Arranging food
For best results, distribute food evenly on
the plate. You can do this in several ways:
l if you are cooking several items of the
same food, such as baked potatoes,
place them in a ring pattern for uniform
cooking.
l When cooking foods of uneven shapes
or thickness, such as chicken breasts,
place the smaller or thinner area of the
food towards the center of the dish where
it will be heated last.
l Layer thin slices of meat on top of
each other.
l Choose a tail, narrow container rather
than a low and wide container. When
reheating gravy, sauce, or soup, do not
fill the container more than %.
l When you cook or reheat whole fish,
score the skin - this prevents cracking.
l Shield the tail and head of whole fish
with small pieces of foil to prevent over-
cooking and ensure the foil does not touch
the sides of the oven.
l Do not let food or container touch the top
or sides of the oven. This will prevent
possible arcing.
Using aluminum foil
Metal containers should not be used in a
microwave oven. There are, however,
some exceptions. If you have purchased
food which is prepackaged in an aluminum
foil container, then refer to the instructions
on the package. When using aluminum foil
containers, cooking times may be longer
because microwaves will only penetrate
the top of the food.
If you use aluminum containers without
package instructions, follow these
guidelines:
l Place container in a glass bowl and add
some water so that it covers the bottom of
the container, not more than l/4” high. This
ensures even heating of the container
bottom.
l Always remove the lid to avoid damage to
the oven.
l Use only undamaged containers.
l Do not use containers taller than %“.
l Container must be half filled.
l To avoid arcing, there must be a mini-
mum l/4” between the aluminum container
and the walls of the oven and also
between two aluminum containers.
l Always place container on turntable.
l Reheating food in aluminum foil contain-
ers usually takes up to double the time
compared to reheating in plastic, glass,
china, or paper containers. The time when
food is ready will vary depending upon the
type of container you use.
l Let food stand for 2-3 minutes after
heating so that heat is spread evenly
throughout container.
Cooking you should not do in your microwave oven
l Do not do canning of foods in the oven.
Closed glass jars may explode, resulting in
damage to the oven or possible personal
injury.
l Do not use the microwave oven to sterilize
objects (baby bottles, etc.). It is difficult to
maintain the high temperature required for
safe sterilization.
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