How to Keep Your New Microwave Working Like New

Getting a new microwave can be exciting for a family, especially if it's something you really wanted or needed for some time. Whether you bought your microwave yourself or received it as a gift, you want to keep it working like new for as long as you can. There are some tips and hints you can discover to help you do just that.

It's important that you take care of your microwave so that it continues to last for you for a long time and also so that it is more energy efficient. For example, if you don't clean your microwave regularly and you allow food to build up inside, it can cause the microwave to malfunction and it can also cause it to use more energy than it should to work properly.

There are different ways that you can clean your microwave. One simple tip is to gently wipe it out with a damp cloth after each use. Cover the food that you cook so it doesn't splatter all over and wipe out spills while they are still fresh and not caked in.

Always follow your recipe closely or the instructions on the package for the food you are cooking. If it says to leave the plastic wrap on the food, always do so while cooking. Also adhere to the "standing time" on the package of most frozen foods. The food will continue to cook after the oven has stopped while standing so this is an important part of the process.

There are different ways to clean your microwave but a good tip to get it ready before a regular wipe down is to take a bowl of water with a couple of teaspoons of baking soda and place it in the microwave. Heat for about 3 to 5 minutes and once the microwave stops, keep the door closed for a few more minutes to let the steam from the baking soda water sink it to the walls of the microwave.

Then carefully remove the bowl and use a soft cloth to wipe down the inside of the microwave. Any food or crud that was stuck on should come right off with ease and without the need to scrub anything which can damage the inside of the microwave.

On a final note, never try to repair your microwave yourself. This is a complex appliance with high voltage transformer, complicated circuits and other features that make it dangerous to work on when you're not fully trained and experienced.

About the Author:

Lisa Mason is a freelance writer with a specialty in Internet content and SEO articles and the author of How to Earn a Living Writing for the Internet. She has written thousands of articles, hundreds of ebooks and thousands of website pages and related content in her 10+ years as a professional writer.

She enjoys writing about writing, parenting and other things that interest her.
See "100 Days to Better Article Writing" to discover how you can write more articles on the topics that you love.

Cheap Microwave Ovens - Tips For Buying Cheap Microwave Ovens

Cheap microwave ovens are easy to buy if you know where to look. Read our essential tips right now and make sure you get the best deal.

For me modern living is all about convenience, comfort and time saving technology. My home is crammed full of the latest gadgets and luxury items everything from my automatic garlic press through to my pride and joy, I refer of course to my 42 inch flat screen plasma TV full loaded with a blue ray disk player.

The only reason I can afford all this stuff in the first instance is simply because in recent years modern production methods has meant that prices have tumbled. This includes cheap microwave ovens you can pick up them real easily and packed with great features.

Here are my top tips for anyone looking to get a low cost oven

1) Look for Brand Names - Do not feel that you have to compromise on the make. There are lots of deals on none branded microwaves out there, but the good news is that you can also pick up some real bargains on major brand names as well. For example I have seen great deals on Panasonic, Sharp and Samsung microwaves.

2) Do Not Compromise on Power - It is tempting to think that because you're shopping for cheap microwave ovens that somehow you will have to buy a low power oven. This is not true you can get some great discounts off the price of high powered ovens. Examples I have seen include 800 and even 1200 watt ovens.

3) Shop Online - I personally recommend that you consider the cheap microwave ovens deals that are available online. You get loads of information, reviews and customer feedback from existing buyers.

There you have it three tips which I believe you will find of real value in helping you choose a bargain microwave.

For a great bargain and more information visit [http://www.cheapmicrowaveovensdeals.com] now!

Frugal Microwave Cooking

Microwave cooking can save you time and energy

all year long. But it is especially nice in

summer because it enables you to cook hot meals

without heating up your home.

Microwave heat is produced only within the food,

so the microwave oven stays cool and your house

does, too, saving you money on your air

conditioning bill!

In general, the microwave oven uses only one-

fourth of the energy used by a conventional oven.

In order to get the most from using your

microwave oven, remember these tips:

1. Covering most foods will speed up cooking.

2. Use round or oval dishes, instead of square

or rectangle, for more even cooking.

3. If you are cooking two foods at the same

time, choose foods that take about the same amount

of time to cook.

4. Heating continues after food is removed from

the microwave oven, so allow time for this additional

cooking.

5. Arrange chicken pieces so that the thicker,

meatier portions are toward the outside of the dish

and the thin, bony parts are toward the center.

6. Foods containing sugar and fats cook faster.

Many of your family's favorite recipes can be converted

to a microwave recipe.

To figure microwave cooking time, start with one-

fourth of the conventional time.

Always undercook--if more time is needed, you can

always add another minute or two.

Use less liquid because there is not as much

evaporation.

