GE JMT10F Use And Care Manual page 12

Microwave C ooking
Techniques
Covering.
In bothconventional a nd
microwave cooking,covershold in
moistureand speedheating.Waxed
paperorplastic wrapisrecommended
whencookingwith the Omni3TM
microwave oven.
ArrangingIRmd in Oven.When
conventional b aking,position
foods,suchas cakelayersor
potatoes,so thathotair can flow
aroundthem. Whenmicrowaving,
arrangefoodsin a ring, sothat all
sidesare exposedto microwave
energy.
Stirring.
Inrangetopcooking, s tir
fdsupfrom thebottom tohelpthem
heatevenly. W henmicrowaving, stir
cookedportionsfromtheoutsideto
the center.Foodswhichrequire
constantstirringconventionally
will needonly occasionalstirring
whenmicrowaving.
'1'knming Over.
I n rangetop
cooking,turn overfoodssuchm
hamburgers,so bothsidescan
directlycontactthe hot pan. When
microwaving, turningis often
neededduringdefrosting,or when
cookingfoodssuchas hamburgers.
Wattage. Whenusinga recipe
developedfor a higher-wattage
microwave oven,a time wijltstrnerlt
willbe necessarywhenconverting
thisrecipeto a lower-wattage
microwave oven.See microwave
powerlevelscmpage 1!.
Standing Th=ne.
In conventional
cooking,foodssuchas roastsor
cakesare allowedtime to standto
finishcookingor to set. Standing
timeis especiallyimportantin
microwave cooking.
Shielding.
In a conventional o ven,
shieldchickenbreastsor baked
foodsto preventoverbrowning.
Whenmicrowaving anddefrosting,
usc smallstrips of foilto shieldthin
par~~, s uchos the tipsof wingsand
legscmpoultry,whichcould
overcook,
PrickFoodsto ReleasePressure.
Steambuildsup pressurein foods
whichare tightlycoveredbya skin
or membrane.Prickpotatoes(as
youdo conventionally), e ggyolks,
andchickenliversto prevent
bursting.
Rotating.
Occasionally,
repositioning a dishin theoven
helpsfoodcookevenly. T orotate
1/2turn, turn thedishuntiltheside
whichwasto thebackof theovenis
to the front. Torotate1/4turn, turn
thedish untilthesidewhichwasto
the backof theovenis to theside.
Emx!ts
of Food
Characteristics
Density o fFood.
I n both
conventional a nd microwave
cooking,densefoods,suchas
potatoes,takelongerto cookor
heatthanlight,porousfood:], s uch
as a pieceot'cake,breador iiroll.
Round Shapes.
S incemicrowaves
penetratefoodsto about 1inch
fromtop,bottomandsides,round
shapesand ringscookmoreevenly.
Cornersreceivemoreenergyand
mayovercook. T hismayalsohappen
whencookingccmventiontdly.
Natural M oisture,
Verymoist
foodscookevenly because
microwave energyis attractedto
waterand fat nxdecules.Food
unevenin moistureshouldbe
coveredor allowedto standso heat
can disperseevenly.
Height d 'FomL
For best
microwaving results,allowa 2-inch
clearancebetweenthe foodand the
topof the ovencavity.
PieceSize. Smallpiecescook
fasterthan largeones. Pieceswhich
are similarin sizeand shapecook
moreevenly.
Shapeof Food.In bothtypesof
cooking,thinareascookfasterthan
thickones.Thiscan be controlled
whenmicrowaving b yplacingthick
piecesnearthe outsideedge,and
thinpiecesin thecenter.
startingTemperature. F oods
takenfromthefreezeror
refrigeratortakelongerto cook
than foodsat roomtemperature.
Timingsin our recipesare based
on thetemperaturesat whichyou
normallystorethefoods.
Quantity ofFood.
I n bothtypes
of cooking,smallamountsusually
takelesstime thanlargeones.This
is mostapparentin microwave
cooking,wheretimeis directly
relatedto the numberof servings.
Content ofFood.
T hosefoods
withhighfator sugarcontent
attractmicrowave energyand may
cookfaster.Whenusingthese
foodsin a cassercdc, c overingwith
a saucewill preventovercooking,
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