User Manual

Menu Planning for Microwave Cooking
How to Keep Everything Hot at The Same Time
Plan your meals so that the food will not all need
last minute cooking or attention at the same time.
The special features of microwave cookery make
it easy to serve meals with everything piping hot.
Cooking of some foods may be interrupted while you
start others, without harming the nutritional value or
flavour of either.
A recipe which requires standing time can be
microwaved first and another food cooked while it
stands. Dishes prepared in advance can be reheated
briefly before serving.
It does take some experience and time to cook with
confidence. Microwaves are fast so you will have to
do some experimenting. You might find you will use
your conventional range in conjunction with your
microwave oven. For example, while cooking the
roast in the microwave oven, you can be cooking the
vegetables and gravy on the range top. This can also
be done the other way around. Prepare your meals
as follows.
1. Firstly, cook the most dense item (roast or
casserole). Drain and retain meat juice from joints
then cover with foil.
2. Cook the potatoes, rice or pasta.
3. Cover with foil for standing.
4. Cook greens and other vegetables.
5. Cover with foil for standing.
6. Cook the gravy with the retained meat juices,
stock and thickening.
7. Carve the roast and serve the vegetables and
gravy.
While you are learning to plan meals, you may get a
bit behind time. Don’t worry. Dinner servings may be
suitably reheated on 800 W, for 1 to 2 minutes per
serving.
If you prefer not to use foil, cover food with saucepan
lids. A metal lid will retain the heat for at least 15
minutes.
Meanwhile, how can you cook all the vegetables
at the same time? Simply place potatoes and
pumpkin in one dish and less dense vegetables
such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, beans and
peas in another. Sprinkle greens with water. Cover
with a lid or plastic wrap. Cook on 1000 W for
approximately 10 to 15 minutes for a serving for four
people. Remember, if you increase the quantity of
vegetables, increase the cooking time. Fresh and
frozen vegetables can be mixed on a vegetable
platter, but remember the latter are not as dense as
fresh vegetables, as they have been blanched before
freezing.
If vegetables are cut to a similar size, they can be
cooked in separate ramekins or small dishes at the
same time.
Handy Hints and Tips
• To blanch (1 cup) nuts, place in a pie plate. Cover
with hot tap water and heat on 1000 W for 2 to
3 minutes. Rinse in cold water and rub between
sheets of paper towel to remove skins.
• To toast coconut, place half a cup on a paper
towel, and cook on 1000 W for 1 to 2 minutes,
stirring occasionally.
• To make buttered breadcrumbs, combine 1 cup
breadcrumbs and 2 tablespoon butter and heat on
1000 W for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• When heating 100 g baby food, select 1000 W
for 15 to 30 seconds, depending on the amount
of food or liquid and the starting temperature
of it. Test temperature before serving or further
heating.
• For an added touch at dinner parties, steam your
own hand towels. Saturate in cold water, wring and
place on a plate. Heat on 1000 W for 1 to 2 minutes.
• To soften cream cheese or butter, place in oven
on 270 W for ½ to 1 minutes per ½ cup.
• Refrigerated cheese (250 g) can be heated to
room temperature on 600 W for ½ to 1 minute,
depending on size.
• When having a barbecue, partially cook food in
the microwave, season and finish cooking on the
barbecue.
• To melt chocolate, place 100 g broken chocolate
in a 4 cup glass jug and heat on 600 W for 2 to
3 minutes. As chocolate holds its shape after
heating, stir and stand before adding extra time
to cooking.
• To remove oven odours, combine ½ teaspoon
vanilla essence with 1 cup water in a small bowl
and heat on 1000 W 4 to 5 minutes. Wipe oven
interior with a damp cloth.
• To toast 1 cup almonds place onto a plate and
heat on 1000 W for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring every
minute.
• To dry herbs, arrange ½ cup of leaves evenly
on paper towel. Place a mug of water into the
oven next to the herbs and cook on 1000 W for
1 to 3 minutes, or until dry and crumbly. Check
herbs frequently as timing may vary with different
herbs. Please note that herbs dry and crumble on
standing outside the microwave oven.
• To soften dried fruit, place 1 cup of dried fruit into
a small bowl. Add 2 tablespoon of water, cover
with plastic wrap and cook on 1000 W for 2 to 3
minutes.
• To skin tomatoes, place 1 cup of hot tap water
in a 2 to 3 cup jug or bowl and heat on 1000 W
for 1½ minutes or until boiling. Add 1 tomato and
heat for a further 20 to 30 seconds, remove and
repeat procedure with remaining tomatoes. The
skin will be loosened and easily removed.
• To dry fresh breadcrumbs (1 cup), spread on
the base of a plate and heat on 1000 W for 2 to
3 minutes, stirring twice during heating.
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Microwave Recipe Techniques
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