The Hows, Whys and Wherefores of Getting the Most Out of Your Oven

We’re always amazed at the number of cooks who use their microwave ovens strictly for thawing and heating.

Oh, they may brew a fast cup of coffee by microwave. Or make a cheese melt. But they’ve never really gotten down to serious microwave cooking.

How come?

Julia Child once said that she didn’t think microwaved food tasted as good as that cooked the old-fashioned way. She also felt that a microwave deprived her of the sort of involvement with food that she has always enjoyed with conventional cooking.

According to Jean Hewitt--food editor of Family Circle, a magazine that offers microwave versions of recipes whenever they are practical and helpful to the reader--too few people read the instruction booklets that accompany their microwave ovens.

“People are inexperienced at microwaving,” she adds, “and scared of ruining food that is done so quickly and thoroughly. To put a roast in a microwave oven when you don’t know how it will come out is heart-rending.” It’s also often a waste of money.

Too many people, certainly, buy microwave ovens (often low-wattage half-pints), plug them in, and with scarcely a glance at the instruction manual, expect to cook all their old favorites--perfectly and with supersonic speed.

You can ruin a lot of good food if you try to blast everything on HIGH (100% power), start to finish. Indeed, many soups, stews and pot roasts will only develop the depth of flavor Child felt most microwaved food lacked if simmered on MEDIUM (50% power), MEDIUM-LOW (30% power) or LOW (10% power).

Too many cookbooks, alas, also recommend the microwaving of recipes that are far better cooked the old-fashioned way. Why? In our opinion they are only doing microwave ovens (not to mention their readers) a disservice.

Certain foods should never be “nuked”:

--Biscuits (they go pale and soggy).

--Piecrusts and other flaky pastries (they will taste raw).

--Angel and chiffon cakes (they toughen and never achieve full volume).

--Vegetable and dessert souffles (they fail to rise properly).

--Breaded or batter-dipped foods (they won’t get crisp or brown unless microwaved on active microwave cookware).

--Even popcorn, unless commercially packaged for the microwave, will scarcely pop.

Microwaving (need it be said again?) is a whole new way of cooking. And anyone who’s had a few expensive flops is understandably gun shy. That said, we offer two recipes to prove that you can cook by microwave with the greatest of ease--and success.

If veal shanks are to microwave evenly, they must be approximately the same size.

OSSO BUCO

4 veal shanks (about 3/4 pound each), cut 1 1/2-inches thick

1 medium onion, minced

1 medium clove garlic, minced

1 medium carrot, minced

1 cup dry white wine

1 teaspoon crumbled dried basil

Dash crumbled dried thyme

1 bay leaf

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Salt

Gremolata

Risotto alla Milanese

Stand veal shanks on cut sides 1/2 inch apart in single layer in 4-quart microwave-safe casserole. Scatter onion, garlic and carrot evenly on top. Add wine, basil, thyme, bay leaf and pepper, cover and microwave on HIGH (100% power) 9 to 10 minutes until wine boils.

Rotate casserole 180 degrees, reduce power to MEDIUM (50% power) and microwave, covered, 30 minutes. Turn veal over, rearrange pieces, then push down into liquid. Cover and microwave on MEDIUM 15 to 25 minutes until veal is tender.

Stir in 1 teaspoon salt and let stand, covered. Remove veal and keep warm. Puree casserole mixture, pour back into casserole and add salt to taste.

Return veal to casserole, spoon sauce over and sprinkle with Gremolata. Cover and microwave on HIGH 3 to 4 minutes until heated thorough. Serve with Risotto alla Milanese. Makes 4 servings.

Gremolata

1 tablespoon minced parsley

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

1 clove garlic, minced

Combine parsley, lemon zest and garlic in small bowl. Mix to blend thoroughly.

RISOTTO ALLA MILANESE

1 small onion, minced

3 tablespoons butter

1 cup Aroborio or short-grain rice

1 cup each chicken broth and 1 cup dry white wine or 2 cups chicken broth

Dash powdered saffron

1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Salt, pepper

Combine onion and butter in 2 1/2-quart microwave-safe casserole. Cover with wax paper and microwave on HIGH (100% power) 2 1/2 to 3 minutes until onion is translucent.

Mix in rice, cover with wax paper and microwave on HIGH 1 minute. Add broth and saffron, cover with tight lid and microwave on HIGH 5 to 7 minutes until boiling.

Stir, cover and microwave on MEDIUM (50% power) 9 to 10 minutes until almost all liquid is absorbed and rice is al dente. Let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Using fork, stir in cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes 4 servings.

Note: In ovens of less than 600 Watts, increase cooking time about 15%.