Cooking
GETTING THE BEST COOKING RESULTS
To get the best results from your microwave oven, read and follow the guidelines below.
•Storage Temperature: Foods taken from the freezer or refrigera- tor take longer to cook than the same foods at room temperature. The time for recipes in this book is based on the normal storage tem- perature of the food.
•Size: Small pieces of food cook faster than large ones, pieces simi- lar in size and shape cook more evenly. For even cooking, reduce the power when cooking large pieces of food.
•Natural Moisture: Very moist foods cook more evenly because microwave energy is attracted to water molecules.
•Stir foods such as casseroles and vegetables from the outside to the center to distribute the heat evenly and speed cooking. Constant stir- ring is not necessary.
•Turn over foods like pork chops, baking potatoes, roasts, or whole cauliflower halfway through the
cooking time to expose all sides equally to microwave energy.
•Place delicate areas of foods, such as asparagus tips, toward the cen- ter of the dish.
•Arrange unevenly shaped foods, such as chicken pieces or salmon steaks, with the thicker, meatier parts toward the outside of the dish.
•Shield, with small pieces of alu- minum foil, parts of food that may cook quickly, such as wing tips and leg ends of poultry.
•Let It Stand: After you remove the food from the microwave, cover food with foil or casserole lid and let it stand to finish cooking in the cen- ter and avoid overcooking the outer edges. The length of standing time depends on the density and sur- face area of the food.
•Wrapping in waxed paper or paper towel: Sandwiches and many other foods containing pre- baked bread should be wrapped prior to microwaving to prevent dry- ing out.
FISH AND SHELLFISH
Cooking Fish and Shellfish: General Directions
•Prepare the fish for cooking.
-Completely defrost the fish or shellfish.
-Arrange unevenly shaped pieces with thicker parts toward the out- side of the dish. Arrange shellfish in a single layer for even cooking.
-The type of cover you use depends on how you cook. Poached fish needs a micro- wavable lid or vented plastic wrap.
-Baked fish, coated fish, or fish in sauce needs to be covered light- ly with waxed paper to keep the coating crisp and sauce from get- ting watery.
-Always set the shortest cooking time. Fish is done when it turns opaque and the thickest part begins to flake. Shellfish is done when the shell turns from pink to red and the flesh is opaque and firm.
•The Fish and Shellfish Cooking Table below provides specific direc- tions with Power Level and Cooking Time settings for most types of fish and shellfish.
FISH AND SHELLFISH COOKING TABLE
FISH | POWER LEVEL | COOKING TIME | DIRECTIONS | |
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Fish fillets | HI | Arrange fish in a single layer with thickest portion | ||
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| toward outside edge of 11⁄2 quart microwavable | |
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| baking dish. Brush with melted butter and season, | |
Fish steaks | HI | |||
if desired. Cook covered with vented plastic wrap. | ||||
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| Let stand covered 2 minutes. If you are cooking | |
Whole fish | 7 | more than 1 lb. of fish, turn the fish halfway | ||
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| through cooking. | |
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Scallops | HI | Arrange in a single layer. Prepare as directed | ||
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| above, except stir instead of turning the shellfish. | |
Shrimp, shelled | HI | |||
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