Dense food - dense food cooks slower than porous food. Mashed potatoes microwave much faster than baked potatoes and ground beef quicker than steak Arranging food - when arranging food on a dish place the denser and larger items on the outside and the less dense and smaller portions on the inside. The stems, for example, should be on the outside. The denser and larger the food the more time it takes to cook. Piercing food - when cooking foods with a skin or some form of membrane they should be pierced beforehand to prevent splattering.
Steam builds up inside the food during cooking.
Foods to watch include eggs, potatoes, tomatoes and hot dogs. For example, if 1 LB takes 4 minutes then 2 lbs. will take 6 minutes. Cooking large food - you should occasionally turn large pieces of food over for more even cooking. In fact that is what most people do with the microwave more often than cooking. This guide will help you re-heat food better and more quickly.