SAUCES
Guide for Cooking Sauces
Sauces boil over rapidly, especially those that contain milk. As soon as the door is opened, cooking stops. If ingredients are not taken directly from the refrigerator, cooking time will be less than given in the recipe. Stir sauce quickly, about every 30 seconds to eliminate lumps. Be sure to use a container twice the size of the amount of liquid to prevent boiling over.
A wooden spoon may be left in the dish while sauce is cooking for easy stirring. If sauce is stirred slowly, cooking time may require about 15 seconds longer. If desired, a 1 quart glass measure may be used to prepare some sauces.
White Sauce
Amount | Butter Flour | Milk | Cook | Cook | Special Notes |
Butter Sauce
1 cup, thin | 1 Tbsp | 1 Tbsp | 1 cup | 30 sec. | 2 | - 3 min. |
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med. | 2 Tbsp | 2 Tbsp | 1 cup | 40 sec. | 2 | 1/2 - 3 1/2 min. |
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thick | 3 Tbsp | 3 Tbsp | 1 cup | 1 min. | 3 | - 4 min. |
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Cook on Full power as directed or until thickened, stirring once. Let stand, covered, before serving.
Brown Gravy
Amount | Fat from Flour | Liquid or | Cook on | Special Notes |
| Drippings | Drippings | Power 10 |
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1 cup, thin | 1 Tbsp | 1 Tbsp | 1 cup | 2 | - 3 min. |
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med. | 1 Tbsp | 1 Tbsp | 1 cup | 2 | 1/2 - 3 1/2 min. |
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thick | 1 Tbsp | 1 Tbsp | 1 cup | 3 | - 4 min. |
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Cook on Full power as directed or until thickened, stirring once. Let stand, covered, before serving.
CASSEROLES
Casseroles may require occasional stirring to distribute heat. They cook more evenly when made with ingredients of similar size and shape. Because of their shorter cooking time, casseroles cooked in the microwave oven generally need less liquid. Casseroles with cream and cheese sauces, or meats which need slower cooking to tenderize, cook best on power level 4.
When cooking a favorite casserole, make two and freeze the second for future use. Line a casserole or baking dish with plastic wrap. Transfer the cooked food to the lined container and freeze. As soon as the food is frozen in the shape of the dish, remove it and wrap with freezer paper. Later it can be unwrapped and returned to the container for defrosting and heating.
Dry Casserole Mixtures
Many prepared box type casseroles are available on the grocery shelves. Many have freeze dried foods or evaporated foods included. Cooking periods are so short there may not be time for the foods to absorb the moisture sufficiently and reconstitute the foods. To prepare this type, boil the amount of water recommended on the package. Add the noodles (when included), cover and cook for approximately 10 minutes. Allow noodles to stand covered for an additional 10 minutes, rinse with warm water and drain. Then follow package directions for preparing the mix. Reheat 4 to 6 minutes before serving.
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