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9
General Guidelines
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
their 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.
STANDING TIME
Dense foods e.g. meat, jacket
potatoes and cakes, require a
STANDING TIME (inside or
outside of the oven) after cooking,
to allow heat to finish conducting
to cook the centre completely.
■ MEAT JOINTS – Stand 15 mins. wrapped in aluminium foil.
■ JACKET POTATOES – Stand 5 mins. wrapped in aluminium
foil.
■ LIGHT CAKES – Stand 5 mins. before removing from dish.
■ RICH DENSE CAKES – Stand 15-20 mins.
■ FISH – Stand 2-5 mins.
■ EGG DISHES – Stand 2-3 mins.
■ PRECOOKED CONVENIENCE FOODS – Stand for 5 mins.
■ PLATED MEALS – Stand for 2-5 mins.
■ VEGETABLES – Boiled potatoes benefit from standing
1-2 mins., however most other types of vegetables can be
served immediately.
■ DEFROSTING – It is essential to allow standing time to
complete the process. This can vary from 5 mins. e.g.
raspberries, to up to 1 hour for a joint of meat.
If food is not cooked after STANDING TIME, return to oven
and cook for additional time.