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TIPS & ADVICE
11
BLANCHING VEGETABLES
Before freezing vegetables, they should be
blanched. This preserves the quality and flavour
at their best. Method: wash and
chop the vegetables. Put 250g of
vegetables in a dish with 275 ml
water and cover. Heat for 3-5
minutes. After blanching,
immerse immediately in cold water to prevent
further cooking and then allow to drain. Pack
vegetables in an airtight container and freeze.
PRESERVING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES
Using the microwave for preserving is quick and
easy. There are preserving jars, rubber vacuum
seals and suitable seals made of plastic available
specially made for microwaves. The manufacturers
will supply precise instructions for use.
LARGE AND SMALL QUANTITIES
Microwave times are directly
dependent upon the amount of
food which you would like to
thaw, heat or cook. This means
that small portions cook more
quickly than larger ones. As a rule of thumb:
TWICE THE AMOUNT = ALMOST TWICE THE TIME
HALF THE AMOUNT = HALF THE TIME
DEEP AND SHALLOW CONTAINERS
Both containers have the same capacity, but the
cooking time is longer for the deeper one. You
should therefore choose as flat a container as
possible with a large surface area. Only use deep
containers for dishes where there is a danger of
overcooking, e.g. for noodles, rice, milk etc..
ROUND AND OVAL CONTAINERS
Food cooks more evenly in round or oval
containers than in containers with corners, since
the microwave energy concentrates in the corners
and the food in these areas could become
overcooked.
ADDITION OF WATER
Vegetables and other foods with a high water content
can be cooked in their own juice or with the addition
of a little water. This ensures that many vitamins and
minerals are preserved.
FOOD IN SKINS OR SHELLS
Foods such as sausages, chickens, chicken legs,
baked potatoes, tomatoes, apples, egg yolks or such
like should be pricked or pierced with a fork or small
wooden skewer. This will enable the steam which
forms to dissipate without splitting the skin or shell.
FATTY FOODS
Fatty meat and layers of fat cook better than lean
portions of meat. Before cooking, cover the fatty
portions with a piece of aluminium foil or place the
food with the fat side down.
USING A FOOD THERMOMETER TO
DETERMINE COOKING TIME
The internal temperature of food and drink can be
ascertained with a food thermometer. The most
important temperatures are specified in the
temperature table.
Heating drinks
(Coffee, Water, Tea,
Milk etc.)
Heating soup
Heating stew
Poultry
Lamb
Pink
Well done
Roast beef
Rare
Medium
Well done
Pork, Veal
Drink / Food Internal Internal temp.
temperature after 10 - 15 mins
once cooked standing time
65-75
o
C
75-80
o
C
75-80
o
C
80-85
o
C
70
o
C
75-80
o
C
50-55
o
C
60-65
o
C
75-80
o
C
80-85
o
C
85-90
o
C
70-75
o
C
80-85
o
C
55-60
o
C
65-70
o
C
80-85
o
C
80-85
o
C
2. EX-72D UK ENGLISH 01/06/2004 08:34 Page 11