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Cooking
Guide
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 reheat 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
_+Keep food moist
You can use any covering that lets microwaves
pass
through.
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 after cooking.
Standing time after defrosting and cooking allows
the temperature to evenly spread throughout the
food, improving the cooking 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 larger,
denser food, the standing time may be as long
as 10 minutes.
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