Panasonic THE GENIUS PREMIER NN-S569 - Manual (Page 17)

Bone and Fat: Both bone and fat affect cooking. Bones
may cause irregular cooking. Meat next to the tips of bones
may overcook while meat positioned under a large bone,
such as a ham bone, may be undercooked. Large amounts
of fat absorb microwave energy and the meat next to these
areas may overcook.
Quantity: Two potatoes take longer to cook than one pota­
to. As the quantity of the food increases so does the cook­
ing time.
When cooking small amounts of food such as one or two
potatoes, do not leave oven unattended. The moisture con­
tent in the food may decrease and a fire could result.
Density: Porous, airy foods such as breads, cakes or rolls
take less time to cook than heavy, dense foods such as
potatoes and roasts.
Shape: Uniform sizes heat more evenly. The thin end of a
drumstick will cook more quickly than the meaty end. To
compensate for irregular shapes, place thin parts toward the
center of the dish and thick parts toward the edge.
Size: Thin pieces cook more quickly than thick pieces.
Starting Temperature: Foods that are room temperature
take less time to cook than if they are refrigerator tempera­
ture or frozen.
Techniques
spacing: Individual foods, such as baked potatoes, cupcakes
and appetizers, will cook more evenly if placed in the oven
equal distances apart. When possible, arrange foods in a
circular pattern.
Browning: Foods will not have the same brown appearance
as conventionally cooked foods. Meats and poultry may be
coated with browning sauce, Worcestershire sauce, barbecue
sauce or shake-on browning sauce. To use, combine
browning sauce with melted butter or margarine; brush on
before cooking.
Piercing: Foods with skins or membranes must be pierced,
scored or have a strip of skin peeled before cooking to allow
steam to escape. Pierce whole egg yolks and whites, clams,
oysters, chicken livers, scallops, whole potatoes and whole
vegetables. Whole apples or new potatoes should have a
1 -inch strip of skin peeled before cooking. Score sausage,
frankfurters and hot dogs.
Covering: As with conventional cooking, moisture evaporates
during microwave cooking. Casserole lids or plastic wrap are
used for a tighter seal. When using plastic wrap, vent the
plastic wrap by folding back part of the plastic wrap from the
edge of the dish to allow steam to escape. Loosen or remove
plastic wrap as recipe directs for stand time. When removing
plastic wrap covers, as well as any glass lids, be careful to
remove them away from you to avoid steam burns. Various
degrees of moisture retention are aiso obtained by using wax
paper or paper towels. However, unless specified, a recipe is
cooked covered.
Shielding: Thin areas of meat and poultry cook more quickly
than meaty portions. To prevent overcooking, these thin areas
can be shielded with strips of aluminum foil. Wooden
toothpicks may be used to hold the foil in place.
Timing: A range in cooking time is given in each recipe. The
time range compensates for the uncontrollable differences in
food shapes, starting temperature and regional preferences.
Always cook food for the minimum cooking time given in a
recipe and ched( for doneness. If the food is undercooked,
continue cooking. It is easier to add time to an undercooked
product. Once the food is overcooked, nothing can be done.
Stirring: Stirring is usually necessary during microwave
cooking. We have noted when stirring is helpful, using the
words once, twice, frequently or occasionally to describe the
amount of stirring necessary .
Rearranging: Rearrange small items such as chicken pieces,
shrimp, hamburger patties or pork chops. Rearrange pieces
from the edge to the center and pieces from the center to the
edge of the dish .
Turning; It is not possible to stir some foods to redistribute
the heat. At times, microwave energy will concentrate in one
area of a food. To help insure even cooking, these foods need
to be turned. Turn over large foods, such as roasts or turkey,
halfway through cooking.
Standing Time: Most foods will continue to cook by
conduction after the microwave oven is turned off. In meat
cookery, the internal temperature will rise 5“F to 15“F (3“C to
8 °C) if allowed to stand, tented with foil, for 10 to 15 minutes.
Casseroles and vegetables need a shorter amount of
standing time, but this standing time is necessary to allow
foods to complete cooking to the center without overcooking
on the edges.
Testing for Doneness: The same tests for doneness used in
conventional cooking may be used for microwave cooking.
Meat is done when fork-tender or splits at fibers. Chicken is
done when juices are clear yellow and drumstick moves
freely. Fish is done when it flakes and is opaque. Cake is
done when a toothpick or cake tester is inserted and comes
out clean. Candy is done when it reaches the proper
temperature for each stage of crystallization.
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