Many of us want to cook our food faster and more evenly in our microwave oven while we still want to avoid overcooking or burning it. While doing that, we still want to save energy and money by using less power. To achieve that, we need a practical way of cooking, and to understand this practical way, you must learn to use Micro Power on your Panasonic microwave oven.
Micro Power is a feature that allows you to adjust the power level of your microwave oven according to the type and quantity of food you are cooking. Micro Power achieves better results and avoids common problems such as hot spots, cold spots, dryness, toughness, or loss of nutrients. Micro Power also helps you reduce your microwave oven’s cooking time and electricity consumption.
I will be showing you how to use Micro Power on your Panasonic Microwave oven in a step-by-step guide. Also, I will explain in reasonable detail the benefits of using Micro Power and the general guidelines for cooking different foods with Micro Power. By the end of this post, you will be able to use Micro Power confidently and enjoy delicious and healthy meals with your microwave oven.
What is Micro Power, and how does it work?
Micro Power is a function that allows you to select the power level of your microwave oven from 10% to 100%. The power level determines how much microwave energy the magnetron emits, which is the device that generates the microwaves.
The higher the power level, the more microwave energy is produced and the faster the food is cooked. The lower the power level, the less microwave energy is created and the slower the food is cooked.
The power level also affects how the food is cooked. When you use high Power, the microwaves penetrate the food quickly and heat it rapidly.
This suits thin, all, or high water content, such as soups, sauces, beverages, or vegetables. However, high Power can also cause problems such as uneven heating, overcooking, burning, or drying out of the food. This is especially true for foods that are thick, large, or have low water content, such as meats, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, or bread.
When you use low Power, the microwaves penetrate the food slowly and heat it gradually. This suits large or low water-content foods like meats, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, or bread.
Low Power allows the heat to distribute evenly throughout the food and cook it thoroughly without drying it or toughening it. Low Power also helps to retain the moisture, flavour, texture, and nutrients of the food.
How do you use Micro Power on your Panasonic Microwave oven?
Using micro Power on your Panasonic Microwave oven is easy and convenient. You will need to follow these simple steps below carefully:
Step 1: Place the food in a microwave-safe dish and cover it with a lid or a vented plastic wrap. This will prevent splattering and help the food to cook evenly.
Step 2: Put the dish in the turntable’s centre and close the microwave oven door.
Step 3: Press the ‘Micro Power’ button on the unit’s ‘front panel. Press this button until your required power level requires a power level window.
Each time you press the Micro Power button, it toggles between various power levels. For example, if you press the Micro Power button once, it will show P-HI, which means high Power or 100%. Pressing the Micro Power button twice will show P-90, which means 90% power.
Pressing the Micro Power button represents times will show P-80, which means 80% power, and so on. You can choose any power from 10% to 100%, depending on the type and quantity of food you cook.
Step 4: Select the cooking time with the dial or button that offers this facility, depending on your specific microwave oven model. The operating instructions are available for your reference for your model at this link for the recommended cooking times and power levels for different foods.
Step 5: Press the Start button and let the cooking commence. You will hear a beep sound when the cooking is done. Carefully open the microwave oven door and remove the dish with oven mitts. Let the food stand for a few minutes before serving.
What are the benefits of using Micro Power?
Using Micro Power on your Panasonic Microwave oven has many benefits, which are very important while usin your Panasonic microwave.
1. It lets you quickly prepare your food more evenly, as the microwaves can penetrate the food better and heat it uniformly.
2. It prevents overcooking or burning food, as the microwaves can adjust to the optimal power level for the type and quantity of food you are cooking.
3. It preserves your food’s moisture, flavour, texture, and nutrients, as microwaves can cook it gently and thoroughly without drying or toughening it.
4. It saves energy and money, as microwaves can use less Power and reduce the cooking time and the electricity consumption of your microwave oven.
What are the general guidelines for cooking with Micro Power?
Cooking with Micro Power on your Panasonic Microwave oven is not difficult, but you need to follow some general guidelines to get the best results, such as:
1. Always use microwave-safe dishes and utensils like glass, ceramic, plastic, or paper. Avoid using metal, foil, or wood, as they can cause sparks, damage, or fire in the microwave oven.
2. Always cover your food with a lid or a vented plastic wrap, as this will prevent splattering and help the food to cook evenly. Leave some space for the steam to escape to the dish too tightly.
3. Constantly stir, turn, or rearrange your food halfway through. Always check the cooking time to ensure even heating and avoid hot or cold spots in the food.
4. Always check the doneness of your food using a food thermometer, a knife, a fork, or a toothpick, as this will prevent undercooking or overcooking of your food. Remember that the food will continue to cook for a few minutes after you take it out of the microwave oven, so allow some standing time before serving.
5. Constantly adjust the cooking time and power level according to the type, quantity, shape, size, density, and temperature of the food you are cooking, as these factors can affect the cooking performance and outcome. Check the operating manual for your model at this link for the suggested cooking times and power levels for different foods.
Conclusion
Using Micro Power on your Panasonic Microwave oven can be a very innovative and easy way to cook your food faster and begin innovation.
Allowing the step-by-step guide and general guidelines in this blog post, you can use Micro Power confidently and enjoy delicious and healthy meals with your microwave oven.
Micro Power is a feature that can make your cooking experience more convenient and enjoyable. Try it today and see the difference for yourself.
