Kenmore ELITE 721.86002 Use And Care Manual page 28

Amount of food
• 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.
Starting temperature of food
• 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
reheated more quickly than food at refrigerator
temperature.
Composition of food
• 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 heat than lighter, more porous food like
sponge cakes.
Size and shape
• 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.
Stirring, turning foods
• Stirring and turning foods spreads heat quickly
to the center of the dish and avoids overcooking
at the outer edges of the food.
Covering food
• Cover food to reduce splattering, shorten
cooking times, and keep food moist.
• You can use any covering that lets microwaves
pass through. See "'How Your Microwave Hood
Combination Works" on page 6 for materials
that microwaves will pass through. If you are
using the Sensor function, be sure to vent.
Releasing pressure in foods
• 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.
Using standing time
• Always allow food to stand either inside or
outside the oven after the cooking or defrost
period ends. Standing time allows the temperatue
to spread evenly throughout the food, improving
cooking or defrosting 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 large,
denser food items, the standing time may be as
long as 10 minutes. For such longer periods, you
may want to program a "0" power second stage
of the cooking cycle for standing time inside the
oven. See " Two-Stage Cooking."
Arranging food
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 toward 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.
Arcing is a spark that can cause damage to the
oven interior.
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