Cooking Meat in the Microwave During Those Hot Summer Months

Summer is here and if you are anything like me, you don't want to turn on your oven or stove unless absolutely necessary. I do most of my cooking in the microwave during the summer months. It helps keep my home cooler and cuts down on my cooling bill.

I have found that a great many people don't like to cook meat in the microwave. I was once one of those people. Chicken would come out like rubber and I always worried that ground beef doesn't cook thoroughly. I have since found that the trick is to use the right cooking utensils.

There has also been some hype about how its not safe to use plastic to cook meat or anything else in the microwave. This is only half true. Certain types of plastic have chemicals that are activated with the extreme heat of the microwave and these chemicals can get into your food. Hence, the key to cooking in your microwave is, once again, to use the correct cooking utensils. Basically, use containers that are specifically designed for cooking in the microwave.

My preference in microwave cooking is Tupperware. Their cookware is specifically designed for the microwave so you don't have to worry about the chemicals. Their Oval Cooker is designed to retain the moisture of your meat so that your meat does't come out dry and rubbery. It also has a colander so you can brown your meat and let the grease drip to the bottom. That makes it easy to dispose of the grease drippings or use them for gravy. Tupperware also backs it cooker with a lifetime warranty so if it breaks I can just replace it with a new one, which seems like a good investment to me.

So the instructions I am providing below apply to the Tupperware Oval Cooker. If you feel confident using a different type of microwave cooker, of course, try that, but please make sure you follow the guidelines I stated above.

Cooking Ground Beef
Place the ground beef with your favorite seasoning in the colander of the cooker. Cover and cook for 6 minutes per pound. Let sit a few minutes then remove from the microwave. By using the colander all the grease will drain to the bottom of the cooker.

Cooking a Whole Chicken
If using the Oval Cooker you will need to use the extender piece for your average size chicken. Then place the chicken in the cooker. Pour about half a cup of water on the bottom of the cooker. Sprinkle your chicken with your favorites seasonings. Placed the cover on the cooker and cook for 6 minutes per pound. I think you will be surprised at how moist your chicken comes out.

Cooking Cut Up Chicken
After cutting up your chicken use the same instructions for cooking a whole chicken. Determine by the how high the chicken stacks if you will need to use the extender or not.

Cooking Chicken Pieces
You can use the colander to cook chicken pieces. Cut the chicken into bit size pieces. I usually use chicken breast cutlets for this. Place the cutup chicken pieces in the colander. Season with your favorite seasonings. Place the cover on the cooker and microwave for 6 minutes per pound.

Cooking Pork
I have not yet tried cooking pork in the microwave. Pork is tricky and my family doesn't eat pork so that is one reason I have never tried cooking it in the microwave. However, there are plenty of beef and chicken recipes out there, so I hope the above suggestions will help you keep your kitchen cooler during the hot summer months.

Donna Rivera-Loudon
Donna is the owner/designer of www.todaysmodernwoman.com.

S'More Bars

1 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup melted butter or margarine
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

In medium size bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Stir in butter until crumbly. Press into a greased 11 x 7 baking pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with marshmallows and chips. Bake 5 to 7 minutes longer or until marshmallows begin to brown. Cool. Cut into squares and serve.

Guacamole

1 small onion, quartered
1 Jalapeño pepper quartered
1/2 glove garlic, minced
2 avocados, quartered
1 medium tomatoe, quartered
1 1/2 TBS cilantro
Nacho Chips
Use the Quick Chef or a food processor. Finely chop the onion, jalapeno pepper, garlic, avocados, cilantro, and tomatoes adding one ingredient at a time.

Add the lime juice. If using the Quick Chef, the funnel works good for this. Turn the Quick Chef until you have the consistency you want.
Makes 1 to 2 cups of Guacamole Dip. Serve with Nacho Chips immediately. Use any unused dip within one day.

Taco Dip

1 lb lean ground beef
2 TBS chopped onion
2 TBS chopped green pepper
2 TBS chopped fresh coriander
1 tsp. garlic
1 jar of your favorite salsa
1/2 package taco seasoning mix
1 1/2 to 2 cups of grated sharp cheddar cheese
Nacho chips

Brown ground beef with onions, green peppers, coriander, and garlic. *if you don't want to turn on your stove during hot summer months see article below on how to cook meat in the microwave so that it comes out right. Drain all the fat and make sure you meat is crumbly.

Chop the follow ingredients together. The Quick Chef container works best for this. If you don't have one try a food processor or some other type of mixer. In the Quick Chef place the beef mixture, salsa, taco seasoning, and grated cheese. Mix together well. Place mixture in microwave safe container. The large Rock N Serve, the 6 1/4 cup Heat N Serve, and the Tupperware microsteamer work well for this dip.
Microwave on high for 6 minutes with the container covered. If you are using one of the above mentioned containers you can just place the seal on them. Make sure to vent your Rock N Serve. If you are using a different microwave container, cover it with a paper towel.
Let stand 5 minutes and serve with Nacho Chips.