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 a 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 entire meal is to be cooked 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 cooks.
•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 at the centre of the oven compartment. 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 a 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 skin 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 microwaves: no energy or significant heat is lost. In other words, you can open the oven door and look at the food as often as you want.
Important safety measures when preparing food
•If using the apparatus 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 oven.
•If some foods are heated too long, they may char and give off smoke. If this happens, you should leave the oven door closed and switch off the apparatus 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 apparatus.
•At the same time, place a half-full glass of water in the container.
•Start the apparatus, and run it for 15-30 seconds on maximum power.
•If the container becomes very hot to the touch, do not use it.
Suitable utensils and materials
When cooking food in a microwave oven, you should PREFERABLY use the following utensils and materials:
Glass and glass bowls
Stoneware (glazed and unglazed). The food stays hot longer in glazed stoneware than in other dishes.
Plastic containers. Can be used for many heating purposes. Caution! Plastic containers made from melamine, polyethylene and phenol must NOT be used. Porcelain. All porcelain can be used in apparatus, although fireproof porcelain is preferable.
Fireproof covered dishes. Glass dishes with lids that fit so closely that steam cannot escape are ideal for vegetables and fruit to which no liquid is added (however, the cooking time must not exceed 5 minutes).
Browning dishes. You must be very careful when using this type of dish. Never heat the browning dish for more than 5 minutes on the turntable. Suitable insulation, such as a heat-tested plate, should be placed between the browning dish and the turntable to prevent the turntable from overheating.
Microwave roasting film can be used, particularly for soups, sauces, stewed dishes or when defrosting food. Can also be used as a loose covering to prevent fat, etc.
from spraying out into the oven compartment.
Kitchen roll is ideal, as it absorbs moisture and fat. For example, bacon can be placed in layers, with kitchen roll between each layer. The bacon will then be completely crispy, as it does not sit in its own fat. Home-baked bread can be taken directly from the freezer, wrapped in kitchen roll and heated in the microwave oven. Wet kitchen roll can be used for fish or vegetables. Covering the food prevents it from drying out.
Greaseproof paper Fish, large vegetables, such as cauliflower, corn on the cob and similar can be wrapped in wet greaseproof paper.
Roasting bags are ideal for meat, fish and vegetables. However, they must never be closed using metal clips. Cotton thread should be used instead. Prick the bag with small holes, and place it in the appliance on a plate or glass dish.
Unsuitable utensils and materials
When cooking food in a microwave oven, you must NOT use the following utensils and materials:
Sealed glass jars/bottles with small openings, as they may explode.
General-purpose thermometers
Silver foil/foil trays, as the microwave rays cannot penetrate the material and the food will not cook.
Recycled paper, as it may contain small metal splinters that could cause sparks and/or a fire.
Closed tins/containers with tightly sealed lids, as excess pressure may cause the tin/container to explode.
Metal clips and lids/film containing metallic threads since they can cause sparks in the microwave oven and must therefore be removed.
Metal bowls/containers and packaging, unless they are designed specifically for use in apparatus. The microwaves are reflected and cannot penetrate the food through the metal.
Plates, dishes and bowls/containers with metal, gold and silver decorations. They may break and/or cause sparks to form in the oven compartment.
CLEANING
When cleaning the appliance, you should pay attention to the following points:
•Turn off the appliance and remove the plug from the wall socket before cleaning.
•Clean the appliance by wiping it with a damp cloth. A little detergent can be added if the appliance is heavily soiled.
•Do not use scouring pads, steel wool or any form of strong solvents or abrasive cleaning agents to clean the appliance, as they may damage the outside surfaces of the appliance.
•Make sure that no water gets into the vent holes.
•The spindle, the turning ring and the floor of the appliance must be cleaned regularly so that the glass turntable can move freely.
•Be aware that leaving greasy residue and/or spills on the glass turntable can cause it to overheat and shatter.
•The glass turntable can be cleaned in a dishwasher.
•IMPORTANT! Do not remove the mica plate (3) from the inside of the oven!
•Tip: When the oven has been in use for some time, the oven compartment can begin to smell. If the smell is not dispersed by ordinary cleaning, place a few lemon slices in a cup and cook them in the apparatus at full power for 2-3 minutes. This will effectively disperse the smell.
BEFORE GOING TO A REPAIR CENTRE
If the appliance will not start:
•Check that the plug is correctly in place in the wall socket. If that is not the case, remove the plug, wait 10 seconds and then plug it in again.
•Check whether a fuse has blown or whether the relay has been switched off. If it is not that, you can check that the socket itself is working by plugging in another device.
•Check that the oven door is closed properly. If this is not the case, the automatic safety system via the lock dowels (2) ensures that the appliance cannot be started.
•Check whether the child safety lock is activated (lock symbol appears on display). If it is, deactivate the child safety lock by holding the ”Stop/Clear” button down for 3 seconds.
•Check whether the appliance has been set correctly, and whether the timer has been activated.
If the appliance still does not work, you should contact a repair engineer.
INFORMATION ON DISPOSAL AND RECYCLING OF THIS PRODUCT
Please note that this Adexi product is marked with this symbol:
This means that this product must not be disposed of together with ordinary household waste, as electrical and electronic waste must be disposed of separately.
In accordance with the WEEE directive, every member state must ensure correct collection, recovery, handling and recycling of electrical and electronic waste. Private households in the EU can take used equipment to special recycling stations free of charge. In some member states you can, in certain cases, return the used equipment to the retailer from whom you purchased it, if you are purchasing new equipment. Contact your retailer, distributor or the municipal authorities for further information on what you should do with electrical and electronic waste.
