Why Letting Frozen Food Stand After Microwaving Is The Key To Better Results

Contrary to myths pumped out by the rumor mills, the microwave is a handy gadget that simplifies cooking without diminishing the nutritional profile of your meal or releasing harmful radiation. Plus, who doesn't appreciate a frozen meal after a long day when the last thing you want to do is spend time and energy to whip something up from scratch? But when it comes to heating frozen food in the microwave, there's a key step that ensures that the meal comes out evenly and thoroughly cooked: abiding by the stated standing time after heating. Typically listed on the packaging, this time is technically part of the cooking time and can vary depending on the dish, its size, and its density.

The standing time is crucial, because the thermal radiation responsible for heating the food only penetrates the first few centimeters. As a result, the outer layers of the meal receive direct thermal energy, while the portions toward the center remain cooler and sometimes even still partly frozen if eaten immediately. The standing time allows heat to redistribute through conduction, ensuring that the entire dish reaches a consistent temperature. The residual heat also helps eliminate harmful pathogens that might be present in the food. 

Patience is truly a virtue when it comes to microwaving frozen food, so let those few extra minutes save you from a partially frozen dinner or even food poisoning. It's also important to note that while using the appliance is a tempting option for warming up any quick and easy meal, certain materials and food items shouldn't go in the microwave.

Useful for more than heating up frozen meals or reheating leftovers, did you know you can make gourmet meals in a humble microwave that will blow the minds of the ardent believers that the appliance is for lazy cooks? It's a great option for a "work smarter, not harder" meal for the everyday home cook. Best bet you didn't know that you could whip up crispy potato chips in the microwave! By simply slicing your potatoes real thin, seasoning them to your liking, and letting your microwave do its magic, you'll have delightful, crave-worthy potato chips to munch on.

Kick it up a notch with an easy yet luxurious risotto served up in just under 30 minutes, a dorm-friendly pasta dish that's cooked to al dente perfection, or even an indulgent two-ingredient Oreo mug cake. Regardless of what you make, the key to a successful microwave meal is knowing your appliance's functionality and settings to fine-tune the timing, which includes letting heated food stand, to achieve the desired taste and consistency. Be it a quick snack or an elegant dinner, it's safe to say that gone are the days of uninspired, mundane microwave meals.