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General Guidelines
DISH SIZE
Follow the dish sizes given in the
recipes, as these affect the cook¬
ing and reheating times. A quan¬
tity of food spread in a bigger
dish cooks suid reheats more
quickly.
QUANTITY
Small quantities cook faster than
large quantities, also small meals
will reheat more quickly than
large portions.
DENSITY
Porous airy foods heat more
quickly than dense heavy foods.
foods e.g' rheat, jacket
pwatoes ^d cakes, require a~
. STANDING TIME (inside or
Qu£Mde of the oven) after cook-
^^.iO'Airdw the heat to
dpnduct through^the centre
-jtetsqmpfete ^acooningr
«EAT JOINTS-Sflna
t5 mins, wrapped In tin foil.
JACKET POTATOES - Stand
Sthfns.'wrSpped Iri tin foil.
LIGHT CAKES > Stand 5 mins.
- IMtefy r%moVfiTg from dish.
NtCH DENSE CAKES - Stand
15-20 mins.
rtSH - Stand 2-5 mins.
STANDING TIME
If food Is rK)t cooked after
STANDING TIME, return to oven
and cook for additional time.
EGO DISHES • Stand 2-3 mins.
\
PRECOOKED CONVENIENCE
FOODS - Stand for 5 mins.
PLATED MEALS'Stand for
2-5 mins.
VEGETABLES - Boiled
potatoes benefit from starKltng |
1-2 mins., however most other
{
types Of vegetables can be
I
served immediately.
DEFROSTING ' It is essential
|
to crilow starKifng tirrw to com¬
plete the process. This
can
vary
from 5 mins. e.g. raspberries,
to up to 1 hour for a JtMnt of
meat.
PIERCING
The skin or membrane on some
foods will cause steam to build
up during cooking. These foods
must be pierced or a strip of skin
should be peeled off before
cooking to allow the steam to
escape. Eggs, potatoes, apples,
sausages etc, will all need to be
pierced before cooking. DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO BOIL EGGS IN
THEIR SHELLS.
MOISTURE CONTENT
Many fresh foods e.g. veget¬
ables and fruit, vary in their
moisture content throughout the
season. Jacket potatoes cu^e a
particular example of this. For
this reason cooking times may
have to be adjusted throughout
the year. Dry ingredients e.g.
rice, pasta, can dry out further
during storage and cooking
times may differ from ingredients
freshly purchased.
CLING FILM
Cling film helps keep the food
moist and the trappy steam
assists in speeding up cooking
times. Howev'er it should be
pierced before cooking, to allow
excess steam to escape. Always
take care when removing cling
film from a dish as the buikj-up
of steam will be very hot.
Always purchase c!tr>g film that
states on the packet "suitable for
microwave cooking" and use as
a covering only Do not lrr>e
dishes with clirvg film.
14
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