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GENERAL GUIDELINES
Since microwave cooking to some extent is different from
traditional cooking, the following general guidelines should be
considered whenever you use your microwave oven:
If the food is undercooked
Check if:
• You have selected the correct power level.
• the selected time is sufficient-the times given in the recipes
are approximate. They depend on initial temperature,
weight and density of the food etc.
• the container is appropriate.
If the food is overcooked,i.e. dried out or burnt
Before you cook again, consider whether:
• the power level was too high.
• the set time was too long-the times in the recipes are
approximate. They depend on initial temperature, weight
and density of the food etc.
Points to remember when defrosting
• The shape of the package alters the defrosting time.
Shallow rectangular packets defrost more quickly than a
deep block.
• Separate pieces as they begin to defrost; free-flow slices
defost; free-flow slices defrost more easily.
• Shield areas of food with small pieces of foil if they start to
become warm.
• When defrosting, it is better to under thaw the food slightly
and allow the process to finish during the standing time.
The amount of food
The more food you want to prepare the longer it takes. A rule
of turmb is that double amount of food requires almost double
the time. If one potato takes four minutes to cook,
approximately seven minutes are required to cook two
potatoes.
Starting temperature of food
The lower the temperature of the food which is being put into
the microwave oven, the longer time it takes. Food at room
temperature will be reheated more quickly than food at
refrigerator temperature.
Composition of the food
Food with a lot of fat and sugar will be heated faster than
food containing a lot of water. fat and sugar will also reach a
higher temperature than water in the cooking process.
The more dense the food, the longer it takes to heat. "Very
dense" food like meat takes longer time to reheat than lighter,
more porous food like sponge cakes.
Size and shape
Smaller pieces of food will cook more quickly than larger
pieces and uniform pieces of food cook more evenly than
irregularly shaped foods.
With unevenly shaped food, the thinner parts will cook faster
than the thicker areas. Place the thinner chicken wings and
legs to the centre of the dish.
Stirring, turning of foods
Stirring and turning of foods are tecniques used in
conventional and well as in microwave cooking to distribute
the heat quickly to the centre of the dish and avoids over-
cooking at the outer edges of the food.
Covering food helps:
• To reduce splattering
• To shorten cooking times
• To retain food moisture
All covering, which will allow microwaves to pass through are
suitable-See above "Which utensils can be used in the oven"
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Releasing pressure in foods
Several foods are tightly covered by a skin or membrane.
These foods should be pricked with a fork or cocktail stick to
releive the pressure and to prevent bursting, as steam builds
up within them during cooking. This applies to jacket
potatoes, potatoes, chicken livers, sausages, egg yolks and
some fruits.
Standing time
Always allow the food to stand for some time after using the
oven. standing time after defrosting, cooking/reheating
always improves the result since the temperature will then be
evenly distributed through out the food.
In a microwave oven foods continue to cook even when the
microwave energy is turned off. They are no longer cooking
by microwaves, but they are still being cooked by the
conduction of the high residual heat to the centre of the fod.
The length of standing time depends on the volume and
density of the food. Sometimes if can be as short as the time
it takesyou to remove the food from the oven and take it to
the serving table. However, with larger, denser foods, the
standiing time may be as long as 10minutes. Upon 'standing',
the internal temperature of the food will rise by as much as
8˚C and the food will finish cooking during this time.
Arranging food
This is done in several ways in microwave cooking to give
more even cooking results.
If you are cooking several items of the same
food such as jacket potatoes, place them in a
ring pattern for uniform cooking. When
cooking foods of uneven shapes or thickness,
place the smaller or thinner area of the food
towards the centre of the dish where it will be heated last.
Uneven foods such as fish should be arranged in the
oven with the tails to the centre.
If you are saving a meal in the refrigerator or
'plating' a meal for reheating, arrange the
thicker, denser foods to the outside of the
plate and the thinner or less dense foods
in the middle.
Place thin slices of meat on top of each
other or interlace them.
Thicker slices such as meat loaf
and sausages have to be placed close
to each other.
Gravy or sauce should be reheated in a
separate container.
Choose a tall, narrow container rather than
2/3
a low and wide container. When reheating gravy,
sauce or soup, do not fill
the container more than 2/3.
When you cook or reheat whole fish, score
the skin this prevents cracking.
Shield the tail and head with small pieces of
foil to prevent over-cooking but ensure the
foil does not touch the sides of the oven.
Expect copious amouts of condensation to
occur in the oven when cooking food
contanng lage amounts of ware e.g. potatoes.
KEEP THE OVEN CLEAN
Grill & Combi
cooking system
M/W
Grill
Combi
Weight
Defrost
Time
Lock
Auto
Watt
g
cook
Defrost
Autocook
Grill
A
Power
Combi
Auto Cook Menu
A
1. Beverage
6. Fish Fillets
2. Soup
7. Roast Beef
3. Casserole
8. Roast Pork
4. vegetable I
9. Roast Chicken
5. vegetable II
Stop/Clear
More
Less
Clock
INSIDE THE OVEN
The interior three side walls and floor are stainless steel.
For easy cleaning, wipe spills and spatters as they occur with
a damp cloth or sponge with water and a mild detergent.
Rinse the cavity of any cleaning residue with a clean damp or
sponge after cleaning. Dry with a soft cloth.
These areas can also cleaned by using plastic or nylon
scouring pads recommended for use of Teflon and
Silverstone*.
For hard to remove soil, use a mild non-abrasive cleaner.
Use on the stainless steel areas, turntable and roller guide
only.
TURNTABLE AND ROLLER GUIDE
It is occasionally necessary to remove the glass tray for
cleaning. Wash the glass tray in warm sudsy water or in a
dish washer.
The roller guide and oven cavity floor should be cleaned
regulary of the avoid excessive noise. Simply wipe the
bottom surface of the oven with mild detergent water or
window cleaner and dry. The roller guide may be washed
with mild sudsy water or a dish washer.
Note:
Do not use any other Turntable in the oven. Do not
operate the oven without the Turntable and Roller Guide
Properly in place.
DOOR
While the oven door is still warm, any spatters or food soils
should be wiped off with a damp sudsy cloth or sponge.
Rinse with water and wipe dry with a cloth.
If steam or condensation appears around this area, wipe with
a cloth. this may occur when the oven is operating under high
humidity and with foods containing lots of moisture. This is a
normal part of microwave cooking.
EXTERIOR
CONTROL PANEL
Excercise care when cleaning this area. To clean, wipe the
panel with a slightly dampened cloth, using only water.
Wipe dry. Do not scrub this area or use any sort of chemical
cleaner. Avoid use of excess water.
OUTSIDE SUFACE
The outside surfaces should be cleaned with soap and water,
rinsed and dried with a soft cloth. Do not use any type of
household or abrasive cleanser.
Note:
DO NOT USE ANY TYPE OF OVEN CLEANER ON ANY
PART OF THE OVEN. It will damage some of the interior
and exterior surfaces of the oven.
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