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 refrigerator take longer to cook than the same foods at room temperature. The times in this book are based on the normal storage temperature of the food.
•Size: Small pieces of food cook faster than large ones, pieces similar 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 stirring 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 center 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 aluminum 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 center and avoid overcooking the outer edges. The length of standing time depends on the density and surface area of the food.
•Wrapping in waxed paper or paper towel: Sandwiches and many other foods containing prebaked bread should be wrapped prior to microwaving to prevent drying 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 outside 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 microwavable lid or vented plastic wrap.
-Baked fish, coated fish, or fish in sauce needs to be covered lightly with waxed paper to keep the coating crisp and sauce from getting 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 directions with Power Level and Cooking Time settings for most types of fish and shellfish.
FISH AND SHELLFISH COOKING TABLE
FISH | POWER | COOKING | DIRECTIONS | |
LEVEL | TIME | |||
|
| |||
Fish | HI | Arrange fish in a single | ||
fillets |
| minutes | layer with thickest | |
|
|
| portion toward outside | |
|
|
| edge of 1½ quart | |
|
|
| microwavable baking | |
|
|
| dish. Brush with melted | |
Fish | HI | |||
butter and season, if | ||||
steaks |
| minutes | ||
| desired. Cook covered | |||
|
|
| ||
|
|
| with vented plastic | |
|
|
| wrap. Let stand covered | |
|
|
| 2 minutes. If you are | |
|
|
| ||
Whole | 7 | cooking more than | ||
fish |
| minutes | 1 lb. of fish, turn the | |
|
|
| fish halfway through | |
|
|
| cooking. | |
Scallops | HI | Arrange in a single | ||
|
| minutes | layer. Prepare as | |
Shrimp, | HI | directed above, except | ||
stir instead of turning | ||||
shelled |
| minutes | ||
| the shellfish. | |||
|
|
| ||
|
|
|
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14