Cooking Charts
Suggested power levels for cooking
The 10 power levels available with this microwave will help you to adjust to the power output best suited for the food type you are preparing. As with any food preparation in the microwave, it is best to follow the microwave instructions that are printed on food packaging.
The table below provides suggested power levels for various types of food that you can be prepare in the microwave.
Power | Microwave |
| Use to prepare when: |
level | output |
|
|
10 | 100% | | Boiling water |
High |
| | Cooking ground beef |
|
| | Making candy |
|
| Cooking fresh fruits & vegetables | |
|
| Cooking fish & poultry | |
|
| | Preheating browning dish |
|
| | Reheating beverages |
|
| | Cooking bacon slices |
|
|
|
|
9 | 90% | | Reheating meat slices quickly |
|
| | Saute onions, celery & green |
|
|
| peppers |
|
|
|
|
8 | 80% | | All reheating |
|
| | Cooking scrambled eggs |
|
|
|
|
7 | 70% | | Cooking breads & cereal products |
|
| Cooking cheese dishes & veal | |
|
| | Cakes, muffins, brownies & |
|
|
| cupcakes |
|
|
|
|
6 | 60% | | Cooking pasta |
|
|
|
|
5 | 50% | | Cooking meats & whole poultry |
|
| | Cooking custard |
|
| | Cooking spare ribs, rib roast & |
|
|
| sirloin roast |
|
|
|
|
4 | 40% | | Cooking less tender cuts of meat |
|
| Reheating frozen packages foods | |
|
|
|
|
3 | 30% | | Thawing meat, poultry & seafood |
|
| Cooking small quantities of food | |
|
| Finish cooking casseroles, stew & | |
|
|
| some sauces. |
|
|
|
|
2 | 20% | | Softening butter & cream cheese |
|
| Heating small amounts of food | |
|
|
|
|
1 | 10% | | Softening ice cream |
|
| | Raise yeast dough |
|
|
|
|
Suggestions for getting the best results
To help you achieve the best possible results from your microwave oven, read the following suggestions below;
Storage temperature
Foods taken from the freezer or refrigerator take longer to cook than the same foods would at room temperature.
Size
Small pieces of food cook faster than large ones. Pieces similar in size and shape will cook more evenly when cooked together. For more even results, reduce the power levels when cooking large pieces of food.
Natural moisture
Very moist foods cook more evenly because microwave energy heats water molecules very efficiently.
Stirring
Stir foods such as casseroles and vegetable from the outside to the center to distribute the heat more evenly. This will allow the food to cook faster. Constant stirring is not necessary.
Turn over items
Turn over foods such as pork chops, roasts or whole cauliflower halfway through the cook time. This will help to expose all sides equally to microwave energy.
Food placement
Place delicate areas of food items, such as asparagus tips, toward the center of the turntable tray.
Food arrangement
Arrange unevenly shaped foods, such as chicken pieces or salmon, with the thicker or meatier parts toward the outside of the turntable tray.
Let the food stand
After removing the food from the microwave, cover the food with foil or a casserole lid and let it stand to finish cooking. This will help the food finish in the center and avoids overcooking the out edges. The length of stand time depends on the density and surface area of the food items.
Wrapping in paper towels or waxed paper Sandwiches and many other food types containing pre- baked bread should be wrapped prior to placing in the microwave to help prevent the food items fro drying out while heating.
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