GUIDE TO USE OF THE OVEN SHELF

Use the shelf only when cooking food on

2 levels. Food microwaves best when placed directly on the oven floor.

Do not store or cook with metal shelf on floor of oven. Product damage may result.

Use pot holders when handling metal shelf and cookware. They may be hot.

Do not store microwave browning dish on metal shelf.

Use of shelf with the Cook or Reheat program is not recommended.

Do NOT use the metal shelf with the Popcorn program.

The wire shelf is specifically designed for added capacity heating and reheating in your microwave oven. Now more than one food may be heated or reheated and ready to serve at the same time.

Batters and dough foods and also uncooked foods which need to be prepared from scratch should be cooked without the oven shelf.

Positioning the Shelf

To position the shelf, tip the back slightly and fit the shelf support guides onto the support guides located at each side of the oven in the rear.

Next, lower the front until the shelf support guides fit onto the support guides located at each side of the oven in the front.

When properly positioned, the shelf should fit snugly in place, be level and not touch the back or side wall of the oven.

If arcing occurs when using the shelf to cook more than one food at the same time, turn the oven off. Make sure the shelf is not touching oven walls. To prevent arcing, remove the shelf when you are not using it.

How to Reheat Several Different Types of Foods Together

When heating several different types of food together, foods which should be served hot must be placed on the oven floor, while foods which need only to be warmed should be placed on the shelf. This is because microwave energy enters the oven from the bottom only. Also, it is important to remember that foods absorb microwave energy at different rates. Rates can be affected by the size of the food, and its starting temperature.

Because of the varying rates, you may need to start reheating a large or dense food a few minutes ahead of time, then add other smaller or less dense foods.

Alternately, if one of the foods you are heating seems undercooked but the others are heated satisfactorily, let the underheated food continue cooking.

Heat or reheat different types of food at High (10). To determine heating times, add times for all foods together. After half of time, stir or rearrange foods (do not reverse positions). Check foods (especially those on the oven floor) after 3/4 of total time and remove any which are done. Continue cooking others.

Place on the floor larger

or more dense foods, which need the most heating, such as leftover

fried chicken, casseroles of

canned or leftover vegetables, rice or pasta. Place on the oven shelf those foods which need only be warmed, such as bakery pies, rolls, muffins or breads.

Pop popcorn on the microwave oven floor only. Use prepackaged popcorn labeled for use in microwave ovens.

28

Page 28
Image 28
GE 49-8622 Guide to USE of the Oven Shelf, Positioning the Shelf, How to Reheat Several Different Types of Foods Together