Panasonic HL-SF498S Operating Instructions Manual page 11

User Instructions
Moisture content
Vegetables and fruit vary in
moisture content throughout
the season, particularly
jacket potatoes. For this reason cooking
times may have to be adjusted. Dry
ingredients e.g. rice, pasta, can dry out
during storage so cooking times may
differ.
Cling film
Cling film helps keep food
moist and trapped steam
assists in speeding up cooking times.
Pierce before cooking to allow excess
steam to escape. Take care when
removing cling film from a dish as build-
up of steam will be very hot. Purchase
cling film that states on the packet
'suitable for microwave cooking' and use
as a covering only.
Piercing
The skin or membrane on
some foods causes steam
to build up during cooking. These foods
must be pierced or a strip of skin should
be peeled off before cooking to allow
the steam to es cape. Eggs, potatoes,
apples, sausages etc, will all need to
be pierced before cooking. Do not
attempt to boil eggs in their shells in
microwave mode.
Dish size
Follow the dish sizes given
in this manual, as these
affect the cooking and reheating times.
A quantity of food spread in a bigger
dish cooks and reheats more quickly.
Food cooks better by microwave when
in a round container rather than square.
Quantity
Small quantities cook faster
than large quantities, also
small meals will reheat more quickly
than large meals.
Spacing
Foods cook more quickly
and evenly if spaced apart.
Never pile foods on top of each other.
Shape
Even shapes cook evenly.
Whenever possible, cut the
vegetables and other foods into regular
pieces.
Density
Porous airy foods heat more
quickly than dense heavy
foods.
Covering
Cover foods with microwave
cling film or a self-fitting
lid. Cover fish, vegetables, casseroles,
soups. Do not cover cakes, sauces,
jacket potatoes, pastry items.
Arranging
Individual foods e.g. chicken
portions or chops, should be
placed on a dish so that the thicker parts
are to the outside.
Starting
temperature
The colder the food, the
longer it takes to heat up. Food from a
fridge takes longer to reheat than food
at room temperature.
Turning and stirring
Some foods require stirring
during cooking. Meat and
poultry should be turned after half the
cooking time.
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