21
Microwave cooking guidelines
o If you are heating liquid in the microwave, then you must also
place a teaspoon in the container. This will ensure that the liquid
does not boil suddenly after being removed from the microwave
cavity.
o This phenomenon is called “delayed boiling”, this means that a
liquid can be close to boiling point, even if there is no steam
coming off the liquid or the liquid is not bubbling. If the liquid
container is even gently shaken, then the liquid can without
warning boil over or even spurt. This could scald the end user.
o If the food you are cooking has a skin or peel (e.g. sausages,
tomatoes, potatoes etc), then you should pierce the skin or peel
with a fork. This will ensure that if steam is created during the
heating process, it can escape and the food will not burst.
o When heating baby food, the bottle or jar containing the food
should NEVER have a top or lid on. After cooking, to ensure that
the food has been heated uniformly, you should stir or shake the
food. IMPORTANT: You must check the temperature of the food
before feeding it to a child.
o When heating food in a microwave, it will transmit the heat to
the container that the food is in or on. You should ALWAYS use
oven gloves when removing items from the microwave.
o You should make sure that you do not cook food for too long or
at too high a power level. This could cause certain areas of the
food to dry out or even ignite.
o You should not use ceramic or porcelain crockery, or porous
earthenware inside of your microwave. These dishes could
absorb moisture from the food whilst it is cooking, which could
cause pressure to build up and shatter the dish.
o If you are heating certain foods and any liquid, moisture will
evaporate and condensation may occur. This does not indicate
that the appliance is faulty and it can be particularly noticeable if
the ambient temperature of the room is high.
o IMPORTANT: Any condensation should be wiped up with a soft
cloth as soon as you have finished using the microwave.
o After the cooking time has completed, you should let the food
stand for a few minutes. This is called “standing time” and will
allow the heat generated by the microwave to spread evenly
throughout the food.
