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GENERAL GUIDELINES
Since microwave cooking to some extent is different from
traditional cooking, the following general guidelines should be
considered whenever you use your microwave oven:
If the food is undercooked
Check if:
• You have selected the correct power level.
• the selected time is sufficient-the times given in the recipes
are approximate. They depend on initial temperature, weight
and density of the food etc.
• the container is appropriate.
If the food is overcooked,i.e. dried out or burnt
Before you cook again, consider whether:
• the power level was too high.
• the set time was too long-the times in the recipes are
approximate. They depend on initial temperature, weight and
density of the food etc.
Points to remember when defrosting
• The shape of the package alters the defrosting time. Shallow
rectangular packets defrost more quickly than a deep block.
• Separate pieces as they begin to defrost; free-flow slices
defost; free-flow slices defrost more easily.
• Shield areas of food with small pieces of foil if they start to
become warm.
• When defrosting, it is better to under thaw the food slightly
and allow the process to finish during the standing time.
The amount of food
The more food you want to prepare the longer it takes. A rule
of turmb is that double amount of food requires almost double
the time. If one potato takes four minutes to cook,
approximately seven minutes are required to cook two
potatoes.
Starting temperature of food
The lower the temperature of the food which is being put into
the microwave oven, the longer time it takes. Food at room
temperature will be reheated more quickly than food at
refrigerator temperature.
Composition of the food
Food with a lot of fat and sugar will be heated faster than food
containing a lot of water. fat and sugar will also reach a higher
temperature than water in the cooking process.
The more dense the food, the longer it takes to heat. “Very
dense” food like meat takes longer time to reheat than lighter,
more porous food like sponge cakes.
Size and shape
Smaller pieces of food will cook more quickly than larger
pieces and uniform pieces of food cook more evenly than
irregularly shaped foods.
With unevenly shaped food, the thinner parts will cook faster
than the thicker areas. Place the thinner chicken wings and
legs to the centre of the dish.
Stirring, turning of foods
Stirring and turning of foods are techniques used in
conventional and well as in microwave cooking to distribute
the heat quickly to the centre of the dish and avoids over-
cooking at the outer edges of the food.
Covering food helps:
• To reduce spattering
• To shorten cooking times
• To retain food moisture
All covering, which will allow microwaves to pass through are
suitable-See above “Which utensils can be used in the oven”
Releasing pressure in foods
Several foods are tightly covered by a skin or membrane.
These foods should be picked with a fork or cocktail stick to
relieve the pressure and to prevent bursting, as steam builds
up within them during cooking. This applies to jacket potatoes,
potatoes, chicken livers, sausages, egg yolks and some fruits.
Standing time
Always allow the food to stand for some time after using the
oven. standing time after defrosting, cooking/reheating always
improves the result since the temperature will then be evenly
distributed through out the food.
In a microwave oven foods continue to cook even when the
microwave energy is turned off. They are no longer cooking by
microwaves, but they are still being cooked by the conduction
of the high residual heat to the centre of the food.
The length of standing time depends on the volume and
density of the food. Sometimes if can be as short as the time it
takes you to remove the food from the oven and take it to the
serving table. However, with larger, denser foods, the
standiing time may be as long as 10minutes. Upon ‘standing’,
the internal temperature of the food will rise by as much as 8˚C
and the food will finish cooking during this time.
Arranging food
This is done in several ways in microwave
cooking to give more even cooking results.
If you are cooking several items of the
same food such as jacket potatoes, place
them in a ring pattern for uniform cooking.
When cooking foods of uneven shapes or
thickness, place the smaller or thinner area of
the food towards the centre of the dish where it will be heated
last.
Uneven foods such as fish should be arranged in
the oven with the tails to the centre.
If you are saving a meal in the refrigerator
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.
Place thin slices of meat on top of each
other or interlace them.
Thicker slices such as meat loaf
and sausages have to be placed close
to each other.
Gravy or sauce should be reheated in a
separate container.
Choose a tall, narrow container rather than
a low and wide container. When
reheating gravy, sauce or soup, do not fill
the container more than 2/3.
When you cook or reheat whole fish,
score the skin this prevents cracking.
Shield the tail and head with small pieces
of foil to prevent over-cooking but ensure
the foil does not touch the sides of the
oven.
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COOKING UTENSILS
Microwave energy is produced by high frquency radio waves. They are reflected from metal, but will pass through
most cooking utensils without heating them.
As the waves come into contact with the food, they are converted into heat energy. Listed below are the suggested
cooking utensils for this microwave oven and when to use them.
1. Dishes with metal trim of any type - should not be used. This will cause sparking.
2. Glass or ceramic heat proof dishes - excellent for microwave cooking.
3. China dishes and plates - without metal trim may by used to cook and heat individual portions of food.
4. Wood or straw - use only for short period, wood contains some moisture and the microwave energy may cause the
wood to dry out and crack.
5. Aluminum foil - may be used in very small pieces for shielding only.
Any aluminum foil used should never be closer than 2.5cm from side walls of oven.
6. Plastic - most heat resistant plastinc dinnerware may be used for heating food. However plyethylene, melamine,
phenol are unsuitable for use in the oven. They become hot in the microwave.
7. Wax paper - use as a cover to avoid spatters.
8. Metal - In general, metal utensils should not be used in microwave oven.
CARE AND CLEANING
Although your oven is provided with safety features, it is important'to observe the following:
1. It is important not to defeat or tamper with safety interlocks.
2. Do not place any object between the oven front face and the door or allow residue to accumulate on sealing
surfaces. Wipe the sealing area frequently with a mild detergent, rinse and wipe dry. Never use abrasive powders
or pads.
3. When opened, the door must not be subjected to strain, for example, a child hanging on an opened door or any
load could cause the oven to fall forward to cause injury and also damaged to the door. Do not operate the oven if
it is damaged, until it has been repaired by a trined service technician.
It is particularly important that the oven closes properly and that there is no damage to the:
i) Door (bent)
ii) Hinges and Hookes (broken or loosened)
iii) Door seals and sealing surfaces.
4. The oven should not be adjusted or repaired by anyone except a properly trained service technician.