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 use the microwave oven for baking, 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 a microwave oven: 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.
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.
Suitable utensils and materials
When you prepare food in the 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 microwave ovens, 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 oven 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, packed 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 packed 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 microwave oven on a plate or glass dish.
Unsuitable utensils and materials
When you prepare food in the microwave oven, you should not use the following utensils and materials:
Sealed glass/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 other lids/foils - containing metal wires. These can form sparks in the microwave oven and must therefore be removed.
Metal bowls/containers and packaging - unless they are designed specifically for use in microwave ovens. 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 microwave oven, you should pay attention to the following points:
•Switch the microwave oven off and remove the plug from the wall socket before cleaning.
•Never use scouring powder, steel scourers or other strong cleaning agents to clean the interior or exterior surfaces of the microwave oven, as they may scratch the surfaces.
•Instead use a cloth dampened with hot water, and add detergent if the microwave oven is very dirty.
•Make sure that no water gets into the vent holes.
•The turning ring and the floor of the microwave oven must be cleaned regularly so that the glass turntable can move around without hindrance.
•The glass turntable and turning ring can be cleaned in a dishwasher.
•Do not remove the magnetron cover (6) on 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 microwave oven at full power for 2-3 minutes. This will effectively disperse the smell.
