E
7
About food
Food Do Don't
Eggs,
sausages,
nuts, seeds,
fruits &
vegetables
• Puncture egg yolks before cooking to pr event
“explosion”.
• Pierce skins of potatoes, apple s, squash, hot
dogs and sausages so that stea m escapes.
• Cook eggs in shells.
• Reheat whole eggs.
• Dry nuts or seeds in shell s.
Popcorn • Always use a Popcorn Tray (nordicWare®)
made from heavy weight thermo set polyester
when popping bagged microwave pop corn.
• Listen while popping corn for the
popping to slow to 1 or 2 seconds or use
special popcorn pad.
• Pop popcorn in regular brown bag s
or glass bowls.
• Exceed maximum time on popc orn
package.
Baby food • Transfer baby food to small dish and heat
carefully, stirring often. Check temperature
before serving.
• Put nipples on bottles after h eating and shake
thoroughly. “Wrist” test before feed ing.
• Heat disposable bottles.
• Heat bottles with nipples on.
• Heat baby food in original jars.
General • Cut baked goods with filling afte r heating to
release steam and avoid burns.
• Stir liquids briskly before an d after heating to
avoid “eruption”.
• Use deep bowl, when cooking liqui ds or
cereals, to prevent boilovers.
• Heat or cook in closed glass ja rs or air
tight containers.
• Can in the microwave as harmful
bacteria may not be destroyed.
• Deep fat fry.
• Dry wood, gourds, herbs or wet p apers.
Information You need To Know
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
cookbook 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 over-
cooking 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
hamburgers. Large items like roasts must be
turned over at least once.
• 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 indicati ng
that cooking temperatures have been reached.
• Doneness signs include:
- Food steams throughout, n ot just at edge.
- Ce nter bottom of dish is very hot to the touch.
- Poultry thigh joints m ove easily.
- meat and poultr y show no pinkness.
- Fish is opaque and fla kes easily with a fork.