Clay Pot Cooking.org
When using your clay pot in your microwave you will need one that has two power levels, 100% power and 50% power or half power. Consult your recipe as to the level of cooking needed. Soaking of your clay pot for at least 15 minutes is still necessary to insure proper cooking. Just like using your conventional oven your clay pot is well suited for a variety of foods. Making stews, soups, poultry and a variety of meat dishes will result in the same delicious results.
When microwaving with your clay pot remember that the center of the dish receives less energy so stirring and turning of the foods is required. If you find that over-cooking in one area occurs turn the pot ¼ turn several times while cooking.
I had great success microwave cooking in clay vegetables, especially root vegetables such as acorn squash, butternut squash and rutabaga. I think these root vegetables come out so nice because the moisture in the pot is forced over the vegetables giving you a consistent cooking texture. Many vegetables will cook in 8 to 9 ½ minutes per pound on high power.
Cooking fish in your microwave with your clay pot produces wonderful results. Fish cooks very fast in your microwave so over cooking can easily be done. Soaking your clay pot before cooking fish will help in keeping the moisture in your fish but will also help so you don’t over cook it. If you are using a whole fish you may want to line the clay pot with parchment paper to avoid strong flavors permeating your vessel. The parchment paper will also help you remove the fish without breaking it apart.
Meats cooked in your clay pot should be fresh or completely thawed from the freezer. Season the meat to your taste and many meats such as whole beef roasts will need to be rubbed with a browning liquid such as kitchen bouquet, Worchester or soy sauce. Place the meat fat side down for the first cooking and then turn the fat side up for the second cooking. Many of your tougher cuts of meat are very successful in microwave clay pot cooking. Steam from soaking the pot is forced over the meat giving us a tender product. You should let any large cuts of meat stand in the clay pot with the cover on for at least 15 minutes before removing the cover. To check for doneness insert and instant read thermometer for optimal center temperature.
When microwaving with your clay pot remember that the center of the dish receives less energy so stirring and turning of the foods is required. If you find that over-cooking in one area occurs turn the pot ¼ turn several times while cooking.
I had great success microwave cooking in clay vegetables, especially root vegetables such as acorn squash, butternut squash and rutabaga. I think these root vegetables come out so nice because the moisture in the pot is forced over the vegetables giving you a consistent cooking texture. Many vegetables will cook in 8 to 9 ½ minutes per pound on high power.
Cooking fish in your microwave with your clay pot produces wonderful results. Fish cooks very fast in your microwave so over cooking can easily be done. Soaking your clay pot before cooking fish will help in keeping the moisture in your fish but will also help so you don’t over cook it. If you are using a whole fish you may want to line the clay pot with parchment paper to avoid strong flavors permeating your vessel. The parchment paper will also help you remove the fish without breaking it apart.
Meats cooked in your clay pot should be fresh or completely thawed from the freezer. Season the meat to your taste and many meats such as whole beef roasts will need to be rubbed with a browning liquid such as kitchen bouquet, Worchester or soy sauce. Place the meat fat side down for the first cooking and then turn the fat side up for the second cooking. Many of your tougher cuts of meat are very successful in microwave clay pot cooking. Steam from soaking the pot is forced over the meat giving us a tender product. You should let any large cuts of meat stand in the clay pot with the cover on for at least 15 minutes before removing the cover. To check for doneness insert and instant read thermometer for optimal center temperature.
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If you are one of the many lucky cooks to own Clay pot then you might be surprised like I was that YES you can use this cooking vessel in your microwave oven. Just think getting that marvelous flavor when you use your clay pot by using your microwave.
Microwave cooking in a Clay Pot
In the summer months when you don’t want to heat up your kitchen by using a conventional oven, cooking in your microwave is ideal.