I N F O R M A T I O N Y O U N E E D T O K N O W
ABOUT MICROWAVE COOKING
•Arrange food carefully. Place thickest areas towards outside of dish.
•Watch cooking time. Cook for the shortest amount of time indicated and add more as needed. Food severely overcooked can smoke or ignite.
•Cover foods while cooking. Check recipe or cook- book for suggestions: paper towels, wax paper, microwave plastic wrap or a lid. Covers prevent spattering and help foods to cook evenly.
•Shield with small flat pieces of aluminum foil any thin areas of meat or poultry to prevent overcooking before dense, thick areas are cooked thoroughly.
•Stir foods from outside to center of dish once or twice during cooking, if possible.
•Turn foods over once during microwaving to speed cooking of such foods as chicken and ham- burgers. Large items like roasts must be turned over at least once.
ABOUT SAFETY
•Check foods to see that they are cooked to the United States Department of Agriculture's recommended temperatures.
T E M P | F O O D |
160°F | ... for fresh pork, ground meat, |
| boneless white poultry, fish, |
| seafood, egg dishes and frozen |
| prepared food. |
165°F | ... for leftover, |
| refrigerated, and deli and carry- |
| out “fresh” food. |
170°F | ... white meat of poultry. |
180°F | ... dark meat of poultry. |
To test for doneness, insert a meat thermometer in a thick or dense area away from fat or bone. NEVER leave the thermometer in the food during cooking, unless it is approved for microwave oven use.
•Rearrange foods such as meatballs halfway through cooking both from top to bottom and from the center of the dish to the outside.
•Add standing time. Remove food from oven and stir, if possible. Cover for standing time which allows the food to finish cooking without overcooking.
•Check for doneness. Look for signs indicating that cooking temperatures have been reached.
Doneness signs include:
-Food steams throughout, not just at edge.
-Center bottom of dish is very hot to the touch.
-Poultry thigh joints move easily.
-Meat and poultry show no pinkness.
-Fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
•ALWAYS use potholders to prevent burns when handling utensils that are in contact with hot food. Enough heat from the food can transfer through utensils to cause skin burns.
•Avoid steam burns by directing steam away from the face and hands. Slowly lift the farthest edge of a dish's covering and carefully open popcorn and oven cooking bags away from the face.
•Stay near the oven while it's in use and check cooking progress frequently so that there is no chance of overcooking food.
•NEVER use the cavity for storing cookbooks or other items.
•Select, store and handle food carefully to preserve its high quality and minimize the spread of foodborne bacteria.
•Use care when removing items from the oven so that the utensil, your clothes or accessories do not touch the safety door latches.
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