Quasar MQS1063EV Operating Instructions Manual page 9

Food Characteristics
Bone and Fat: Both bone and fat affect cooking.
Bones may cause irregular cooking. Meat next to
the tips of bones may overcook while meat
positioned under a large bone, such as a ham
bone, may be undercooked. Large amounts of fat
absorb microwave energy and the meat next to
these areas may overcook.
Density: Porous, airy foods such as breads, cakes
or rolls take less time to cook than heavy, dense
foods such as potatoes and roasts.
Quantity: Two potatoes take longer to cook than
one potato. As the quantity of the food increases so
does the cooking time.
When cooking small amounts of food such as one
Cooking Techniques
Spacing: Individual foods, such as baked potatoes,
cupcakes and appetizers, will cook more evenly if
placed in the oven equal distances apart. When
possible, arrange foods in a circular pattern.
Browning: Foods will not have the same brown
appearance as conventionally cooked foods. Meats
and poultry may be coated with browning sauce,
Worcestershire sauce, barbecue sauce or shake-on
browning sauce. To use, combine browning sauce
with melted butter or margarine; brush on before
cooking.
Piercing: Foods with skins or membranes must be
pierced, scored or have a strip of skin peeled before
cooking to allow steam to escape. Pierce whole egg
yolks and whites, clams, oysters, chicken livers,
whole potatoes and whole vegetables. Whole apples
or new potatoes should have a 1-inch strip of skin
peeled before cooking. Score sausage, frankfurters
and hot dogs.
Covering: As with conventional cooking, moisture
evaporates during microwave cooking. Casserole
lids or plastic wrap are used for a tighter seal. When
using plastic wrap, vent the plastic wrap by folding
back part of the plastic wrap from the edge of the
dish to allow steam to escape. Loosen or remove
plastic wrap as recipe directs for stand time. When
removing plastic wrap covers, as well as any glass
lids, be careful to remove them away from you to
avoid steam burns. Various degrees of moisture
retention are also obtained by using wax paper or
paper towels. However, unless specified, a recipe is
cooked uncovered.
Shielding: Thin areas of meat and poultry cook
more quickly than meaty portions. To prevent
overcooking, these thin areas can be shielded with
strips of aluminum foil. Wooden toothpicks may be
used to hold the foil in place.
Te
or two potatoes, do not leave oven unattended. The
moisture content in the food may decrease and a
fire could result.
Shape: Uniform sizes heat more evenly. The thin
end of a drumstick will cook more quickly than the
meaty end. To compensate for irregular shapes,
place thin parts toward the center of the dish and
thick pieces toward the edge.
Size: Thin pieces cook more quickly than thick
pieces.
Starting Temperature: Foods that are room
temperature take less time to cook than if they are
refrigerator temperature or frozen.
ervey
|
J
Timing: A range in cooking time is given in each
recipe. The time range compensates for the
uncontrollable differences in food shapes, starting
temperature and regional preferences. Always cook
food for the minimum cooking time given in the
recipe and check for doneness. If the food is
undercooked, continue cooking. It is easier to add
time to an undercooked product. Once the food is
overcooked, nothing can be done.
Stirring: Stirring is usually necessary during
microwave cooking. We have noted when stirring is
helpful, using the words once, twice, frequently or
occasionally to describe the amount of stirring
necessary .
Rearranging: Rearrange small items such as
chicken pieces, shrimp, hamburger patties or pork
chops. Rearrange pieces from the edge to the center
and pieces from the center to the edge of the dish .
Turning: It is not possible to stir some foods to
redistribute the heat. At times microwave energy will
concentrate in one area of a food. To help insure
even cooking, these foods need to be turned. Turn
over large foods, such as roasts or turkeys, halfway
through cooking.
Standing Time: Most foods will continue to cook by
conduction after the microwave oven is turned off. In
meat cookery, the internal temperature will rise 5°F
to 15°F if allowed to stand, tented with foil, for 10 to
15 minutes. Casseroles and vegetables need a
shorter amount of standing time, but this standing
time is necessary to allow foods to complete cooking
in the center without overcooking on the edges.
Testing for Doneness: The same tests for
doneness used in conventional cooking may be
used for microwave cooking. Meat is done when
fork-tender or splits at fibers. Chicken is done when
juices are clear yellow and drumstick moves freely.
Fish is done when it flakes and is opaque.