Browning

Food that requires more than 15 minutes cooking time will brown naturally. The fat in meat attracts microwaves. Food that cooks quickly, such as steaks, chops, hamburgers, can be browned by using a few drops of soy sauce.

Quick bread and cakes do not brown, because there is no hot air in the oven to dry out the surface; therefore icing or toppings of cinnamon. sugar, coconut, chopped nuts, and soft brown sugar are recommended to add eye appeal. These can be sprinkled on the surface after half the cooking time. Bread or bread rolls can be brushed with beaten egg or milk and sprinkled with poppy seeds or cracked wheat before cooking. Using brown flour and brown sugar also adds colour to bread.

You may use browning dishes which are on sale in the market, but read and follow the safety instructions carefully on page 4.

Cooking Time variations

Always start by trying the minimum cooking time and check for doneness. The cooking times given in this book can only be approximate. The cooking times may vary because of size, shape, temperature, thickness of the food and utensils used.

Most of the recipes are for approximately two to four servings. Use slightly less than double the amount of cooking time when doubling a quantity. When cooking quantities are halved, the cooking time should be reduced to slightly more than half the time required in the recipe.