I Safety Precautions I
Follow These Safety Precautions When Cooking in Your Oven
IMPORTANT
Proper cooking depends upon the power, the
time set and quantity of food. If you use a small-
er portion than recommended and cook at the
time for the recommended portion, fire can
result.
1) HOME CANNING / DRYING FOODS / SMALL
QUANTITIES OF FOODS
• Do not use your oven for home canning, your
oven cannot maintain the food at the proper can-
ning temperature. Improperly canned food may
spoil and be dangerous to consume.
• Do not dry meats, herbs, fruits or vegetables in
your oven. Small quantities of food or foods with
low moisture content can dry out, scorch or catch
on fire if overheated.
2) POPCORN
Popcom may be popped in a microwave oven com
popper. Microwave popcorn which pops in its own
package is also available. Follow popcom manufac-
turers' directions and use a brand suitable for the
wattage of your microwave oven.
CAUTION: When using pre-packaged
microwave popcorn, follow recommended
package instructions. Check package weight
before using the Popcorn pad (see Popcorn
Pad section). Set the oven for the weight of
the popcorn package.
If these instructions are not followed, the
popcorn may not pop adequately or may
ignite and cause a fire. Never leave oven unat-
tended when popping popcorn. Allow the pop-
corn bag to cool before opening, always open
the bag away from your face and body.
3) DEEP FAT FRYING
• Do not attempt to deep fat fry in your microwave
oven. Cooking oils may burst into flames and may
cause damage to the oven and perhaps result in
burns. Microwave utensils may not be able to with-
stand the temperature of the hot oil, and could
shatter or melt.
4) FOODS WITH NONPOROUS SKINS
• Potatoes, apples, egg yolks, whole eggs, whole
squash and sausages are examples of foods
with nonporous skins. These types of foods
must be pierced before microwave cooking to pre-
vent their bursting.
• Use fresh potatoes for baking and cook until just
done. Use recommended weights for programmed
cooking. Overcookino causes dehydration and
ma result in a fire.
5) LIQUIDS
• Heated liquids can erupt if not mixed with air. DO
NOT heat liquids in your microwave oven without
first stirring.
6) GLASS TRAY / COOKING UTENSILS / FOIL
• Cooking utensils get hot during microwaving. Heat
is transferred from the HOT food to the container
and the Glass Tray. Use potholders when remov-
ing utensils from the oven or when removing lids
or plastic wrap covers from cooking utensils to
avoid burns.
• The g[ass tray will get hot during cooking. It
should be allowed to cool before handling or
before paper products, such as paper plates or
microwave popcorn bags, are placed in the oven
for microwave cooking.
• When using foil, skewers, warming rack or uten-
sils made of metal in the oven, allow at least 1-
inch (2.5 cm) of space between metal material
and interior oven walls. If arcing occurs (sparking),
remove metal material (skewers etc.) and/or trans-
fer to a non-metallic container.
• Dishes with metallic trim should not be used, as
arcing may occur.
• If an entree is heated in a foil tray, maintain at
least 1-inch (2.5 cm) spacing from the oven walls.
7) PAPER TOWELS / CLOTHS
• DO NOT use paper towels or cloths which contain
a synthetic fiber woven into them. The synthetic
fiber may cause the towel to ignite. Use paper
toweling under supervision.
8) BROWNING DISHES / OVEN COOKING BAGS
• Browning dishes or grills are designed for
microwave cooking only. Always follow instructions
provided by the manufacturer. DO NOT preheat
browning dish more than 6 minutes.
• If an oven cooking bag is used for microwave
cooking, prepare according to package directions.
DO NOT use a wire twist-tie to close bag, instead
use plastic ties, cotton string or a strip cut from
the open end of the bag.
9) THERMOMETERS
• DO NOT use a conventional meat thermometer in
your oven. Arcing may occur. Microwave-safe
thermometers are available for both meat and
candy.
10) BABY FORMULA / FOOD
• DO NOT heat baby formula or food in the
microwave oven. The glass jar or surface of the
food may appear warm while the interior can be
so hot as to burn the infant's mouth and esopha-
gus.
11) REHEATING PASTRY PRODUCTS
• When reheating pastry products, check tempera-
tures of any fillings before eating. Some foods
have fillings which heat faster and can be
extremely hot, while the surface remains warm to
the touch (ex. Jelly Donuts).
12) GENERAL OVEN USAGE GUIDELINES
• DO NOT use the oven for any reason other than
the preparation of food.
• DO NOT leave oven unattended while in use.
4