I N F O R M A T I O N Y O U N E E D T O K N O W
ABOUT MICROWAVE COOKING
•Arrange food carefully. Place thickest areas towards outside of dish.
•Watch cooking time. Cook for the shortest amount of time indicated and add more as needed. Food severely overcooked can smoke or ignite.
•Cover foods while cooking. Check recipe or cook- book for suggestions: paper towels, wax paper, microwave plastic wrap or a lid. Covers prevent spattering and help foods to cook evenly.
•Shield with small flat pieces of aluminum foil any thin areas of meat or poultry to prevent overcooking before dense, thick areas are cooked thoroughly.
•Stir foods from outside to center of dish once or twice during cooking, if possible.
•Turn foods over once during microwaving to speed cooking of such foods as chicken and ham- burgers. Large items like roasts must be turned over at least once.
•Rearrange foods such as meatballs halfway through cooking both from top to bottom and from the center of the dish to the outside.
•Add standing time. Remove food from oven and stir, if possible. Cover for standing time which allows the food to finish cooking without overcooking.
•Check for doneness. Look for signs indicating that cooking temperatures have been reached.
Doneness signs include:
-Food steams throughout, not just at edge.
-Center bottom of dish is very hot to the touch.
-Poultry thigh joints move easily.
-Meat and poultry show no pinkness.
-Fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
About SAFETY
•Check foods to see that they are cooked to the United States Department of Agriculture's recommended temperatures.
T E M P | F O O D |
160˚F | ... for fresh pork, ground meat, bone- |
| less white poultry, fish, seafood, |
| egg dishes and frozen prepared |
| food. |
165˚F | ... for leftover, |
| frigerated, and deli and |
| “fresh” food. |
170˚F | ... white meat of poultry. |
180˚F | ... dark meat of poultry. |
To test for doneness, insert a meat thermometer in
athick or dense area away from fat or bone. Never leave the thermometer in the food during cooking, un- less it is approved for microwave oven use.
•ALWAYS use potholders to prevent burns when handling utensils that are in contact with hot food. Enough heat from the food can transfer through utensils to cause skin burns.
•Avoid steam burns by directing steam away from the face and hands. Slowly lift the farthest edge of a dish's covering and carefully open popcorn and oven cooking bags away from the face.
•Stay near the oven while it's in use and check cooking progress frequently so that there is no chance of overcooking food.
•NEVER use the cavity for storing cookbooks or other items.
•Select, store and handle food carefully to preserve its high quality and minimize the spread of foodborne bacteria.
•Keep waveguide cover clean. Food residue can cause arcing and/or fires.
•Use care when removing items from the oven so that the utensil, your clothes or accessories do not touch the safety door latches.
About Children and the Microwave
Children below the age of 7 should use the microwave oven with a supervising person very near to them. Between the ages of 7 and 12, the supervising person should be in the same room.
The child must be able to reach the oven comfortably; if not, he/she should stand on a sturdy stool.
At no time should anyone be allowed to lean or swing on the oven door.
Children should be taught all safety precautions: use potholders, remove coverings carefully, pay special attention to packages that crisp food because they may be extra hot.
Don’t assume that because a child has mastered one cooking skill he/she can cook everything.
Children need to learn that the microwave oven is not a toy. See pages