Owner's Manual
7
Elevating:
Thick
or
dense
foods
are
often
elevated
so
that
microwaves
can
be absorbed
by
the
underside
and
center
of
the
foods.
Piercing:
Foods
enclosed
in
a
shell,
skin,
or
membrane
are
likely
to
burst
in
the
oven
unless
they
are
pierced
prior
to
cooking.
Such
foods
include
both
yolks
and
whites
of
eggs,
clams
and
oysters,
and
many
whole
vegetables
and
fruits.
Testing
if
cooked: Because
foods
cook
so
quickly
in
a
microwave
oven,
it
is
necessary
to
test
food
frequently.
Some
foods
are
left
in
the
microwave
until
completely
cooked,
but
most
foods,
including
meats
and
poultry,
are
removed
from
the
oven
while
still
slightly
undercooked
and
allowed
to
finish
cooking
during
standing
time.
The
internal
temperature
of
foods
will
rise
between
5°F
(3°C)
and
15°F
(8°C)
during
standing
time.
Standing
time:
Foods
are
often
allowed
to
stand
for
3
to
10
minutes
after
being
removed
from
the
microwave
oven.
Usually
the
foods
are
covered
during
standing
time
to
retain
heat
unless
they
are
supposed
to
be
dry
in
texture
(some
cakes
and
biscuits,
for
example).
Standing
allows
foods
to
finish
cooking
and
also
helps
flavors
to
blend
and
develop.
HOW
FOOD
CHARACTERISTICS
AFFECT
MICROWAVE
COOKING
Density
of
foods:
Light,
porous
food
like
cakes
and
breads
cook
more
quickly
than
heavy,
dense
foods
such
as
roasts
and
casseroles.
You
must
take
care
when
microwaving
porous
foods
that
the
outer
edges
do
not
become
dry
and
brittle.
Height
of
foods:
The
upper
portion
of
tall
foods,
particularly
roasts,
will
cook
more
quickly
than
the
lower
portion.
Therefore,
it
is
wise
to
turn
tall
foods
during
cooking,
sometimes
several
times.
Moisture
content
of
foods:
Since
the
heat
generated
from
microwaves
tends
to
evaporate
moisture,
relatively
dry
foods
such
as
roasts
and
some
vegetables
should
either
be
sprinkled
with
water
prior
to
cooking
or
covered
to
retain
moisture.
Bone
and
fat
content
of
foods:
Bones
conduct
heat
and
fat
cooks
more
quickly
than
meat.
Therefore,
care
must
be
taken
when
cooking
bony
or
fatty
cuts
of
meat
that
the
meats
do
not
cook
unevenly
and
do
not
become
overcooked.
NOTE:
It
is
a
common
misconception
that
micro-waves
cook
food
from
the
inside
out.
This
comes
from
heating
filled
pastries
with
a
high
sugar
content,
like
jelly
doughnuts.
The
pastry
is
cool
but
the
filling
is
very
hot!
If
you
cook
a
chicken
or
a
roast,
you'll
see
the
outside
is
cooked
first.
Shape
of
foods:
Microwaves
penetrate
only
about
1
inch
(2.5cm)
into
foods;
the
interior
portion
of
thick
foods
is
cooked
as
the
heat
generated
on
the
outside
travels
inward.
In
other
words,
only
the
outer
edge
of
any
food
is
actually
cooked
by
microwave
energy;
the
rest
is
cooked
by
convection.
It
follows
then
that
the
worst
possible
shape
for
a
food
that
is
to
be
microwaved
is
a
thick
cube.
The
corners
will
burn
long
before
the
center
is
even
warm.
Round,
thin,
and
ring
shaped
foods
cook
most
successfully
in
the
microwave.
Quantity
of
foods:
The
number
of
microwaves
in
your
oven
remains
constant
regardless
of
how
much
food
is
being
cooked.
Therefore,
the
more
food
you
place
in
the
oven,
the
longer
the
cooking
time.
Remember
to
decrease
cooking
times
by
at
least
one-third
when
halving
a
recipe.
Other
Helpful
Information