Microwaving Your Way To A Healthy Lunch

(NC) – Planning what to eat is a challenge, but having a healthy lunch is easier than most people realize. Prepared meals have come a long way since the early TV meals from the 50s that required an oven and tinfoil.

Consumers today have a wide array of choices and according to a recent survey by Healthy Choice Gourmet Steamers, a quarter of Canadians are looking for quality ingredients and 32 per cent are looking for healthy ingredients in their prepared meals.

Using the microwave is one of the fastest ways to prepare and heat foods. In 1986, three decades after the first frozen meal revolutionized mealtime, the TV dinner evolved with the introduction of the new must-have kitchen appliance. Today, microwavable meals can be everything from sandwiches to full entrees and recently technology allows steaming right in the microwave.

To fully enjoy a microwavable meal here are some tips ensure your meal tastes great:

• Unless the package instructions state otherwise, frozen microwaveable products must be kept frozen until you are ready to prepare them for both food safety and ensuring the food tastes great.
• Always follow the heating instructions carefully and cook foods to the proper temperature. If foods are cooked for too long they can lose their nutrition value, and lose their flavour.
• Follow the standing time instructions. Products include standing times because it’s actually a part of the cooking process. Some foods need this additional cooking time to ensure that a product is thoroughly cooked for safety and quality. This also allows the product to achieve optimum quality without overcooking.
• If you want to save your leftovers remember to transfer to a clean storage container and refrigerate within two hours.Discard the microwaveable container that came with your food product when finished, do not use it to heat other foods.