COOKING
GETTING THE BEST COOKING RESULTS
To get the best results from your microwave oven, readY Turn overfoods like pork chops, baking potatoes,
and follow the guidelines below.roasts, or whole cauliflower halfway through the cooking
time to expose all sides equally to microwave energy.
Y Storage Temperature:Foods taken from the freezerY Placedelicate areas of foods, such as asparagus tips,
or refrigerator take longer to cook than the same foodstoward the center of the dish.
at room temperature. The time for recipes in this bookY Arrangeunevenly shaped foods, such as chicken
is based on the normal storage temperature of thepieces or salmon steaks, with the thicker, meatier parts
food.toward the outside of the dish.
Y Size:Small pieces of food cook faster than large ones,Y Shield, with Smallpieces of aluminum foil, parts of
pieces similar in size and shape cook more evenly. Forfood that may cook quickly, such as wing tips and leg
even cooking, reduce the power when cooking largeends of poultry.
pieces of food.Y Let It Stand:After you remove the food from the
Y Natural Moisture:Very moist foods cook more evenlymicrowave, cover food with foil or casserole lid and let it
because microwave energy is attracted to waterstand to finish cooking in the center and avoid
molecules.overcooking the outer edges. The length of standing time
Y Stir foods such as casseroles and vegetables from thedepends on the density and surface area of the food.
outside to the center to distribute the heat evenly aY Wrapping in waxed paper or paper towel:nd
speed cooking. Constant stirring is not necessary.Sandwiches and many other foods containing
prebaked bread should be wrapped prior to
microwaving to prevent drying out.
FISH & SHELLFISH
Cooking Fish and Shellfish: General Directions
Y Prepare the fish for cooking.- Always set the shortest cooking time. Fish is done
- Completely defrost the fish or shellfish.when it turns opaque and the thickest part begins to
- Arrange unevenly shaped pieces with thicker partsflake. Shellfish is done when the shell turns from pink
toward the outside of the dish. Arrange shellfish in ato red and the flesh is opaque and firm.
single layer for even cooking.
- The type of cover you use depends on how you cook.Y The Fish and Shellfish Cooking Table below provides
Poached fish needs a microwavable lid or ventedspecific directions with Power Level and Cooking Time
plastic wrap.settings for most types of fish and shellfish.
- Baked fish, coated fish, or fish in sauce needs to be
covered lightly with waxed paper to keep the coating
crisp and sauce from getting watery.
Fish And Shellfish Cooking Table
POWER
FISHCOOKING TIMEDIRECTIONS
LEVEL
Fish filletsHI31/2-41/2 minutes
Arrange fish in a single layer with thickest portion toward
outside edge of 11/2quart microwavable baking dish.
Brush with melted butter and season, if desired. Cook
Fish steaksHI41/2-51/2 minutes
covered with vented plastic wrap. Let stand covered
2 minutes. If you are cooking more than 1 lb. of fish, turn the
fish halfway through cooking.
Whole fish741/2-6 minutes
ScallopsHI31/2-5 minutes
Arrange in a single layer. Prepare as directed above,
except stir instead of turning the shellfish.
Shrimp, shelledHI31/2-5 minutes
36 |
ACEC
