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The science behind browning dishes

The science behind browning dishes
  
A browning dish or crisping plate is a neat gadget that is used in a microwave oven to brown the food.
Because microwave ovens don’t produce actual heat like a conventional oven, although the food will come out cooked it may still look a little pale.

Foods such as burgers, steaks, fish, and chicken immediately spring to mind as foods we expect to see nicely browned. They will cook perfectly in a microwave but will lack that darkened finish. To save using a conventional oven or grill to finish them off a browning dish could be the answer. Of course, if you have microwave / grill or convection oven that will have the browning facility built in. You can follow the manufacturer's instructions for your microwave oven.

What is a browning dish? A browning dish is designed to absorb some of the microwaves so that the dish itself gets hot. It is that heat in the dish that colours the meat in the same way as it would get coloured in a pan on the hob or in the oven. Early browning dishes were made of a heavy ceramic such as the corning ware range but today most dishes are made of metal. Don’t panic, by design they are microwave safe (if you do not place it too close to the sides of the microwave). The general principle is that you place the dish in the centre of the oven empty and following the instructions carefully microwave the dish. A ferrite ‘pad’ on the base of the dish absorbs the microwaves and transfers them to the dish making it hot. Then you place the food in the dish with perhaps a little oil depending on taste and the recipe (to stop it sticking). Microwave it again as per the instructions and this time some microwaves will cook the food, but most will keep getting absorbed and keep the pan hot which will give a great coloured and crispy finish. 

Because of the potential issue with having metal in a microwave oven it is important to follow the instructions supplied with your dish. Don’t forget also that the dish will be extremely hot, the same as a pan on the hob, so you will need oven gloves.
We have tried with great success the kitchen Craft micro grill and found it to be an excellent product. It is dishwasher safe and comes with adequate instructions. Like any cooking we would recommend that you take care and experiment with the microwave and dish. Keep an eye as you are cooking and adjust the times according to taste. Cook for a lesser time and then cook a little longer if needed rather than overcooking food in the first attempt by leaving it in the microwave too long. 
The Kitchen Craft micro grill is available here and is in stock ready for immediate dispatch.
Created On  24 Aug 2021 11:00 in General use and cooking articles, Product information  -  Permalink

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