14electrolux operation
Food characteristics
Composition | Foods high in fat or sugar (e.g. Christmas pudding, mince pies) require less |
| heatingtime. Care should be taken as overheating can lead to fire. |
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Density | Food densitywill affect the amount of cooking time needed. Light porous |
| foods, such as cakes or bread, cook more quickly than heavy, dense foods, |
| such as roasts and casseroles. |
Quantity | The cooking time must be increasedas the amount of food placed in the |
| oven increases. E.g. four potatoeswill take longer to cook than two. |
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Size | Small foods and small pieces cook faster than large ones, as microwaves can |
| penetrate from all sides to the centre. For even cooking make all the pieces |
| the same size. |
Shape | Foods which are irregularin shape, such as chicken breasts or drumsticks, |
| take longer to cook in the thicker parts. Round shapes cook more evenly than |
| square shapes when microwave cooking. |
Temperature | The initial temperatureof food affects the amount of cooking time needed. |
of food | Chilled foods will take longer to cook than food at room temperature. Cut into |
| foods with fillings, for example jam doughnuts, to release heat or steam. |
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Cooking techniques | |
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Arrange | Place the thickest parts of food towardsthe outside of the dish. |
| e.g. Chicken drumsticks. |
Cover | Use vented microwavecling film or a suitablelid. |
Pierce | Foods with a shell, skin or membranemust be pierced in several places before |
| cooking or reheatingas steam will build up and may cause food to explode. |
| E.g. Potatoes, Fish, Chicken, Sausages. |
| Note: Eggs should not be heated using microwavepower as they may |
| explode, even after cooking has ended. E.g. poached,fried, hard boiled. |
Stir, turn & | For even cooking it is essentialto stir, turn and rearrange food during cooking. |
rearrange | Always stir and rearrangefrom the outsidetowards the centre. |
Stand | Standingtime is necessaryafter cookingto enable the heat to disperse equally |
| throughout the food. |
Shield | Some areas of food being defrostedmay become warm. Warm areas can be |
| shielded with small pieces of foil, which reflectmicrowaves, e.g. legs and wings |
| on a chicken. |
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