10
Tips & advice
Blanching vegetables
Before freezing vegetables, they should be blanched.
This preserves the quality and flavour at their best.
Method: wash and chop the vegetables. Put 250 g of
vegetables in a dish with 275 ml water and cover. Heat
for 3-5 minutes. After blanching, immerse immediately
in cold water to prevent further cooking and then
allow to drain. Pack vegetables in an airtight container
and freeze.
Preserving fruit and vegetables
Using the microwave for preserving is quick and easy.
There are preserving jars, rubber vacuum seals and
suitable seals made of plastic available
specially made for microwaves.
The manufacturers will supply precise
instructions for use.
Large & small quantities
Microwave times are directly dependent upon the
amount of food which you would like to thaw, heat or
cook. This means that small portions cook more quickly
than larger ones. As a rule of thumb:
TWICE THE AMOUNT = ALMOST TWICE THE TIME
HALF THE AMOUNT = HALF THE TIME
Deep & shallow containers
Both containers have the same capacity,
but the cooking time is longer for the
deeper one. You should therefore
choose as flat a container as possible
with a large surface area. Only use deep containers for
dishes where there is a danger of overcooking, e.g. for
noodles, rice, milk etc..
Round & oval containers
Food cooks more evenly in round or oval containers
than in containers with corners, since the microwave
energy concentrates in the corners and the food in
these areas could become overcooked.
Covering
Covering the food retains the moisture
within it and shortens the cooking time.
Use a lid, microwave cling film or a
cover. Foods which are to be crispy, e.g.
roasts or chickens, should not be covered. As a general
rule, whatever would be covered in a conventional
oven should also be covered in a microwave oven.
Whatever would be uncovered in a conventional oven
can also be left uncovered in a microwave oven.
Irregular shaped food
Place the thicker, more compacted end
of the food pointing towards the
outside. Place vegetables (such as
broccoli) with the stalks pointing
outward.
Stirring
Stirring the food is necessary, since the
microwaves begin by heating the outer
areas. The temperature is thereby
equalised and the food heats up evenly.
Arrangement of food
Place a number of individual portions, such as small
pudding moulds, cups or potatoes in their jackets, in a
circle on the turntable. Keep the portions at a distance
from each other so that the microwave energy can
reach the food from all sides.
Turning
Medium-sized items, such as hamburgers and steaks,
should be turned over once during cooking, in order to
shorten the cooking process. Large items, such as roasts
and chickens, must be turned, since the upper side
receives more microwave energy and could dry out if
not turned.
Standing time
Keeping to the standing time is one of
the most important rules with
microwaves. Almost all foods, which are
defrosted, heated or cooked in the microwave, require
a certain amount of time to stand, during which
temperature equalisation takes place and the moisture
in the food is evenly distributed.
1. AG-61+62D-EU English 30/03/2005 16:35 Page 10
