Kenmore 721.80012 Microwave Oven User Manual


 
MICROWAVE COOKING TIPS
Amount of food
• If you increase or decrease theamount of food
you prepare, the time it takes to cook that food will
also change. For example, if you double a recipe,
add a little more than half the original cooking time.
Check for doneness and, if necessary, add more
time in small increments,
Startingtemperature of food
The lowerthe temperature of thefood being put
into the microwave oven, the longer it takes to cook.
Food at room temperature will be re-heated more
quickly than food at refrigeratortemperature,
Composition of 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 highertemperature than
water in the cooking process,
• The more dense the food, the longer it takes to
heat, "Very dense" food like meat takes longerto
heat than lighter, more porous food likesponge
cakes,
Sizeandshape
Smaller pieces of food will cook fasterthan larger
pieces, Also, same shaped piecescook more
evenly than different-shaped pieces.
• With foods that have different thicknesses, the
thinner partswill cook faster than the thicker parts,
Place the thinner parts of chicken wings and legs in
the center of the dish.
Stirring, turning foods
Stirring and turning foods spreads heat quicklyto
the center of the dish and avoids overcooking at the
outer edges of the food,
Covering food
Cover food to:
Reduce splattering
• Shorten cooking times
Keep food moist
You can use any covering that lets microwaves pass
through, See "Getting to Know Your Microwave
Oven"for materials that microwaves will pass
through. If you are using the Sensor function, be sure
to vent,
Releasingpressureinfoods
Several foods (for example: baked potatoes,
sausages, egg yolks, and some fruits) are tightly
covered by a skin or membrane. Steam can build up
under the membrane during cooking, causing the
food to burst. To relievethe pressure and to prevent
bursting, pierce these foods before cooking with a
fork, cocktail pick, or toothpick.
Usingstandingtime
Always allow food to stand after cooking.
Standing time after defrosting and cooking allows
the temperature to evenly spread throughout the
food, improving the cooking results.
The length of the standing time depends on how
much food you are cooking and how dense it is.
Sometimes it 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 food,
the standing time may be as long as 10 minutes.
Arranging food
For best results, place food evenly on the plate, You
can do this in several ways:
If you are cooking several items of the same
food, such as baked potatoes,place them in a ring
pattern for uniform cooking,
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,
Layer thin slices of meat on topof each other,
When you cook or reheatwhole fish, score the
skin - this prevents cracking.
Do not letfood or a container touch the top or sides
of the oven, This will prevent possible arcing,
Usingaluminumfoil
Metal containers should not be used in a microwave
oven. There are, however, some exceptions. Ifyou
have purchased food which is prepackaged in an
aluminum foil container, 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. Ifyou use
aluminum containers without package instructions,
follow these guidelines:
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