Pasta & Grains, Cereals, Convenience Foods

COOKING GUIDE (CONTINUED)

PASTA & GRAINS

Guide for Cooking Pasta and Grains

Raw long grain rice takes time to rehydrate. Microwaving time is a little shorter than conventional, but the greatest advantage is the ease with which you can prepare fluffy rice without sticking or burning. Cooked rice and pasta reheat easily in the microwave oven without loss of flavor or texture. No extra water is needed to prevent sticking or drying, so there's no danger of overcooking rice and pasta or thinning sauces.

Food	Hot	Salt	Oil or	Power	Cooking		Standing
	Water		Butter	Level	Time		Time

Pasta (8 oz)

Egg Noodles	4 cups	1 tsp.	1 Tbsp.	100	6	1/2 - 7 1/2 min.	2 - 5 min.

Macaroni	4 cups	1 tsp.	1 Tbsp.	100	8	- 10 min.	2 - 5 min.
Spaghetti	4 cups	1 tsp.	1 Tbsp.	100	8	- 10 min.	2 - 5 min.
Lasagna Noodles	4 cups	1 tsp.	1 Tbsp.	100	12 - 14 min.		2 - 5 min.
Rice, Long Grain
				100	5	- 6 min.
White Rice (1 cup)	2 cups	1 tsp.	1 tsp.	then			5 - 7 min.
				80	9	1/2 - 12 min.
				100	5	- 6 min.
Brown Rice (1 cup)	2 cups	1/2 tsp.	1 tsp.	then			5 - 7 min.
				80	22 - 27 min.

CEREALS

Microwaveable hot cereals can be cooked directly in the cereal bowl and make cleaning up easy.

CONVENIENCE FOODS

Frozen Foods

A large variety of frozen foods, special dishes and dinners are available and the selections continue to increase. The market is changing rapidly, therefore it is impossible to list the foods and types available and recommend cooking procedures. In this book we can only give general directions to assist you.

T.V. Dinners

To prepare a T.V. dinner, follow the maker’s instructions for use with microwave ovens. To cook a T.V. dinner will require approximately five to seven minutes for the food to thaw and heat to serving temperature (depending on the types of food). Allow plastic wrap to remain over the dish for two minutes to allow heat to equalize. Dinners that contain mashed potatoes have presented a bit of a problem due to the large compact mass of this particular food. You may want to remove about half the mashed potatoes after defrosting is started, then spread the remaining potatoes over the individual section of the tray. Heat the removed mashed potatoes in an individual dish. For foods that should be crisp when cooking is completed, remove the plastic wrap and use the broiler of a conventional oven to crisp the food.

Individual Frozen Foods

These may be commercially prepared or frozen at home. Place the container of frozen food in the oven and heat only until the food starts to defrost and can be removed easily. Empty contents into a casserole or serving dish and continue to defrost and heat. Do not heat foods in deep foil containers. To crisp and brown special toppings, use the broiler of a conventional oven. If allowed to heat to serving temperature in a plastic container, the container will warp or melt from the high heat of food.

Frozen Foods in Cooking Pouches or Boilable Bags

To prepare these foods, slit the plastic bag. An X-type cut will help remove the food at the end of cooking time. Place the cut side down on a serving dish (with no metal trim). Heat foods other than vegetables for about three minutes. Frozen vegetables require about eight to nine and a half minutes of cooking time. Allow the pouch bag to remain over the food for about two minutes to allow time for the heat to equalize. Foods prepared in cheese or white sauce should be removed from the pouch and placed in a glass casserole dish and stirred to prevent overcooking of the sauce around the edges of the dish.