It’s that frantic time of day — after work, after school, after day care, and after sports events — when you have to get dinner on the table. Overwhelming! It’s more than enough to drive you to the fast food lane.

But relax. You own a microwave oven. In minutes, you can zap a nutritious, home-cooked, family friendly dinner, even if the meat is still in the freezer when you get home.

The microwave oven has been called one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century. More than 90 percent of homes in the United States have at least one. In fact, if you have ever been without one for a few days, you find out just how much you rely on it. But most people only are using theirs for reheating leftovers, defrosting food or making popcorn.

Loyalists testify that the microwave is great for cooking ground meats, poultry, and vegetables — three items that can make a fast, family dinner. The U.S. Department of Agriculture would like to add “safe” to that. Microwave ovens cook food to temperatures hot enough to kill bacteria; however, they can cook food unevenly and leave “cold spots” where harmful bacteria survive.

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, not cooking food to high enough temperatures to destroy bacteria is one of the top two causes of foodborne illness. For this reason, it is important to use a food thermometer to verify that foods reach recommended temperatures.

It also is important to know the wattage of your oven when using cooking directions from various sources. Microwave ovens’ wattage vary; the higher the wattage, the faster the oven will cook food.

If you don’t know the wattage of your microwave oven, try looking inside the door, on the back of the oven or in the owner’s manual. If you can’t find it, read the publication “Microwave Ovens and Food Safety” at www.fsis.usda.gov to learn how to use a “time-to-boil” test to estimate your oven’s wattage. This publication also tells how to determine if a utensil is safe to use in a microwave oven.

In addition to microwaving home-cooked foods safely, it’s also very important to follow handling and cooking instructions on frozen convenience foods. Some frozen foods, such as breaded chicken cutlets, can look fully cooked. However, many people have gotten sick from such products that were undercooked. Just thawing them in the microwave isn’t enough to make them safe. You must microwave such foods to a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees to be safe.

Consumers with food safety questions can “Ask Karen,” the federal Food Safety and Inspection Service’s virtual representative available 24 hours a day ataskkaren.gov. The Agriculture Department’s toll-free Meat and Poultry Hotline is at 888-MPHotline (888-674-6854).

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MAIN DISH

Twelve-Minute Sombrero Supper

1 pound lean ground beef or ground turkey

1 small green bell pepper, cored and chopped

1 1/4-ounce taco seasoning packet

8-ounce can tomato sauce

14 1/2 ounce can dark red kidney beans, drained

Round tortilla chips

1 cup shredded cheese

Crumble ground beef into a hard plastic colander set over a 2-quart microwave-safe casserole. Microwave on high for three minutes. Stir to break up beef and scatter bell pepper over the top. Microwave on high three minutes.

Discard fat that has drained into casserole dish, and transfer meat mixture into same casserole. Stir in taco seasoning and tomato sauce. Cover and microwave on high three minutes. Stir, and add kidney beans. Cover, and microwave on high three minutes. Test meat mixture with a food thermometer to make sure it reaches 160 degrees. Let mixture rest two minutes before serving.

To serve, either transfer meat mixture to the center of a large platter, or divide the meat mixture among four individual plates. Sur­round the meat mixture with tortilla chips to resemble a hat brim. Scatter cheese over the meat mixture to resemble a straw hat, and serve hot.

To make a complete meal, accompany the dish with a salad and a green vegetable.

Makes four servings.

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MAIN DISH

Quick Chicken Nuggets

1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts

4 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 cup dry herb stuffing

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon dry basil leaves

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

Cut chicken into bite-size chunks. Place butter or margarine in a glass pie plate and microwave on high for one minute or until melted.

Put dry stuffing on a piece of wax paper and crush with a rolling pin. Add cheese, basil and thyme; mix. Dip chicken chunks into melted butter and then roll in stuffing mixture.

Arrange coated chicken in a single layer in a 2-quart rectangular glass dish. Cover with wax paper and microwave on high for three minutes.

Using a fork, move less-done chicken to the edges of the dish. Cover and microwave on high three to four minutes or until chicken reaches 165 degrees as measured with a food thermometer. Let stand two minutes before serving.

To make a complete meal, accompany the dish with side dishes of rice or potatoes and a green vegetable.

Makes four to six servings.