Abstract
The sensory attributes of cooked chicken thigh meat were investigated to develop the optimum cooking sequence with a combination microwave oven. The chicken thigh meat was cooked by three different methods: heating by microwave (800 W for 8 min, M sample), heating by convection heater (210°C for 40 min, O sample), and combination heating (microwave at 800 W for 5 min and convection at 210°C for 25 min, C sample). The temperature difference between the surface and inside was large in the order of the O > C > M samples. The O sample was lighter in weight than the other two, and the M sample was softer than the others. A sensory evaluation showed that the C and O samples were preferred over the M sample. Since the C sample needed less cooking time than the O sample, C was the best method for cooking chicken thigh meat in a combination microwave oven.
