Owner's Manual

6
GETTING
THE
BEST RESULTS
FROM YOUR MICROWAVE OVEN
Keep
an
eye
on
things.
The instructions
in
this book
have been formulated with
great
care,
but
your
success
in
preparing
food
depends,
of
course,
on how
much attention
you pay
to the food as it cooks.
Always
watch
your
food while it cooks. Your microwave oven is
equipped
with a
light
that turns on
automatically
when
the oven is
in
operation
so that
you
can see inside and
check the
progress
of
your recipe.
Directions
given
in
recipes
to
elevate, stir,
and the like should be
thought
of
as the minimum
steps
recommended.
If
the food seems
to be
cooking unevenly, simply
make the
necessary
adjustments you
think
appropriate
to correct the
problem.
Factors
affecting cooking
times.
Many
factors affect
cooking
times. The
temperature
of
ingredients
used
in
a
recipe
makes a
big
difference
in
cooking
times. For
example,
a cake made with ice-cold
butter, milk,
and
eggs
will
take
considerably longer
to bake than one
made with
ingredients
that are at room
temperature.
All
of the
recipes
in
this book
give
a
range
of
cooking
times.
In
general, you
will
find that the food remains under-
cooked at the lower end of the time
range,
and
you may
sometimes want to cook
your
food
beyond
the maximum
time
given, according
to
personal preference.
The
governing philosophy
of this book is that it is best for a
recipe
to be conservative
in
giving cooking
times. While
undercooked food
may always
be cooked a bit
more,
overcooked food is ruined for
good.
Some of the
recipes,
particularly
those for
bread, cakes,
and
custard,
recommend that food be removed from the oven when
they
are
slightly
undercooked. This is not a mistake.
When allowed to
stand,
usually
covered,
these foods
will
continue to cook outside of the oven as the heat
trapped
within the outer
portions
of the foods
gradually
travels
inward.
If
the foods are left
in
the oven until
they
are
cooked all the
way through,
the outer
portions
will
become overcooked or even burnt.
As
you gain experience
in
using your
microwave
oven,
you
will
become
increasingly
skillful
in
estimating
both
cooking
and
standing
times for various foods.
SPECIAL
TECHNIQUES
IN
MICROWAVE COOKING
Browning:
Meats and
poultry
that are cooked fifteen
minutes or
longer
will
brown
lightly
in
their own fat.
Foods that are cooked for a shorter
period
of time
may
be brushed with a
browning
sauce to achieve an
appetizing
color. The most
commonly
used
browning
sauces are Worcestershire
sauce,
soy
sauce,
and
barbecue sauce. Since
relatively
small amounts of
browning
sauces are added to
foods,
the
original
flavor
of
recipes
is not altered.
Covering:
A
cover
traps
heat and steam and causes
food to cook more
quickly.
You
may
either use a lid or
microwave
cling-film
with a corner folded back to
prevent
splitting.
Covering
with waxed
paper:
Waxed
paper effectively
prevents spattering
and
helps
food retain some heat.
Since it makes a looser cover than a lid or
cling-film,
it
allows the food to
dry
out
slightly.
Wrapping
in
waxed
paper
or
paper
towel: Sandwiches
and
many
other foods
containing prebaked
bread should
be
wrapped prior
to
microwaving
to
prevent drying
out.
Arranging
and
spacing:
Individual foods such as baked
potatoes,
small
cakes,
and hors d'oeuvres
will
heat more
evenly
if
placed
in
the oven and
equal
distance
apart,
preferably
in
a circular
pattern.
Never stack foods on
top
of one another.
Stirring: Stirring
is one of the most
important
of all
microwaving techniques.
In
conventional
cooking,
foods
are stirred for the
purpose
of
blending.
Microwaved
foods, however,
are stirred
in
order to
spread
and
redistribute heat.
Always
stir from the outside towards
the center as the outside food heats first.
Turning
over:
Large,
tall foods such as roasts and
whole chickens should be turned so that the
top
and
bottom
will
cook
evenly.
It is also a
good
idea to turn cut-
up
chicken and
chops.
Placing
thicker
portions
near the
edge:
Since
microwaves are attracted to the outside
portion
of
foods,
it makes sense to
place
thicker
portions
of
meat,
poultry
and fish to the outer
edge
of the
baking
dish. This
way,
thicker
portions
will
receive the most microwave
energy
and the foods
will
cook
evenly.
Other
Helpful
Information