15
Piercing
The skin or
membrane on
some foods will
cause steam to
build up during
cooking. These
foods must be
pierced or a strip
of skin should be
peeled off before
cooking to allow the steam to es cape. Eggs,
potatoes, apples, sausages etc, will all need
to be pierced before cooking. DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO BOIL EGGS IN THEIR
SHELLS.
Moisture
content
Many fresh foods
e.g. veget ables
and fruit, vary in
their moisture
content
throughout the
season. Jacket
potatoes are a
particular example of this. For this reason
cooking times may have to be adjusted
throughout the year. Dry ingredients e.g. rice,
pasta, can dry out further during storage and
cooking times may differ from ingredients
freshly purchased.
Cling film
Cling film helps
keep the food
moist and the
trapped steam
assists in
speeding up
cooking times.
However it should
be pierced before
cooking, to allow
excess steam to escape. Always take care
when removing cling film from a dish as the
build-up of steam will be very hot. Always
purchase cling film that states on the packet
“suitable for microwave cooking” and use as
a covering only. Do not line dishes with cling
film.
Standing time
Dense foods e.g. meat, jacket potatoes and
cakes, require a STANDING TIME (inside or
outside of the oven) after cook ing, to allow heat
to finish con ducting to cook the centre
completely.
MEAT JOINTS – Stand
15 mins. wrapped in aluminium foil.
JACKET POTATOES – Stand 5 mins.
wrapped in aluminium foil.
LIGHT CAKES – Stand 5 mins. before
removing from dish.
RICH DENSE CAKES – Stand 15-20 mins.
FISH – Stand 2-3 mins.
EGG DISHES – Stand 1-2 mins.
PRECOOKED CONVENIENCE FOODS –
Stand for 1-2 mins.
PLATED MEALS – Stand for 1-2 mins.
VEGETABLES – Boiled potatoes benefit
from standing 1-2 mins., however most other
types of vegetables can be served
immediately.
If food is not cooked after STANDING TIME,
return to oven and cook for additional time.
DEFROSTING – It is essential to allow
standing time to com plete the process. This
can vary from 5 mins. e.g. raspberries, to up
to 1 hour for a joint of meat.
