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 cocking foods of uneven shapes or thickness, place the smaller or thinner area of the food towards the center of the dish where it will be heated last.
l Arrange uneven foods, such as fish, in the oven with the tails to the center.
lIf you are saving a meal in the refrigera- tor or “plating” a meal for reheating, arrange the thicker, denser foods to the outside of the plate and the thinner or less dense foods in the middle.
lPlace thin slices of meat on top of each other or interlace them.
l Place thkker slices of meat, such as meat loaf and sausages, close to each other.
lReheat gravy or sauce in a separate container.
l When you cock 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 usually should not be used in a microwave oven. There are, however, some exceptions. lf you have purchased food which is prepackaged in an aluminum foil container, then refer to the instructions on the package. It is possible to use dispos- able containers, but it generally takes longer and the final result will not be as good as
if fcod were placed in plastic or paper containers.
If you use aluminum containers without package instructions, follow these guide- lines:
l Place container in a glass bowl and add some water so that it covers the bottom of the container, not more than ‘/4inch 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 usa containers taller than 3%“.
l Container must be hatf filled.
l To avoid sparking, there must be a minimum l/4” between the aluminum container and the walls of the oven and also between two aluminum containers.
l Thickness of the food layer must be greater than thickness of the aluminum.
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 a great deal.
l Let food stand for
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.
53
