En-5
English
General Guidelines
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 escape. 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. vegetables
and fruit, vary in
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.
VEGETABLES - Boiled potatoes benefit
from standing for 1-2 mins., however most
other types of vegetables can be served
immediately.
DEFROSTING - It is essential to allow
standing time to complete the process. This
can vary from 5 mins. e.g. raspberries, to
up to 1 hour for a joint of meat.
If food is not cooked after
STANDING
TIME
, return to oven and cook for
additional time.
Dense foods e.g. meat, jacket potatoes and
cakes, require a STANDING TIME (inside or
outside of the oven) after cooking, to allow
heat to finish conducting to cook the centre
completely.
STANDING TIME
MEAT JOINTS - Stand 8-10 mins.
wrapped in tin foil.
JACKET POTATOES - Stand 5 mins.
wrapped in tin foil.
LIGHT CAKES - Stand 5 mins. before
removing from dish.
RICH DENSE CAKES - Stand 15-20 mins.
FISH - Stand 2-5 mins.
EGG DISHES - Stand 2-3 mins.
PRECOOKED CONVENIENCE
FOODS - Stand for 5 mins.
PLATE MEALS - Stand for 2-5 mins.
Micro Power Use
High 1000 W Reheating meals and sauces, cooking fish, vegetables, sauces, preserves
Defrost 270 W Defrosting frozen foods
Medium 600 W Roasting, egg sauces, heating milk, cooking sponge cakes
Low 440 W Chicken casseroles, quiches
Simmer 250 W Cooking stews and casseroles, rice puddings, rich fruit cakes, egg custards
Warm 100 W Softening ice-cream, butter, cream cheese
