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Microwave cooking tips – Kenmore 721.80609 User Manual

Page 11

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MICROWAVE COOKING TIPS

Amount of food

• If you increase or decrease

the amount of food

you prepare, fhe fime it takes to cook that food will
also change. For example, if you double a recipe,
add a little more than half the original cooking time.

Check for doneness and, if necessary, add more

time in small increments.

Starting temperature of food

• The lower the temperature

of the food being put

into the microwave oven, the longer it takes to cook.

Food at room temperature will be re-heated more

quickly than food at refrigerator temperature.

Composition of food

• Food with a lot of fat and sugar

will be heated

faster than food containing a lot of water. Fat and
sugar will also reach a higher temperature than

water in the cooking process.

• The more dense the food,

the longer it takes to

heat. ‘‘Very dense” food like meat takes longer to
heat than lighter, more porous food like sponge

cakes.

Size and shape

• Smaller pieces of food will

cook faster than larger

pieces. Also, same shaped pieces cook more

evenly than different-shaped pieces.

• With foods that have different thicknesses,

the

thinner parts will cook faster than the thicker parts.

Place

the thinner parts of chicken wings and legs in

the center of the dish.

Stirring, turning foods

• stirring and turning foods

spreads heat quickly to

the center of the dish and avoids overcooking at the
outer edges of the food.

Covering food

Cover food to:
• Reduce

splattering

• Shorten

cooking times

• Keep

food moist

You can use any covering that lets microwaves pass
through. See “Getting to Know Your Microwave
Oven” for materials that microwaves will pass
through. If you are using the Sensor function, be sure
to vent.

Releasing pressure in foods

• Several foods

(for example: baked potatoes,

sausages, egg yolks, and some fruits) are tightly
covered by a skin or membrane. Steam can build up

under the membrane during cooking, causing the

food to burst. To relieve the pressure and to prevent

bursting,

pierce

these foods before cooking with a

fork, cocktail pick, or toothpick.

Using standing time

• Always allow food to stand

after cooking inside as

well as outside the oven. Standing time after

defrosting and cooking allows the temperature to
evenly spread throughout the food, improving the
cooking results.

• The length of the standing time

depends on how

much food you are cooking and how dense it is.
Sometimes it can be as short as the time it takes

you to remove the food from the oven and take it to
the serving table. Flowever, with larger, denser food,
the standing time may be as long as 10 minutes.

Arranging food

For best results, place food evenly on the plate. You

can do this in several ways;

• If you are cooking several items of the same

food,

such as baked potatoes,

place

them in a ring

pattern for uniform cooking.

• When cooking foods of uneven shapes or

thickness, such as chicken breasts, place

the

smaller or thinner area of the food towards the
center of the dish where it will be heated last.

• Layer thin slices of meat

on top of each other.

• When you cook or reheat whole fish, score

the

skin - this prevents cracking.

• Do not

let food or a container touch the top or sides

of the oven. This will prevent possible arcing.

Using aluminum foil

Metal containers should not be used in a microwave

oven. There are, however, some exceptions. If you

have purchased food which is prepackaged in an

aluminum foil container,

refer to the instructions on

the package.

When using aluminum foil containers,

cooking times may be longer because microwaves

will only penetrate the top of the food. If you use

aluminum containers without package instructions,
follow these guidelines:

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