It may help to find a recipe that is similar to

yours that is written especially for microwave ovens

and use it as a guide.

SWISS STEAK

3 tbsp. flour

1 lb. beef round steak, 3/4 inch thick

3 tbsp. dry onion soup mix - shake mix before measuring

1 tbsp. brown sugar

3 tbsp. water

1 tsp. prepared mustard

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

Sprinkle half of flour on one side of meat; pound in

with rolling pin or meat mallet. Turn meat and sprinkle

with remaining flour; pound with rolling pin.

Cut into 4 serving size pieces.

Arrange in 8 inch round microwave baking dish.

In small bowl, combine all remaining ingredients, b

lend well. Pour over meat. Cover tightly with

microwave safe plastic wrap. Microwave on medium

for 12 to 17 minutes or until meat is almost tender.

Let stand tightly covered for 10 minutes.

Serves 4

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Steamed Veggies

Vegetable (green beans,carrots, broccoli, whatever)

Small amount of water (about 1/4 to 1/2 cup)

Put veggies and water in a microwave-safe container and

cover with microwave-safe plastic wrap,loosely, so

steam can escape.

Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute at time, until done to

desired tenderness.

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Microwave Raspberry Cake

1/2 cup butter

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup seedless raspberry preserves

1/4 cup sour cream

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream butter and sugar in large bowl. Mix in preserves.

Blend well. Add sour cream and eggs. Beat well.

Blend together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

Add gradually to first mixture, beating well.

Pour batter into greased 8-inch round microwave-safe

dish. Microwave on full power for 4 to 5 minutes or

until top springs back when pressed with finger.

Cool. Frost with Raspberry Frosting.

Raspberry Frosting

2 tablespoons butter

2 cups powdered sugar, divided

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup seedless raspberry preserves

Combine butter, 1 cup powdered sugar, vanilla extract

and preserves. Blend well. Add remaining 1 cup powdered

sugar and stir until smooth. Spread on cake.

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Cyndi Roberts is the editor of the "1 Frugal Friend 2 Another" bi-weekly newsletter and founder of the website of the same name. Visit [http://www.cynroberts.com] to find creative tips, articles, and a free e-cooking book. Subscribe to the newsletter and receive the free e-course "Taming the Monster Grocery Bill".

Red Microwave Ovens - Tips and Precautions For Microwaves

More and more people use red microwave ovens although there are debates about whether or not they are healthy. In what most agree is that most accidents and adverse effects are caused by a mishandling of the microwave.

Precautions And Use Of Red Microwave

When buying a red microwave oven is advisable to read the advice and instructions of how to use correct, since this is the only way to prevent accidents (including burns), and we will remove make better use of this appliance.

Microwave Oven Tips

When cooking foods like eggs, it is important prick or open before, as these tend to burst and could explode in your face.

It is very important to monitor the food to be heated, if they are enclosed in cans or sealed packs, these could also burst.

While cleaning the microwave is very important that you do not use abrasives or strong detergents as these can damage the proper functioning of our microwave.

We should not heat liquids such as water, milk, coffee, tea or any tea at high temperatures. They never come to a boil, and are used to heat them at full power, and can produce any burning when you open the oven.

If we want the food is not cool so quickly, we must stir the food once or twice while warming up. If at the buzzer (alarm), leave the door closed will keep the food warm longer.

It is advisable to cook large pieces of meat or fish into small pieces, but these can be cooked unevenly. If necessary we cook these large pieces, is due to half the power for a longer period.

Be careful with containers placed in the microwave.

It is not that difficult to find a Red Microwave in the market. Get Red Microwave for your stylish kitchen.

Guide to Using Your Microwave

When it comes to using your microwave there are some basics that you need to remember to obtain the optimum results that you are seeking.

Safety: Always observe manufacturer's instructions when operating your microwave oven. It's important to keep the oven interior clean from spills and splatters, especially around doors and seals. Food buildup can impede cooking time and efficiency. If your microwave is not functioning correctly, get it check by a professional before using it again.

Heating Consistency: To assure thorough results; rotate, stir or rearrange large amounts of food and/or containers halfway through the cooking cycle. Microwave ovens with a carousel feature do this automatically for you.

Standing Time: Foods removed from microwave ovens often require a few minutes of "standing time" prior to serving.

Steaming: Microwave steamers and roasters require a quarter inch of water or other liquid at the bottom of the microwave cookware unit. Some foods will require you to monitor the cooking progress and to add water to prevent drying.

High Fat Foods: Avoid microwave foods with high fat content (such as some meat & pork products) in microwave and storage containers not designed for those foods.

Timing: Compact and other low-watt microwave ovens (600 watt or less) may require longer cooking times than some recipes or packaging instructions call for.

