15
Q. What is wrong when the oven light does
not function?
A. Either:
• The door is not firmly closed.
or:
• The light bulb has burned out.
Q. Why does steam come out of the air
exhaust vent?
A. Steam is normally produced during cooking.
The microwave oven has been designed to
allow this steam to escape.
Q. Can the microwave oven be damaged if it is
operated empty?
A. Yes. Never operate the oven while empty or
without the turntable positioned correctly on
the roller rest.
Q. Why does noise sometimes come from the
turntable when the oven is turned on?
A. This noise occurs when the turntable roller
rest and cavity bottom are dirty. Frequent
cleaning of these parts should eliminate or
reduce the noise.
Q. Instructions for aluminium foil use are
confusing. When should foil be used?
A. It should be used to shield portions of food
from becoming overcooked or overdefrosted.
Use small flat pieces of foil for shielding.
Q. Why is standing time recommended after the
cooking operation has been completed?
A. Standing time is very important. With microwave
cooking, the heat is in the food,not in the oven.
Many foods build-up enough internal heat to
allow the cooking process to continue, even after
the food is removed from the oven. Standing
time for joints of meat, large vegetables and
cakes is to allow the inside to cook completely,
without overcooking the outside.
Q. Why do sparks and crackling (arcing) occur in
the oven?
A. There may be several reasons why sparks and
crackling within cavity (arcing) occur.
• A dish with metal parts or trim is being used.
(silver or gold).
• A metal utensil has been left in the oven.
• Too much metal foil is being used.
• A metal twist-tie is present in the oven.
Q. Why does condensation appear in the oven ?
A. This is normal and occurs because the food is
cooking faster than the moisture can be
removed from the oven.
Q. Why do eggs sometimes pop?
A. The egg yolk may pop because of a build-up of
steam inside the membrane. To prevent this,
pierce the membrane before cooking it.
CAUTION:Eggs in their shell and whole hard
boiled eggs should not be heated in microwave
ovens since they may explode even after
microwave heating has ended.
Q. Why are scrambled eggs sometimes a little
dry after cooking?
A. Eggs dry out if they are overcooked. You may
need to vary the cooking time for one of the
following reasons:
• Eggs vary in size.
• The initial temperature of the egg may vary
depending on where it is stored.
• The shape of cooking utensils vary, which
makes it necessary to vary cooking time.
• Eggs continue cooking during standing time.
Q. Why do baked apples sometimes burst during
cooking?
A. The peel has not been removed from the top half
of each apple to allow for expansion of the inte-
rior of the apple during cooking. As in regular
cooking methods, the interior of the apple
expands during the cooking process.
Q. How are liquids prevented from boiling over?
A. Use a larger utensil than usual for cooking. If
you open the oven door or turn TIMER to '0',
the food will stop boiling.
Q. Why does the dish become hot when I
microwave food in it?
A. As the food becomes hot it will conduct the
heat into the dish. Use oven gloves to remove
food after cooking.
Q. Does the density of a food affect its cooking
time in the microwave?
A. Yes. A dense food such as meat will take
longer to cook, reheat or porous, light and airy
food such as bread, puddings and cakes. This
is because microwaves cannot penetrate as
deeply into denser, heavier foods.
OPERATION FOODS
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
