You will undoubtedly want to cook some of your favorite conventional recipes in the microwave oven. With a little thought and experimenting, you can convert many recipes. Before converting a recipe, study it to determine if it will adapt well to microwave cooking.

Look for a recipe that matches your own recipe most closely. For example, find a recipe with the same amount, type, and form of main ingredient, such as 1 pound ground meat or 2 pounds beef cut in 1 - inch pieces, etc. Then compare other ingredients, such as pasta or vegetables. The microwave recipe will probably call for less liquid, because there is so little evaporation in microwave cooking.

Candies, bar cookies, meatloaf, and certain baked goods may not need adjustment in ingredients. For some cakes, sauces, gravies, and certain casseroles, liquids should be reduced or thickening agents increased.

Many casseroles will require adjustment in the order in which ingredients are added. Certain ingredients, such as long-grain rice, take longer to cook than others. When converting to microwave, substitute a quicker-cooking ingredient, such as precooked rice. Substitute instant onion flakes for chopped onion, and cut vegetable ingredients, such as carrots in smaller pieces.