GE Spacemaker-2 JEM27KWH Use And Care & Cooking Manual page 15

of
When adapting recipes for the microwave, it is best
to start with a familiar recipe. Knowing how the
food should look and taste will help when adapting
recipes for microwaving.Foods that require
browningor crisp, dry surfaces will cook better
conventionaHy.
eMoist foods, such as vegetables,fhrits, poultry and
seafood,microwave well.
e Rich foods, such as bar cookies, moist cakes and
candies, are suitable for microwavingbecause of their
high fat and sugar content.
0Reduce conventional cooking time by one-half to one-
third. Check food after minimum time to avoid
overcooking.
@ SmaIl amounts of butter or oil can be used for
flavoring, but are not needed to prevent sticking.
~Seasonings may need to be reduced. Salt meats and
vegetables after cooking.
Covering. in both conventional and microwave
cooking, covers hold in moisture, allow for more even
heating and reduce cooking time. Conventionally,
partial Coifcringallows excess steam to escape. Venting
plastic \vrap
oI-
covering with wax paper serves the
swne purpww Wrhcn microwaving.
Jfellting. Af[ci-co~~cring a dish with pklstic Wrap,YoLl
Scrlt[he pl:~~tj~ wrap by turning back one
corner so
excess
stcaIllcan Cscapc.
l~rranging ~Joodin (hen. III
conventional
baking,
yOLI
position" [00(1s, such as cake layer-s OI-potatoes, so hot
:lir can no\\"around thcm. When microwaving, yoLl
arrange I'OOLIS in a I-ing. so llult :il 1 sides are exposed to
II1iL'f'()\\'il\'C L'llt!l.g}/.
.--— .—. . .
Arcing. Sparks caused by too much metal in the
microwaveoven or metal touchingthe side of the oven
or foil that is not molded to food.
PrickFoodsto ReleasePressure. S teambuildsup
pressurein foodsthataretightlycoveredby a skinor
membrane. P rickfoods,suchas potatoes(asyoudo
conventionally), eggyolksandchickenlivers,to
preventbursting.
Rotating. occasionally, repositioninga dish in the oven
helps food cook more evenly.To rotate 1/2 turn, turn
the dish until the side that was to the back of the oven is
to the front. To rotate 1/4 turn, turn L,Gdish until the
side that was to the back of the oven is t~ the side.
Basic Microwave Guidelines
Density of Food.
In
both conventionaland microwave
cooking, dense foods, such as potatoes, take longer to
cook than light, porous foods, such as rolls, bread or
pieces of cake.
Round Shapes. Since
microwaves penetrate foods to
about one inch from top, bottom and sides. round
shapes and rings cook more evenly. Corners receive
more energy and may overcook.
This may also happen
when cooking conventionally.
Delicacy. Foods with a delicate texture, such as
custards. are best cooked at lower power settings to
avoid toughening.
Natural Moisture of food affects how it cooks. Very
moist foods cook evenly because microwave energy is
attracted to water molecules. Food that is uneven in
moisture should be covered or allowed to stand so heat
cwl disperse evenl}?.
Piece Size. Small
pieces cook faster than large ones.
Pieces that are similar in size and shape cook more
evcnlj'. With large pieces of food. reduce the power
sctt in: t'OI- even cooking.
~hape of Food. in both types 0[ cooking. thin areas
ct)ok f:wtcr th:m thick areas.
This can be controlled in
micro\ \ raving by placin: thick pieces near the outside
cd:c ;lnd thin picccs in the cen[cr.
Sta~+tingTemperature. Foock taken iron) the freezer or
ret'ri~cratortake [onger to cook than foods at room
tClllpH:ltUl"C.
Timings ill
oLlr l'WipCS ore bMCd on the
tCIll]HltL1l.Cs :11\\'hiCh}'(ILI 1101"111:1]1)' StOl"Cthe fOOd$.
Qmlltity' of Foode In both types of cooking, small
.
mnt)llnts LISLI:ll])Ttdw less time than large aInoLInW.
This
is nl(~stapp:lreni in lllicro\v:l\'ccooking. Ivhcre time is
dir~c[l\' rclotcd I(Jthe number of ser\'ings.
:;};Qjf' (()]1 ]]lo~~~ Is $()CqL1 i pped ). u Sc [IICshe1 f to hc:lt
m[~rctl]:m{}iwdisi] a! :! [ime. T:\ke the !dwl['
O LI1when
j'()\i 21"Cnot using i{.