Precautions; Getting The Best Results From Your Microwave Oven - Amana C720E Owner's Manual & Cooking Manual

OTHER HELPFUL INFORMATION

PRECAUTIONS

*Be certain to place the front surface of the door
three inches away or more from the countertop
edge to avoid accidental tipping of the appliance
in normal usage.
*For the most accurate programming of the
electronic units, touch the center of each pad
securely. Do not touch several pads at one time or
touch between pads. A beep sound should be
heard with each touch when a pad is touched
correctly.
*Do not hit or strike the control with objects such as
silverware, utensils, etc. Breakage may occur.
*Be careful when taking the cooking utensils out of
the oven. Some dishes absorb heat from the
cooked food and may be hot.
*Do not rinse cooking utensils by immediately
placing them into water just after cooking. This
may cause breakage. Allow the turntable to cool.
*Use only specific glass utensils. See cooking
utensils section in this manual.
*Do not operate the oven empty. Either food or
water should always be in the oven during
operation to absorb microwave energy.
*Do not use your microwave oven to dry
newspapers or clothes. They can catch fire.
*Use only thermometers approved for microwave
oven cooking.
*Be certain the turntable is in place when you
operate the oven.
*Pierce the skin of potatoes, whole squash, apples,
or any fruit or vegetable which has a skin covering
before cooking.
*Never use your microwave oven to cook eggs in
the shell. Pressure can build up inside the shell,
causing it to burst.
*Do not pop popcorn, except in a microwave-safe
container or commercial package designed
especially for microwave ovens.
Never try to pop popcorn in a paper bag not
designed for microwave oven use. Overcooking
may result in smoke and fire. Do not repop
unpopped kernels. Do not reuse popcorn bags.
GETTING THE BEST RESULTS
FROM YOUR MICROWAVE OVEN
Keep an eye on things. The instructions in this
book have been formulated with great care, but
your success in preparing food depends, of course,
on how much attention you pay to the food as it
cooks. Always watch your food while it cooks. Your
microwave oven is equipped with a light that turns on
automatically when the oven is in operation so that
you can see inside and check the progress of your
recipe. Directions given in recipes to elevate, stir, and
the like should be thought of as the minimum steps
recommended. If the food seems to be cooking
unevenly, simply make the necessary adjustments
you think appropriate to correct the problem.
Factors affecting cooking times. Many factors
affect cooking times. The temperature of ingredients
used in a recipe makes a big difference in cooking
times. For example, a cake made with ice-cold butter,
milk, and eggs will take considerably longer to bake
than one made with ingredients that are at room
temperature. All of the recipes in this book give a
range of cooking times. In general, you will find that
the food remains under-cooked at the lower end of
the time range, and you may sometimes want to cook
your food beyond the maximum time given, according
to personal preference. The governing philosophy of
this book is that it is best for a recipe to be
conservative in giving cooking times. While
undercooked food may always be cooked a bit more,
overcooked food is ruined for good. Some of the
recipes, particularly those for bread, cakes, and
custard, recommend that food be removed from the
oven when they are slightly undercooked. This is not
a mistake. When allowed to stand, usually covered,
these foods will continue to cook outside of the oven
as the heat trapped within the outer portions of the
foods gradually travels inward. If the foods are left in
the oven until they are cooked all the way through,
the outer portions will become overcooked or even
burnt.
As you gain experience in using your microwave
oven, you will become increasingly skillful in
estimating both cooking and standing times for
various foods.
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