Melissa Steel Series 253-011 - Manual (Page 25)

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 finish 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-fitting cover retains the steam
and moisture, which shortens the cooking time in the microwave
oven. This is particularly the case when cooking vegetables, fish
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 significant heat is lost. In other words,
you can open the oven door and look at the food as often as you
want.
Important safety measures when preparing food!
• If using the microwave oven to heat baby food or liquids in a feeding
bottle, you must always stir the food/liquid and check the temperature
thoroughly before serving. This ensures that the heat is evenly
distributed and avoids scalding injuries.
• The lid and/or teat must not be fitted on a feeding bottle when it is
placed in the microwave oven.
• If some foods are heated too long, they may char and give off smoke.
If this happens, you should leave the oven door closed and switch off
the microwave oven completely.
• Some foods with low water content, e.g. chocolate in squares and
pastries with a sweet filling, should be heated carefully, otherwise they
or the container may be ruined.
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.
When you prepare food in the microwave oven, you should
preferably use the following implements and materials:
• Glass and glass bowls
• Stoneware (glazed and unglazed). The food stays hot longer in glazed
stoneware than in other dishes.
• Plastic containers. Can be used for many heating purposes. Caution!
Plastic containers made from melamine, polyethylene and phenol
must NOT be used.
• Porcelain. All porcelain can be used in microwave ovens, although
fireproof porcelain is preferable.
• Fireproof covered dishes. Glass dishes with lids that fit so closely that
steam cannot escape are ideal for vegetables and fruit to which no
liquid is added (however, the cooking time must not exceed 5
minutes).
• Browning dishes. You must be very careful when using this type of
dish. Never heat the browning dish for more than 5 minutes on the
turntable. Suitable insulation, such as a heat-tested plate, should be
placed between the browning dish and the turntable to prevent the
turntable from overheating.
• Microwave oven roasting film can be used, particularly for soups,
sauces, stewed dishes or when defrosting food. Can also be used as
a loose covering to prevent fat, etc. from spraying out into the oven
compartment.
• Kitchen roll is ideal, as it absorbs moisture and fat. For example,
bacon can be placed in layers, with kitchen roll between each layer.
The bacon will then be completely crispy, as it does not sit in its own
fat. Home-baked bread can be taken directly from the freezer, packed
in kitchen roll and heated in the microwave oven.
• Wet kitchen roll can be used for fish or vegetables. Covering the food
prevents it from drying out.
• Greaseproof paper Fish, large vegetables, such as cauliflower, corn on
the cob and similar can be packed in wet greaseproof paper.
• Roasting bags are ideal for meat, fish and vegetables. However, they
must never be closed using metal clips. Cotton thread should be used
instead. Prick the bag with small holes, and place it in the microwave
oven on a plate or glass dish.
Important!
When you prepare food in the microwave oven, you should not use the
following implements and materials:
• Sealed glass/bottles with small openings, as they may explode.
• General purpose thermometers
• Silver foil/foil trays, as the microwave rays cannot penetrate the
material and the food will not cook.
• Recycled paper, as it may contain small metal splinters that could
cause sparks and/or a fire.
• Closed tins/containers with tightly sealed lids, as excess pressure
may cause the tin/container to explode.
• Metal clips and other lids/foils, containing metal wires. These can form
sparks in the microwave oven and must therefore be removed.
• Metal bowls/containers and packaging, unless they are designed
specifically for use in microwave ovens. The microwaves are reflected
and cannot penetrate the food through the metal.
• Plates, dishes and bowls/containers with metal, gold and silver
decorations. They may break and/or cause sparks to form in the oven
compartment.
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