Special Techniques For Microwave Cooking; Cleaning - Kenmore 721.68211890 Owner's Manual

SPECIAL TECHNIQUES FOR MICROWAVE COOKING
Browning: Meat and poultry with high fat content
cooked 10 or 15 minutes or longer will brown lightly. If
you want to achieve an appealing brown color for foods
cooked a shorter time, you may brush the meat with a
browning agent, such as Worcestershire sauce, soy
sauce, or barbecue sauce.
Covering: If you cover the food, you will trap heat and
steam and the food will cook more quickly. Use a lid or
plastic wrap with one corner folded back to vent the
excess steam. Remember that the lids on glass
casseroles can become hot during cooking, so handle
them carefully. Waxed paper can prevent the food from
splattering in the oven and will help retain heat. Waxed
paper, napkins, or paper towels are good coverings to
use when warming bread items. To absorb extra
moisture, wrap sandwiches and fatty foods in paper
towels.
Spacing: Individual foods, such as baked potatoes,
cupcakes, and hors d'oeuvres will cook more evenly if
you place them in a circular pattern at least an inch
apart.
Stirring: Stirring the food blends the flavors and
redistributes the heat in foods. Always stir from the
outside toward the center of the dish, because the food
at the outside of the dish heats first.
Turning Over: Large sized foods, such as roasts and
whole poultry, should be turned over so that the top
and bottom cook evenly. Also turn over chicken pieces
and chops.
Arrangement: Do not stack the food, but arrange in a
single layer in the dish for more even cooking. Because
dense foods cook more slowly, place thicker portions of
meat, poultry, fish, and vegetables toward the outer
edge of the baking dish.
Testing for Doneness: Because foods cook quickly in
a microwave oven, you need to test frequently for
doneness. Follow the recipes included in this manual
for more specific information.
Standing Time: Food often needs to stand from 2 to
15 minutes after you remove it from the oven. Usually,
you need to cover food during standing time to retain
heat. Remove most foods when they are slightly
undercooked and they will finish cooking during
standing time. The internal temperature of food will rise
about 10 11_during standing time.
Shielding: To prevent some portions of rectangular or
square dishes from overcooking, you may need to
shield them with small strips of aluminum foil to block
the microwaves. You can also cover poultry legs and
wing tips with foil to keep them from overcooking.
Always keep foil at least 1 inch from oven walls to
prevent arcing.
Piercing: To prevent them from bursting, pierce the
shell, skin, or membrane of foods before cooking.
Foods that require piercing include: yolks and whites of
eggs, hot dogs, clams, oysters, and whole vegetables,
such as potatoes and squash.
CLEANING
Wipe the oven inside and outside with a soft cloth and
a mild detergent solution. Then rinse and wipe dry. This
should be done weekly or more often, if needed. Never
use cleaning powders or rough pads.
Excessive oil splatters on the inside top will be difficult
to remove if left for many days. Wipe splatters with a
wet paper towel, especially after cooking chicken or
bacon.
REMOVABLE PARTS
The turntable and turntable roller rest are removable.
They should be washed in warm (not hot) water with a
mild detergent and a soft cloth. Once they are clean,
rinse well and dry with a soft cloth. Never use cleaning
powders, steel wool, or rough pads.
FJ The turntable may be cleaned at the sink. Be
careful not to chip or scratch the edges as this may
cause the turntable to break during use.
FJ The turntable roller rest should be cleaned
regularly.
SPECIAL CARE
For best performance and safety, the inner door panel
and the oven front frame should be free of food or
grease buildup. Wipe them often with a mild detergent.
Then rinse and wipe dry. Never use cleaning powders
or rough pads.
After cleaning the control panel, touch STOP/CLEAR to
clear any entries that might have been entered
accidentally while cleaning the panel.
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