Cooking advice

The oven offers a wide range of alternatives which allow you to cook any type of food in the best possible way. With time you will learn to make the best use of this versatile cooking appliance and the following directions are only a guideline which may be varied according to your own per- sonal experience.

Baking cakes

The oven should always be warm before putting in cakes wait till the end of preheating (about 10-15 min.). Cake- baking temperatures are normally around 160°C/200°C. Do not open the oven door during the baking process as this could cause the cake to sink.In general:

Pastry is too dry

Increase the temperature by 10°C and reduce the cooking time.

Pastry dropped

Use less liquid or lower the temperature by 10°C.

Pastry is too dark on top

Place it on a lower rack, lower the temperature, and increase the cooking time.

Cooked well on the inside but sticky on the outside

Use less liquid, lower the temperature, and increase the cooking time.

The pastry sticks to the pan

Grease the pan well and sprinkle it with a dusting of flour.

Cooking fish and meat

When cooking white meat, fowl and fish use low temperatures. (150°C-175°C). When red meat must be superficially well-cooked but succulent inside, it is advisable to start with a high temperature (200-220°C) for a short time, and then to reduce it at a later point. Generally speaking, the more meat there is, the lower the temperature and the longer the cooking time should be.Place the meat in the centre of the grid and put a spill- tray underneath to catch grease drips. Insert the grid so that it is in the middle of the oven. If more heat from below is required, use the 1° bottom shelf.

To grill

When using any of the grilling modes, it is recommended that the thermostat knob be turned to the highest setting, as it is the most efficient way to use the grill (which utilizes infrared rays). If necessary, however, the thermostat can be set to lower temperatures for grilling. When using the grill functions, place the grid on the lower racks (see cooking table) then, to prevent fat and grease from dripping onto the bottom of the oven and smoke from forming, place a dripping-pan on the 1st oven rack from the bottom.

Important: always use the grill with the oven door closed. This will allow you both to obtain excellent results and to save on energy (approximately 10%). Table 1 includes the recommended temperatures, cooking times and positions for you to obtain the best results when cooking.