COOKING GUIDE
Covering food
Cover food to:
•Reduce splattering
•Shorten cooking times
•Retain food moisture
All coverings that allow microwaves to pass through are suitable.
Releasing pressure in foods
•Several foods (for example: baked pota- toes, sausages, egg yolks, and some fruits) are tightly covered by a skin or membrane. This can cause the food to burst from steam building up in them during cooking. To relieve the pressure and to prevent bursting, pierce these foods before cook- ing with a fork, cocktail pick, or toothpick.
Using standing time
•Always allow food to stand for a while af- ter cooking. Standing time after defrosting, cooking, or reheating always improves the results since the temperature will then be evenly distributed throughout the food.
•The length of the standing time depends on the volume and density of the food. Sometimes it can be as short as the time it takes you to remove the food from the oven and take it to the serving table. However, with larger, denser food,
the standing time may be as long as 10 minutes.
Arranging food
For best results, distribute food evenly on the plate. You can do this in several ways:
•If you are cooking several items of the same food, such as baked potatoes, place them in a ring pattern for uniform cooking.
•When cooking foods of uneven shapes or thickness, such as chicken breasts, place the smaller or thinner area of the food towards the center of the dish where it will be heated last.
•Layer thin slices of meat on top of each other.
•When you cook or reheat whole fish, score the skin – this prevents cracking. Shield the tail and head of whole fish with small pieces of foil to prevent overcooking but ensure the foil does not touch the sides of the oven.
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•Do not let food or a container touch the top or sides of the oven. This will prevent possible arcing.
Using aluminum foil
Metal containers should not be used in a microwave oven. There are, however, some exceptions. If you have purchased food which is prepackaged in an aluminum foil container, then refer to the instructions on the package. When using aluminum foil containers, cooking times may be longer because microwaves will only penetrate the top of the food.
If you use aluminum containers without package instructions, follow these guidelines:
•Place container in a glass bowl and add some water so that it covers the bottom of the container, not more than 1⁄4 inch (6 mm) high. This ensures even heating of the container bottom.
•Always remove the lid to avoid damage to the oven.
•Use only undamaged containers.
•Do not use containers taller than 3⁄4 inch (19 mm).
•Container must be half filled.
•To avoid arcing, there must be a minimum
1⁄ inch (6 mm) between the aluminum
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container and the walls of the oven and also between two aluminum containers.
•Always place container on turntable.
•Reheating food in aluminum foil containers usually takes up to double the time compared to reheating in plastic, glass, china, or paper containers. The time when food is ready will vary depending upon the type of container you use.
•Let food stand for 2 to 3 minutes after heating so that heat is spread evenly throughout container.
Cooking you should not do in your microwave oven
•Do not do canning of foods in the oven. Closed glass jars may explode, resulting in damage to the oven or possible
•Do not use the microwave oven to sterilize objects (baby bottles, etc.). It is difficult to maintain the high temperature required for safe sterilization.