Cleaning: Fill microwave safe glass container with 1 cup of water and 1/4 cup of lemon juice. Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute. The steam will help loosen stuck on food products & splatters for easy cleaning. The Lemon also is a natural deodorizer.

Proper Microwave Containers: You should only use proper microwave safe containers in your microwave. Just because a container is made of plastic doesn't mean its microwave safe.

Make sure any paper products such as paper plates, paper towels, etc. that you use in your microwave are also designated safe for microwave use.

Shelly Hill has been working from home since 1989 and is a Manager with Tupperware. Shelly enjoys cooking and baking for her family and friends and trying out new recipes. You can visit Shelly online at http://www.workathomebusinessoptions.com or at http://wahmshelly.blogspot.com for additional free recipes and cooking tips.

Microwave Bacon - How to - Tips on Cooking Bacon Without Using a Microwave Bacon Cooker

How can I microwave bacon?

Although there are now microwave bacon cookers on the market, there really is no need to open your purse strings and purchase one. Your microwave is already capable of doing the job without much assistance.

Firstly you'll need to grab some kitchen towel and line the rashers of bacon on it - you can probably fit 4-6 pieces onto it at a time. When you're satisfied put another layer of kitchen paper on top and cook on full power.

If you manage to get six rashers on the paper towel this will take roughly 5 minutes to cook depending on the wattage of your microwave oven. I find it best to cook the bacon for two minutes and then in 1 minute intervals thereafter, until you fell satisfied it has cooked properly.

A nice good housekeeping tip to stop the bacon from curling during the cooking process is to lightly score it before commencing.

How can I microwave bacon which has already been cooked?

Have you ever noticed how bacon can go quite brittle and chewy when re-heating it in the microwave? You have? Well the reason for this phenomenon is down to water molecules - which are naturally contained the bacon - evaporating. Therefore in order to stop this from happening you need to fight fire with fire, or even water with water in this occasion.

What you need to do here is get yourself a small plate, put your bacon onto it, add two tablespoons of water, cover with plastic wrapping film and microwave until you're satisfied it is hot enough. Finally, remove from microwave oven place the bacon on a clean plate (when doing so you'll notice the bacon has kept its form) and serve.

This good housekeeping trick with work for sausages too.

Visit [http://www.oph-good-housekeeping.com] for more cooking and good housekeeping tips

Cook Delicious Meals in Your Microwave

If you're like a lot of people, you only use your microwave for reheating and defrosting food, or for popping popcorn. You may have never even considered using this common kitchen appliance for cooking an entire meal, because for many years a lot of microwave meals didn't taste very good. But this type of cooking has come a long way, and these days there are all kinds of delicious recipes that can be made in half the time it would take to cook them in a conventional oven or on the stove top.

Cooking Tips

In order to create the best-tasting meals possible in your microwave, there are a few simple tips to follow.

For instance, to ensure that your food is cooked thoroughly, make sure that things are spread out evenly on the plate. Do not stack foods.

In order to cook meat evenly, instead of cooking it on high power for a short period of time, cook it a little longer at medium power.

Here are some more helpful tips for cooking in your microwave oven:

Cut large foods, such as roasts, into smaller pieces so that they will cook completely through, and cook evenly.

About half-way through cooking, rotate or flip the food you are cooking. This will also help to ensure that it is cooked evenly.

Only use containers that are labeled microwave-safe. There are many plastic containers that should not be used in a microwave, especially those that are intended for one-time use, such as margarine and whipped cream tubs.

Instead of using plastic wrap to cover food to keep it from drying out while cooking, use a paper towel instead. To really ensure that your food is nice and moist, dampen the paper towel slightly before covering your food.

Remember to allow for a sitting time. Many foods are a lot hotter than you may think, and liquids that you think may not have reached the boiling point actually have, and moving the container immediately can cause the liquids to boil over, leading to burns.

How to Adapt Your Favorite Recipes

It is usually pretty easy to convert many of your favorite recipes for microwave cooking. Often, you can find many recipes that are similar to your own, online. These have been created just for the microwave, and you can always tweak them, adding your own special touch to make the recipe your own. Or, you can play around with your recipes. After all, a lot of the most delicious dishes in the world came to us through trial and error.

Don't get upset if everything you make doesn't taste amazing. It may take a while to perfect the art of this style of cooking, but once you do, you will be creating delicious meals in no time at all.

There are all kinds of great recipes that you can use to create delicious meals in your microwave oven. You can find them in magazines, online, and in a number of cookbooks. So, stop using this handy little appliance just to reheat and defrost foods. Cook some delicious meals too, and save time doing it.

Learn more about getting a red microwaves at the author's site about red microwave ovens