Melissa 653-089 - Manual (Page 21)

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3. Press the ”Time/Menu/Start” button to commence cooking.
The pause symbol goes off, “COMB2” stops fl ashing, and the
display shows the remaining cooking time.
Cooking using auto menu
The microwave oven has 10 auto menu programs used for
different food types and functions (see auto menu list in the table
below).
1. Turn the ”Time/Menu/Start” button in a clockwise direction
until the code for the required auto menu program appears on
the display (see ”Indication in the display” in the table below).
In the top left corner of the display ”AUTO” begins to fl ash,
and the number of the auto menu program is shown.
2. Press the ”Wei.Adj.” button (f) repeatedly until the required
setting (weight/number) is shown on the display. The setting
options vary according to the auto menu program selected.
The microwave oven itself calculates the cooking time and
power on the basis of the weight or the number you specifi ed.
The pause symbol will now start fl ashing.
o NB! When setting the defrost program, use the “Time/Menu/
Start” button to set the required weight. When the display
shows “**” and “100 g”, continue to turn the button until the
required weight is shown on the display.
3. Press the “Time/Menu/Start” button to start cooking. The
pause symbol goes off and the display shows the remaining
cooking time.
Auto menu program
Indication in the
display
Food item
1 1 Coffee/soup Coffee/soup
2 2 Rice
3 3 Pasta
4 4 Potatoes
5 5 Reheating Reheating
6 6 Fish
7 7 Chicken
8 8 Beef/lamb
9 9 Kebabs
10 ** and 100 g ** and 100 g Defrosting Defrosting
NB! It may be necessary to turn the food once half the cooking
time has elapsed in order to ensure uniform cooking.
CHILD SAFETY LOCK
The child safety lock prevents small children from using the
microwave oven. The microwave oven cannot be operated as
long as the child safety lock is active. To activate the child safety
lock, press and hold the “Stop/Cancel” button for 3 seconds.
A beep will be heard, and the display shows a lock symbol. To
deactivate the child safety lock again, press and hold the “Stop/
Cancel” button for 3 seconds. The symbol will then disappear
from the display.
TIPS FOR FOOD PREPARATION
When preparing food in the microwave oven, the following basic
rules apply:
Cooking time
Smaller quantities of food cook more rapidly than large
quantities. If the amount of food is doubled, the preparation time
must be more than doubled correspondingly.
Small pieces of meat, small fi sh and chopped vegetables
cook more quickly than large pieces. For the same reason, it is
recommended that if, for example, you wish to make goulash,
stews or similar, the meat be cut into pieces no bigger than 2 x 2
cm.
The compactness of the food is also very important for the
cooking time. The more compact the food is, the longer it takes
to cook.
Whole joints require a longer cooking time than stewed dishes.
A joint requires a longer time than a dish using minced meat.
The colder the food, the longer the cooking time needs to be.
Food at room temperature will therefore cook faster than food
from a fridge or freezer.
When cooking vegetables, the cooking time depends on the
freshness of the vegetables. Therefore check the condition of the
vegetables, and add or deduct a little time accordingly.
The short cooking time when using a microwave oven means that
the food does not overcook.
If required, a little water can be added.
When cooking fi sh and vegetables, you only need to use the
minimum of water.
Microwave power
The choice of power setting depends on the condition of the
food to be cooked.
In most cases, the food is cooked on full power.
Full power is used, among other things, for reheating food
quickly, boiling water or similar.
Low power is principally used to defrost food and prepare dishes
containing cheese, milk or egg. (Whole eggs in their shell cannot
be cooked in the microwave oven, as there is a risk of the eggs
exploding.) In addition, lower power settings are also used to
fi nish off and to retain the excellent aroma of a dish.
General information on cooking
• If the whole meal is to be prepared in the microwave oven, it
is recommended that you start with the most compact foods,
such as potatoes. Once these are ready, cover them while the
rest of the food is prepared.
• Most food should be covered. A close-fi tting cover retains the
steam and moisture, which shortens the cooking time in the
microwave oven. This is particularly the case when cooking
vegetables, fi sh dishes and casseroles. Covering food also
distributes the heat better, thus ensuring rapid and excellent
results.
• In order to achieve the best possible results, it is important to
position the food correctly, as the microwave rays are most
powerful in the centre of the microwave oven. If, for example,
you are baking potatoes, you should position them along the
edge of the glass turntable so that they cook evenly.
• In order to cook compact dishes such as meat and poultry
evenly, it is important to turn the pieces of meat a few times.
• You can use the microwave oven for baking, although not
with recipes that include yeast.
• When preparing food with a thick skin, e.g. potatoes, apples,
whole squash or chestnuts, you should prick holes in the skin
to prevent the food from bursting during cooking.
• When preparing food in a “traditional” oven, you normally
avoid opening the oven door as much as possible. This is not
the case with a microwave oven: no energy or signifi cant heat
is lost. In other words, you can open the oven door and look
at the food as often as you want.
USING UTENSILS WHEN PREPARING FOOD
Before starting to prepare food in containers, you should check
that the containers you wish to use are made of a suitable
material, as some types of plastic may become limp and deform,
while some types of ceramics may crack (particularly when
heating small quantities of food).
In order to test if a container is suitable for use in a microwave
oven:
• Place the container in the microwave oven.
• At the same time, place a half-full glass of water in the
container.
• Start the microwave oven, and run it for 15-30 seconds on
maximum power.
• If the container becomes very hot to the touch, you should
avoid using it in the microwave oven.