Cooking Tips - Panasonic NN-DF382M Operation Instructions Manual

Cooking Tips

Timing
A range in heating time is given in each recipe. The time
range compensates for the uncontrollable differences in food
shapes, starting temperature and personal preferences.
Always cook food for the minimum cooking time given in the
recipe and check for doneness. If the food is undercooked,
continue cooking. It is easy to add time to an undercooked
product. Once the food is overcooked, nothing can be done.
Spacing
Individual foods, such as baked potatoes or cupcakes, will
heat more evenly if placed in the oven equal distances
apart.
When possible, arrange food in a circular pattern. Similarly,
when placing food in a baking dish, arrange around the
outside of the dish, not lined up next to each other. Food
should not be stacked on top of each other.
Piercing
The skin or membranes on some food will cause steam to
build up during microwave cooking. Food must be pierced,
scored or have a strip of skin peeled off before cooking to
allow steam to escape.
Eggs - Pierce egg yolk twice and egg white several times
with a toothpick.
Whole Clams and Oysters - Pierce several times with a
toothpick.
Whole Potatoes and Vegetables - Pierce with a fork.
Frankfurters and Sausages - Score smoked polish sausage
and frankfurters. Pierce fresh sausage with a fork.
Browning
Meats and poultry may appear cooked or browned effects
after 10-15 minutes cooking. The reason is the fat in
the meat absorbs microwave more easily to make food
browned. If you want to shorten the cooking time and get
a good appearance, you can marinate food in soy sauce
or any other sauce before cooking. For quick breads or
muffi ns, brown sugar can be used to take the place of
granulated sugar, or the surface can be sprinkled with dark
spices before cooking.
Covering
As with conventional cooking, moisture evaporates during
microwave cooking. Because microwave cooking is done by
time and not direct heat, the rate of evaporation cannot be
easily controlled. This, however, can be easily corrected by
using different materials to cover dishes. However, unless
specifi ed, a recipe is heated uncovered. Casserole lids or
cling fi lm are used for a tighter seal. Various degrees of
moisture retention are also obtained by using wax paper or
paper towels.
Stirring
Stirring is usually necessary during microwave cooking. We
have noted when stirring is helpful, using the words once,
twice, frequently or occasionally to describe the amount of
stirring required. Always bring cooked outside edges towards
the center and the less cooked center portions towards the
outside.
Turning and Rearranging
It is not possible to stir some food to redistribute the heat. At
times, microwave energy will concentrate in one area of a
food. To help ensure even cooking, some food needs to be
turned or rearranged. Turn over large food such as roasts
or chickens. Rearrange small items such as chicken pieces,
shrimp, hamburger patties or pork chops. Rearrange pieces
from the edge to the center and pieces from the center to
the edge of dish.
Standing Time
Most food will continue to cook by conduction after the
microwave oven is turned off. In meat cookery, the internal
temperature will rise 5 °C to 15 °C. if allowed to stand,
covered for 10 to 20 minutes. Casseroles and vegetables
need a shorter amount of standing time, but this standing
time is necessary to allow food to complete cooking in the
center without overcooking on the edges.
Converting Favorite Recipes
Select recipes that convert easily to microwave cooking.
A basic rule when converting conventional recipes to
microwave recipes is to cut the suggested cooking time to
a quarter. Also, fi nd a similar microwave recipe and adapt
that time and power setting. Season meats with herbs and
spices before cooking and salt after cooking. Stews are not
browned before cooking. Omit any oil or fat that would be
used for browning. Cut stew meat into 2.5 cm pieces. Cut
carrots, potatoes and other vegetables into small pieces.
Carrots should be thinly sliced and potatoes diced. Cover
with a glass lid and cook at High to bring liquid to a boil and
then cook at Low until tender. Stir occasionally.
Note: A small plate placed on top of the meat and vegetables
will help stop the meat overcooking.
Microwave ovens cook casseroles well. Cut food into
uniform pieces. Condensed soup makes a good base for
casseroles. Select a dish that is large enough to allow
for stirring. Cooking covered with a glass lid or cling fi lm
reduces cooking time. To keep crumb toppings crisp,
sprinkle on before the standing time.
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