Electrolux EMS26405 user manual Food characteristics, Cooking techniques

14electrolux operation

Food characteristics

Composition	Foods high in fat or sugar (e.g. Christmas pudding, mince pies) require less
	heatingtime. Care should be taken as overheating can lead to fire.
Density	Food densitywill affect the amount of cooking time needed. Light porous
	foods, such as cakes or bread, cook more quickly than heavy, dense foods,
	such as roasts and casseroles.
Quantity	The cooking time must be increasedas the amount of food placed in the
	oven increases. E.g. four potatoeswill take longer to cook than two.
Size	Small foods and small pieces cook faster than large ones, as microwaves can
	penetrate from all sides to the centre. For even cooking make all the pieces
	the same size.
Shape	Foods which are irregularin shape, such as chicken breasts or drumsticks,
	take longer to cook in the thicker parts. Round shapes cook more evenly than
	square shapes when microwave cooking.
Temperature	The initial temperatureof food affects the amount of cooking time needed.
of food	Chilled foods will take longer to cook than food at room temperature. Cut into
	foods with fillings, for example jam doughnuts, to release heat or steam.
Cooking techniques
Arrange	Place the thickest parts of food towardsthe outside of the dish.
	E.g. Chicken drumsticks.
Cover	Use vented microwavecling film or a suitablelid.
Pierce	Foods with a shell, skin or membranemust be pierced in several places before
	cooking or reheatingas steam will build up and may cause food to explode.
	E.g. Potatoes, Fish, Chicken, Sausages.
	Note: Eggs should not be heated using microwavepower as they may
	explode, even after cooking has ended. E.g. poached,fried, hard boiled.
Stir, turn &	For even cooking it is essentialto stir, turn and rearrange food during cooking.
rearrange	Always stir and rearrangefrom the outsidetowards the centre.
Stand	Standingtime is necessaryafter cookingto enable the heat to disperse equally
	throughout the food.
Shield	Some areas of food being defrostedmay become warm. Warm areas can be
	shielded with small pieces of foil, which reflectmicrowaves, e.g. legs and wings
	on a chicken.