Cooking Guide - Kenmore 665.61612 Use & Care Manual

Cooking Guide
MICROWAVE COOKING TIPS
• If you increase or decrease the amount of food
you prepare, the time it takes to cook that food
will also change. For example, if you double a
recipe, add a little more than half the original
cooking time. Check for doneness and, if
necessary, add more time in small increments.
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• The lower the temperature of the food being
put into the microwave oven, the longer it takes
to cook. Food at room temperature will be re-
heated more quickly than food at refrigerator
temperature.
• Food with a lot of fat and sugar will be heated
faster than food containing a lot of water. Fat and
sugar will also reach a higher temperature than
water in the cooking process.
• The more dense the food, the longer it takes to
heat. "Very dense" food like meat takes longer to
reheat than lighter, more porous food like sponge
cakes.
• Smaller pieces of food will cook faster than
larger pieces. Also, same-shaped pieces cook
more evenly than different-shaped pieces.
• With foods that have different thicknesses, the
thinner parts will cook faster than the thicker
parts. Place the thinner parts of chicken wings
and legs in the center of the dish.
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• Stirring and turning foods spreads heat quickly
to the center of the dish and avoids overcooking
at the outer edges of the food.
• Several foods (for example:
baked potatoes,
sausages, egg yolks, and some fruits) are tightly
covered by a skin or membrane. Steam can
build up under the membrane during cooking,
causing the food to burst. To relieve the pressure
and to prevent bursting, pierce these foods
before cooking with a fork, cocktail pick, or
toothpick.
Always allow food to stand after cooking.
Standing time after defrosting and cooking allows
the temperature to evenly spread throughout the
food, improving the cooking results.
The length of the standing time depends on
how much food you are cooking and how dense
it is. Sometimes it can be as short as the time it
takes you to remove the food from the oven and
take it to the serving table. However, with larger,
denser food, the standing time may be as long as
10 minutes.
For best results, place food evenly on the plate. You
can do this in several ways:
• If you are cooking several items of the same
food, such as baked potatoes, place them in a
ring pattern for uniform cooking.
• When cooking foods of uneven shapes or
thickness, such as chicken breasts, place the
smaller or thinner area of the food towards the
center of the dish where it will be heated last.
• Layer thin slices of meat on top of each other.
• When you cook or reheat whole fish, score the
skin - this prevents cracking.
• Do not let food or a container touch the top or
sides of the oven. This will prevent possible arcing.
Cover food to:
• Reduce splattering
• Shorten cooking times
• Keep food moist
You can use any covering that lets microwaves
pass through. See "Getting to Know Your
Microwave Oven" for materials that microwaves will
pass through.
Metal containers should not be used in a micro-
wave oven. There are, however, some exceptions.
If you have purchased food which is prepackaged
in an aluminum foil container, refer to the
instructions on the package. When using aluminum
foil containers, cooking times may be longer
because microwaves will only penetrate the top of
the food. If you use aluminum containers without
package instructions, follow these guidelines:
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