Cooking Instructions
Cooking Techniques | General Tips | |
Stirring | • Dense foods, such as potatoes, take longer to heat than lighter | |
Stir foods such as casseroles and vegetables while cooking to distribute | foods. Foods with a delicate texture should be heated at a low power | |
heat evenly. Food at the outside of the dish absorbs more energy and | level to avoid becoming tough. | |
heats more quickly, so stir from the outside to the center. The oven will turn | • Altitude and the type of cookware you are using can affect cooking | |
off when you open the door to stir your food. | ||
Arrangement | time. When using a new recipe, use the minimum cooking time and | |
check the food occasionally to prevent overcooking. | ||
Arrange unevenly shaped foods, such as chicken pieces or chops, with the | ||
• Foods with a | ||
thicker, meatier parts toward the outside of the turntable where they | ||
be pierced to prevent bursting. | ||
receive more microwave energy. To prevent overcooking, place thin or del- | ||
icate parts toward the center of the turntable. | • Frying with heating oil or fat is not recommended. Fat and oil can | |
Shielding | suddenly boil over and cause severe burns. | |
Shield food with narrow strips of aluminum foil to prevent overcooking. | • Some ingredients heat faster than others. For example, the jelly | |
Areas that need shielding include poultry | inside a jelly doughnut will be hotter than the dough. Keep this in | |
legs, and corners of square baking dishes. Use only small amounts of alu- | mind to avoid burns. | |
minum foil. Larger amounts can damage your oven. | • Home canning in the microwave oven is not recommended because | |
Turning | ||
all harmful bacteria may not be destroyed by the microwave heating | ||
Turn foods over midway through cooking to expose all parts to microwave | process. | |
energy. This is especially important with large items such as roasts. | • Although microwaves do not heat the cookware, the heat is from the | |
Standing | ||
food often transferred to the cookware. Always use pot holders when | ||
Foods cooked in the microwave build up internal heat and continue to cook | removing food from the microwave and instruct children to do the | |
for a few minutes after the oven stops. Let foods stand to complete cook- | same. | |
ing, especially foods such as roasts and whole vegetables. Roasts need | • Making candy in the microwave is not recommended as candy can | |
this time to complete cooking in the center without overcooking the outer | ||
areas. All liquids, such as soup or hot chocolate, should be shaken or | heat to very high temperatures. Keep this in mind to avoid injury. | |
stirred when cooking is complete. Let liquids stand a moment before serv- |
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ing. When heating baby food, stir well and test the temperature before |
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serving. |
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Adding Moisture |
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Microwave energy is attracted to water molecules. Food that is uneven in |
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moisture content should be covered or allowed to stand so that the heat |
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disperses evenly. Add a small amount of water to dry food to help it cook. |
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Venting |
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After covering dish with plastic wrap, you vent plastic wrap by turning back |
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one corner so excess steam can escape. |
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