Cooking Utensils - Amana C720E Owner's Manual & Cooking Manual

OTHER HELPFUL INFORMATION
NOTE: It is a common misconception that micro-
waves cook food from the inside out. This comes
from heating filled pastries with a high sugar content,
like jelly doughnuts. The pastry is cool but the filling is
very hot! If you cook a chicken or a roast, you'll see
the outside is cooked first.
Shape of foods: Microwaves penetrate only about 1
inch (2.5cm) into foods; the interior portion of thick
foods is cooked as the heat generated on the outside
travels inward. In other words, only the outer edge of
any food is actually cooked by microwave energy; the
rest is cooked by convection.
MICROWAVE-SAFE UTENSILS
Never use metal or metal-trimmed utensils in your
microwave oven: Microwaves cannot penetrate
metal. They will bounce off any metal object in the
oven and cause arcing, an alarming phenomenon
that resembles lightning. Most heat-resistant non-
metallic cooking utensils are safe for use in your
microwave oven. However, some may contain
materials that render them unsuitable as microwave
cookware. If you have any doubts about a particular
utensil, there is a simple way to find out if it can be
used in your microwave oven.
Testing utensils for microwave use: Place the
utensil in question next to a glass bowl filled with
water in the microwave oven. Microwave at power
HIGH for 1 minute. If the water heats up but the
utensil remains cool to the touch, the utensil is
microwave-safe. However, if the water does not
change temperature but the utensil becomes warm,
microwaves are being absorbed by the utensil and it
is not safe for use in the microwave oven. You
probably have many items on hand in your kitchen
that can be used as cooking equipment in your
microwave oven. Just read through the following
checklist.
1. Dinner plates: Many kinds of dinner-ware are
microwave-safe. If in doubt, consult the manu-
facturer's literature or perform the microwave test,
above.
2. Glassware: Glassware that is heat-resistant is
microwave-safe. This includes all brands of oven-
tempered glass cookware. However, do not use
delicate glassware, such as tumblers or wine glasses,
as these might shatter as the food warms.
It follows then that the worst possible shape for a food
that is to be microwaved is a thick cube. The corners
will burn long before the center is even warm. Round,
thin, and ring shaped foods cook most successfully in
the microwave.
Quantity of foods: The number of microwaves in
your oven remains constant regardless of how much
food is being cooked. Therefore, the more food you
place in the oven, the longer the cooking time.
Remember to decrease cooking times by at least
one-third when halving a recipe.

COOKING UTENSILS

3. Paper: Paper plates and containers are
convenient and safe to use in your microwave
oven, provided the cooking time is short and
foods to be cooked are low in fat and moisture.
Paper towels are also very useful for wrapping foods
and for lining baking trays in which greasy foods,
such as bacon, are cooked. In general, avoid colored
paper products as the color may run.
4. Plastic storage containers: These can be used to
hold foods that are to be quickly reheated. However,
they should not be used to hold foods that will need
considerable time in the oven as hot foods will
eventually warp or melt plastic containers.
5. Plastic cooking bags: These are microwave-safe
provided they are specially made for cooking.
However, be sure to make a slit in the bag so that
steam can escape. Never use ordinary plastic bags
for cooking in your microwave oven, as they will melt
and rupture.
6. Plastic microwave cookware: A variety of shapes
and sizes of microwave cookware is available. For
the most part, you can probably cook with items you
already have on hand rather than investing in new
kitchen equipment.
7. Pottery, stoneware, and ceramic:
Containers made of these materials are usually fine
for use in your microwave oven, but they should be
tested to be sure.
INTENDED FOR MICROWAVE COOKING,
INCLUDING SOME STONEWARE AND ITEMS
WITH HIGH IRON OR LEAD CONTENTS.
9
CAUTION:
SOME ITEMS ARE NOT