Cover with wax paper and microwave on MEDIUM-LOW one to 1 1/2 minutes.

Rearrange thawed links side by side, but not touching, on rack. Cover with wax paper and proceed as directed for Fresh Sausage Links, using following timetable:

Number of Links; Minutes on HIGH (100% power)

2 to 4; 1 to 1 1/2

4 to 6; 1 1/2 to 2

6 to 8; 2 to 2 1/2

8 to 10; 2 1/2 to 3

FRESH SAUSAGE PATTIES: Cut sausage roll into one-half-inch thick slices or shape bulk sausage into patties one-half-inch thick and 2 1/2 inches across.

Place, not touching, on microwave-safe bake/roast rack. Brush, if desired, with browning glaze. Cover with wax paper and microwave as follows, turning every two minutes until no pink shows in center. Remove wax paper final two minutes and drain off drippings.

Number of Patties; Minutes on HIGH (100% power)

2; 3 to 4

4; 4 to 4 1/2

6; 4 1/2 to 5

8; 5 1/2 to 6

BROWN AND SERVE PATTIES: Thaw one (12-ounce) package Brown and Serve Patties (eight patties) as directed for Brown and Serve Links. Arrange in circle at half time instead of spoke-fashion.

Brush thawed patties, if desired, with browning glaze. Cover with wax paper and microwave as follows, turning patties at half time, until no pink shows in center. Remove wax paper last two minutes and drain off drippings.

Number of Patties; Minutes on HIGH (100% power)

2; 1 to 1 1/2

4; 2 to 2 1/2

6; 2 1/2 to 3

8 to 10; 3 to 4

Note: In ovens of less than 600 watts, increase cooking times about 15%.