Sears 721.67601 - Manual (Page 22)

GETTING THE BEST COOKING
RESULTS
To get the best results from your microwave oven, read
arid follow the guidelines below.
* Storage Temperature: Foods taken from the freezer
Of refrigerator take iongei' to cook than the same
foods at room temperature. The time for recipes in
this book is based on the normal storage
temperature of the food,
* Size; Small pieces of food cook faster than large
ones, pieces similar in siz.e and shape cook more
evenly. For even cooking, reduce the power when
cooking large pieces of food.
* Natural Moisture: Very moist foods cook more
evenly because miorowa.ve energy is attracted to
water molecules,
* Stir foods such as casseroies and vegetables from
the outside to the center to distribute the heat evenly
and speed cooking. Constant stirring is not
necessary.
• Turn over foods like pork chops, baking potatoes,
roasts or whole cauiiflower halfway through the
cookingi time to expose all sides equally to
microwave energy.
• Place delicate areas of foods, such as asparagus
tips, toward the center of the dish.
• Arrange unevenly shaped foods, such as chicken
pieces or salmon steaks, with the thicker, meatier
parts toward the outside of the dish.
• Shield, with Small pieces of aluminum foil, parts of
food that may cook quickly, such as wing tips and leg
ends of poultry,
• Let iî Stand: After you remove the food from the
microwave, cover food with- foil or casserole lid and
let it stand to finish cooking in the center and avoid
overcooking the outer edges. The length of standing
time depends on the density and surface area of the
food,
=■ Wrapping in waxed paper or paper towel:
Sandwiches and many other foods contairiing
prebaked bread should be wrapped prior to
microwaving to prevent drying out.
Fish & Shellfish
Cooking Fish and Shellfish; General Directions
• Prepare the fish for cooking.
- Completely defrost the fish or shellfish.
- Arrange unevenly shaped pieces with thicker parte
toward the outside of the dish. Arrange shellfish in
a single layer for even cooking.
- The type of cover you use depends on how you
cook; Poached fis.h needs a microwavable lid or
vented plastic wrap,
' Baked fish, coated fish or fish in sauce needs to be
lightly covered with waxed paper to keep the
coating crisp and sauce from getting watery.
Fish And Shellfish Cooking Table
- Always set the shortest cooking time. Fish is done
when: It turns opaque and the thickest part begins to
flake. Shellfish is done when the shell turns from
pink to red and the flesh is opaque and firm.
The Fish and Shellfish Cooking Table below
provides specific directions with Power Level and
Cooking Time settings for most types of fish and
shellfish.
POWER
LEVEL
COOKING ^
TIME
Fish fillets- HI 4'5 minutes
Fish steaks HI 5-6 minutes
Whole fish 7 S-6 minutes
Scalbps HI 4-6 minutes
Shrimp, shelled HI 4-5 minutes
DIRECTIONS
Arrange fish in a single layer with thickest portion toward
outside edge of I
1/2 quart microwavable baking dish,
Brush with melted butter and seasort, if desired, Cook
covered with vented plastic wrap. Let stand covered 2
minutes, if you are cooking more than 1 lb. of fish, turn the
fish halfway through cooking
Arrange in a single layer. Prepare as directed above,
except stir instead of turning the shellfish.
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