92D-5 |
Development of proper microwave heating instructions of frozen prepared meals for domestic microwave ovens |
J. S. ROBERTS, Food Science & Technology, Cornell Univ., New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, 630 W. North St., Geneva, NY 14456-1371 Food handling and preparation has become a major concern with respect to food safety in the home. With the growing number of high quality frozen dinners in the marketplace and with most homes having a microwave oven, the role of the microwave has grown to include cooking meals along with re-heating foods. It is hypothesized that more specific heating instructions can be developed to obtain a safer and higher quality heated dinner than one heated by one set of vague heating instructions. The overall objective of this research was to determine the effects of the various factors on heating performance of microwave ovens, such as food type, size of the food, amount of food being heated, size and shape of the container, and the power and size of the oven, by which proper cooking instructions should be based. Microwave ovens of different cavity sizes (0.7 cu.ft. – 1.6 cu.ft.) and power ratings (700 W – 1200 W) were used in studying the heating performance of the dinners. A fiber optic unit was used to record time-temperature data as the dinners heated in the ovens. Even though each product contained various food particulates with their own dielectric and thermophysical properties, the results indicate that the biggest effects on heating were power and position within oven. In fact the time for all the food particulates to reach 71.1 C in the 700 W oven was almost twice that of the 900 W and 1200 W ovens. The center position has shown to be the cold point and the place where heating performance should be evaluated. The oven power has shown to be the variable by which microwave instructions be grouped. The recommended heating instructions will ensure consumers preparing safe, high quality dinners at home.
Session 92D, Quality Assurance: General
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