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5.3 Microwave cooking
Microwave cooking advice
Composition Foods high in fat or sugar (e.g. Christmas pudding, mince pies) require less
heating time. Care should be taken as overheating can lead to fire.
Size For even cooking make all the pieces the same size.
Temperature of
food
The initial temperature of food affects the amount of cooking time needed.
Cut into foods with fillings (e.g. jam doughnuts) to release heat or steam.
Arrange Place the thickest parts of food towards the outside of the dish (e.g. chicken
drumsticks).
Cover Use vented microwave cling film or a suitable lid.
Pierce Foods with a shell, skin or membrane must be pierced in several places
before cooking or reheating as steam will build up and may cause food to
explode (e.g. potatoes, fish, chicken, sausages).
IMPORTANT! Eggs should not be heated using microwave power as
they may explode, even after cooking has ended (e.g. poached, hard
boiled).
Stir, turn and
rearrange
For even cooking it is essential to stir, turn and rearrange food during cooking.
Always stir and rearrange from the outside towards the centre.
Stand Standing time is necessary after cooking to enable the heat to disperse
equally throughout the food.
Shield Warm areas can be shielded with small pieces of foil, which reflect microwaves
(e.g. legs and wings on a chicken).
5.2 Microwave cooking advice
Your oven has 6 power levels.
Power
setting
Suggested use
900 W/HIGH Used for fast cooking or reheating (e.g. soup, casseroles, canned food, hot
beverages, vegetables, fish).
630 W Used for longer cooking of dense foods such as roast joints, meat loaf and
plated meals, also for sensitive dishes such as cheese sauce and sponge cakes.
At this reduced setting, the sauce will not boil over and food will cook evenly
without over cooking at the sides.
450 W For dense foods which require a long cooking time when cooked
conventionally (e.g. beef dishes) it is advisable to use this power setting to
ensure the meat will be tender.
270 W/
DEFROST
To defrost, select this power setting, to ensure that the dish defrosts evenly. This
setting is also ideal for simmering rice, pasta, dumplings and cooking egg
custard.
90 W For gentle defrosting (e.g. cream gateaux or pastry).
0 W For standing/kitchen timer.
W = WATT
