Piercing
The skin or membrane on some foods will
cause steam to build up during cooking. These
foods must be pierced or a strip of skin should
be peeled off before cooking to allow the steam
to escape. Eggs, potatoes, apples, sausages
etc, will all need to be pierced before cooking.
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO BOIL EGGS IN THEIR
SHELLS.
Moisture Content
Many fresh foods e.g. vegetables and fruit,
vary in moisture content throughout the
season. Jacket potatoes are a particular
example of this. For this reason cooking times
may have to be adjusted throughout the year.
Dry ingredients e.g. rice, pasta, can dry out
further during storage and cooking times may
differ from ingredients freshly purchased.
Cling film
Cling film helps keep the food moist and the
trapped steam assists in speeding up cooking
times. However it should be pierced before
cooking, to allow excess steam to escape.
Always take care when removing cling film
from a dish as the build-up of steam will be
very hot. Always purchase cling film that states
on the packet “suitable for microwave cooking”
and use as a covering only. Do not line dishes
with cling film. Do not cover foods when
cooking by COMBINATION, CONVECTION or
GRILL.
General Guidelines
Dish Size
Follow the dish sizes given in the recipes, as
these affect the cooking and reheating times. A
quantity of food spread in a bigger dish cooks
and reheats more quickly.
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