GE JEM30WH User And Care page 31

Freezer-to-Table Home Frozen Foo~ Guide
Food Amount Time
Meatballs, raw
(12)
1 recipe
(9-in. pie plate)
1 rccipc
Saucy casseroles
(Chicken a la King. (1 M-qts. )
chili, spaghetti sauce,
soup
Microwave Adapting
Cooking Techniques for
Microwaving
Covering. In both conventional and microwave cooking, covers
allows excess steam to escape. Venting plastic wrap or covering with
wax paper serves the sarnc purpose when microwaving.
Arranging E'()()d in Oven. In conventional baking, you position
around them, When microwaving, you arrange foods in a ring,
so that all sides arc exposed to microwave energy.
Stirring. In range top cooking, you stir foods up from the bottom to
conventionally will need only occasional stirring.
Turning Over. In range top cooking. you turn over foods such
microwaving, turning is often nccdcd during defrosting, or when
Standing Time. In conventional cooking, foods such as roasts or
cakes arc allowed to stand to finish cooking or set. Standing time
is especially important in rnicrowavc cooking. Note that the
microwaved cake is not placed on a cooling rack.
Shielding. In a conventional oven. you shield chicken breasts or
defrosted.
which arc tightly covcrcd by a skin or mcmbranc. Prick potatoes (as
you d,) conventionally), cgg yolks and chicken livers to prevent
bursting.
Rotating. Occasionally, rcpositionin& a dish in the oven helps food
cook evenly. To rotate 1/2 turn, turn the dish until the side which was
to the back of" the oven is to the front. To rotate 1/4 turn, turn the dish
until the side which was to the back of the oven is to the side.
Defrost Hold
Time Power bvel & Time
High (10)
5
15
8 to 10 5 Meal-High (7)
25 15 High (10)
30 20 High (10)
31
Comments
Arrange in circle; cover with plastic wrap.
5 to 7 min.
For precooked meatballs, reduce each time
period by 2 minutes.
'20 to 25 min. Cover with plastic wrap. Rotate 1/4 turn
after half of cooking time.
Cover with plastic wrap. Break up and stir
from edges to center after defrost and after
5 to 10 min.
reduce each time period by half.
10 to 15 min. Cover. Break up and stir while defrosting
15 to 20 min. and cooking, to speed heating.
Effects of Food Characteristics on
Microwaving
Density of Food. In both conventional and microwave cooking,
dense foods, such as a potato, take longer to cook or heat than light,
porous foods, such as a piece of cake. bread or a roll.
Round Shapes. Since microwaves penetrate foods to about l-in.
evenly. Corners receive more energy and may overcook. This may
also happen when cooking conventionally.
Delicacy. Foods with a delicate texture 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 uneven in moisture should be covered or allowed
to stand so heat can disperse evenly.
Piece Size. Small pieces cook faster than large ones. Pieces which
are similar in size and shape cook more evenly. With large pieces of
Shape of Food. In both types of cooking, thin areas cook faster than
thick ones. This can be controlled in microwaving by placing thick
Starting Temperature. Foods taken from the freezer or refrigerator
take longer to cook than foods at room temperature. Timings in our
the foods.
Quantity of Food. In both types of cooking, small amounts usually
take less time than large ones. This is most apparent in microwave
cooking, where time is directly related to the number of servings.