Panasonic GENIUS 1100 NN-S588 - Manual (Page 24)

Food Characteristics
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.
Density
Porous, airy foods such as breads, cakes or rolls take less
time to cook than heavy, dense foods such as potatoes and
roasts. When reheating donuts or other foods with different
centers be very careful. Certain foods have centers made with
sugar, water or fat and these centers attract microwaves (For
ex., jelly donuts). When a jelly donut is heated, the jelly can
become extremely hot while the exterior remains warm to the
touch. This could result in a bum if the food is not allowed to
cool properly in the center.
Quantity
Two potatoes take longer to cook than one potato. As the
quantity of the food increases so does the cooking time.
When cooking small amounts of food such as one or two
potatoes, do not leave oven unattended. The moisture
content in the food may decrease and a fire could result.
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 pieces 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 chilled or refrigerated or frozen.
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, dams, oysters,
chicken livers, whole potatoes and whole vegetables. Whole
apples or new potatoes should have a
1 'inch strip of skin peeled
before cooking. Score sausage and frankfurters.
Browning
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Foods will not have the same brown appearance as
conventionally cooked foods or these foods which are
cooked utilizing the browning feature. 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.
For quick breads or muffins brown sugar can be used in the
recipe in place of granulated sugar, or the surface can be
sprinkled with dark spices before baking.
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