Melissa 753-094 Child Safety Lock, Tips for Food Preparation, Using Utensils When Preparing Food

Rapid start

The microwave oven can be started rapidly without having to programme it.

1.Press the start button (6) once for each minute of cooking time. If the cooking time is 4 minutes, for instance, you must press the button 4 times.

2.The microwave oven now starts on full power.

CHILD SAFETY LOCK

The child safety lock prevents small children from using the microwave oven. The microwave oven cannot be operated as long as the child safety lock is active. The child safety lock is activated by holding the start button (8) pressed in for 5 seconds. A beep will be heard, and the display shows a padlock (g). The child safety lock is deactivated again by holding the start button pressed in for 5 seconds.

TIPS FOR FOOD PREPARATION

When preparing food in the microwave oven, the following basic rules apply:

Preparation time

Smaller quantities of food cook more rapidly than large quantities. If the amount of food is doubled, the preparation time must be correspondingly almost doubled.

Small pieces of meat, small fish and chopped vegetables cook more quickly than large pieces. For the same reason, it is recommended, if, for example, you wish to make goulash, stews or similar, that the meat be cut into pieces no bigger than 2 x 2 cm.

The compactness of the food is also very important for the cooking time. The more compact the food is, the longer it takes to cook it.

•Whole joints require a longer cooking time than stewed dishes.

•A joint requires a longer time than a dish with minced meat.

The colder the food, the longer the cooking time needs to be. Food at room temperature will therefore cook faster than food from a fridge or freezer.

When cooking vegetables, the cooking time depends on the freshness of the vegetables. Therefore check the condition of the vegetables, and add or deduct a little time accordingly.

The short cooking time when using a microwave oven means that the food does not overcook.

•If required, a little water can be added.

•When cooking fish and vegetables, you only need to use the minimum of water.

Microwave power

The choice of power setting depends on the condition of the food to be cooked.

In most cases, the food is cooked on full power.

•Full power is used, among other things, for reheating food quickly, boiling water or similar.

•Low power is principally used to defrost food and prepare dishes containing cheese, milk or egg. (Whole eggs in their shell cannot be cooked in the microwave oven, as there is a risk of the eggs exploding). In addition, lower power settings are also used to finish off and to retain the excellent aroma of a dish.

General information on cooking

•If the whole meal is to be prepared in the microwave oven, it is recommended that you start with the most compact foods, such as potatoes. Once these are ready, cover them while the rest of the food is prepared.

•Most food should be covered. A close-fitting cover retains the steam and moisture, which shortens the cooking time in the microwave oven. This is particularly the case when cooking vegetables, fish dishes and casseroles. Covering food also distributes the heat better, thus ensuring rapid and excellent results.

•In order to achieve the best possible results, it is important to position the food correctly, as the microwave rays are most powerful in the centre of the microwave oven. If, for example, you are baking potatoes, you should position them along the edge of the glass turntable so that they cook evenly.

•In order to cook compact dishes such as meat and poultry evenly, it is important to turn the pieces of meat a few times.

•You can bake in the microwave oven, although not with recipes that include yeast.

•When preparing food with a thick skin, e.g. potatoes, apples, whole squash or chestnuts, you should prick holes in the shell to prevent the food from bursting during cooking.

•When preparing food in a "traditional" oven, you normally avoid opening the oven door as much as possible. This is not the case with a microwave oven: no energy or significant heat is lost. In other words, you can open the microwave door and look at the food as often as you want.

Important safety measures when preparing food!

•If using the microwave oven to heat baby food or liquids in a feeding bottle, you must always stir the food/liquid and check the temperature thoroughly before serving. This ensures that the heat is evenly distributed and avoids scalding injuries. The lid and/or teat must not be fitted on a feeding bottle when it is placed in the microwave oven.

•If some foods are heated too long, they may char and give off smoke. If this happens, you should leave the door closed and switch off the microwave oven completely.

•Some foods with low water content, e.g. chocolate in squares and pastries with a sweet filling, should be heated carefully, otherwise they or the container may be ruined.

USING UTENSILS WHEN PREPARING FOOD

Before starting to prepare food in containers, you should check that the containers you wish to use are made of a suitable material, as some types of plastic may become "limp" and deform, while some types of ceramics may crack (particularly when heating small quantities of food).

In order to test if a container is suitable for use in a microwave oven:

•Place the container in the microwave oven.

•At the same time, place a half-full glass of water in the container.

•Start the microwave oven, and run it for 15-30 seconds on maximum power.

•If the container becomes very hot to the touch, you should avoid using it in the microwave oven.

22