Place the food in a microwave-proof
dish and cover it.
When cooking, it is a good idea to
select a power level of 900 W to start
with and then when the food is hot
reduce the power level to 450 W for
more gentle continued cooking.
For dishes such as rice or semolina
pudding, first select a power level of
900 W, and then reduce it to 150 W for
simmering.
Tips on cooking
Vegetable cooking durations depend
on the texture of the vegetable.
Fresh vegetables contain more water
than vegetables which have been
stored, and usually cook more quickly.
Add a little water to vegetables which
have been stored.
Food taken straight from the refrigerator
takes longer to cook than food which
has been kept at room temperature.
Stir or turn food from time to time during
cooking to help it cook more evenly.
Ensure that food such as meat and
fish are thoroughly cooked for an
appropriate length of time.
Foods with a thick skin or peel, such as
tomatoes, sausages, jacket potatoes
and aubergines, should be pierced or
the skin cut in several places before
cooking to allow steam to escape and
to prevent the food from bursting.
Eggs can only be cooked in their
shells in the microwave oven in a
specially designed egg-boiling
device available from specialist
shops.
Eggs can burst, even after they have
been taken out of the oven.
Eggs can be cooked without their shells
in the microwave oven, only if the yolk
membrane has been punctured several
times first.
The pressure could otherwise cause
the egg yolk to explode.
After cooking
Be careful when removing a dish
from the oven. It may be hot.
Although heat is not normally produced
in the container itself by the
microwaves (apart from stoneware),
heat transfer from the food to the
container may be considerable, making
the container itself hot.
Allow food to stand for a few minutes at
room temperature at the end of cooking
to enable the heat to spread evenly
throughout the food.
Cooking
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