Panasonic NN-C2000W - Manual (Page 34)

32
Cooking Guide
Microwave Recipe Preparation and Techniques
How to Keep Everything Hot at The Same Time
Menu Planning for Microwave Cooking Handy Hints and Tips
Plan your meals so that the food will not all need
last minute cooking or attention at the same time.
The special features of microwave cookery make it
easy to serve meals with everything piping hot.
Cooking of some foods may be interrupted while you
start others, without harming the nutritional value or
flavor of either. A recipe which requires standing
time can be microwaved first and another food
cooked while it stands. Dishes prepared in advance
can be reheated briefly before serving. It does take
some experience and time to cook with confidence.
Microwaves are fast so you will have to do some
experimenting. You might find you will use your
conventional range in conjunction with your
microwave oven. For example, while cooking the
roast in the microwave oven, you can be cooking the
vegetables and gravy on the range top. This can
also be done the other way around. Prepare your
meal as follows.
1. Firstly, cook the most dense item (roast or
casserole). Drain and retain meat juice from joints
then cover with foil.
2. Cook the potatoes, rice or pasta.
3. Cover with foil for standing.
4. Cook greens and other vegetables.
5. Cover with foil for standing.
6. Cook the gravy with the retained meat juices,
stock and thickening
7. Carve the roast and serve the vegetables and
gravy.
While you are learning to plan meals, you may get
a bit behind time. Don't worry. Dinner servings may
be suitably reheated on MED HIGH, at 2 minutes
per serving.
If you prefer not to use foil, cover food with
saucepan lids. A metal lid will retain the heat for at
least 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, how can you cook all the vegetables at
the same time? Simply place potatoes and pumpkin
in one dish and less dense vegetables such as
broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, beans and peas in
another. Sprinkle greens with water. Cover with a lid
or plastic wrap. Cook on HIGH for approximately 10
to 15 minutes for a serving for four people.
Remember, if you increase the quantity of
vegetables, increase the cooking time. Fresh and
frozen vegetables can be mixed on a vegetable
platter, but remember the latter are not as dense as
fresh vegetables, as they have been blanched
before freezing. If vegetables are cut to a similar
size to each other, they can be cooked in separate
ramekins or small dishes at the same time.
• To blanch (1 cup) nuts, place in a pie plate. Cover
with hot tap water and heat on HIGH for 2 to 3
minutes. Rinse in cold water and rub between
sheets of paper towel to remove skins.
• To toast coconut, place half a cup on a paper
towel, and cook on HIGH for 1 to 2 minutes,
stirring occasionally.
• To make buttered breadcrumbs, combine 1 cup
breadcrumbs and 2 tablespoons butter and heat
on HIGH for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• When heating 100 9 baby food, select HIGH for
15 to 30 seconds, depending on the amount of
food or liquid and the starting temperature of it.
Test temperature before serving or further heating.
• For an added touch at dinner parties, steam your
own hand towels. Saturate in cold water, wring and
place on a plate. Heat on HIGH for 1 to 2 minutes.
• To soften cream cheese or butter, place in oven on
LOW for 1 /
2
to 1 minutes per 1 /
2
cup.
• Refrigerated cheese (250 g) can be heated to
room temperature on MEDIUM for 1/2 to 1 minute,
depending on size.
• When having a barbecue, partially cook food in the
microwave, season and finish cooking on the
barbecue.
• To melt chocolate, place 100 9 broken chocolate in
a 4 cup glass jug and heat on MEDIUM for 2 to 3
minutes. As chocolate holds its shape after
heating, stir and stand before adding extra time to
cooking.
• To remove oven odors, combine 1 /
2
teaspoon
vanilla essence with 1 cup water in a small bowl
and heat on HIGH 4 to 5 minutes. Wipe oven
interior with a damp cloth.
• To toast 1 cup almonds place onto a plate and
heat on HIGH for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring every
minute.
• To dry herbs, arrange 1 /
2
cup of leaves evenly on
paper towel. Place a mug of water into the oven
next to the herbs and cook on HIGH for 1 to 3
minutes, or until dry and crumbly. Check herbs
frequently as timing may vary with different herbs.
Please note that herbs dry and crumble on
standing outside the microwave oven.
• To soften dried fruit, place 1 cup of dried fruit into
a small bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of water, cover
with plastic wrap and cook on HIGH for 2 to 3
minutes.
• To skin tomatoes, place 1 cup of hot tap water in a
2 to 3 cup jug or bowl and heat on HIGH for 1 1 /
2
minutes or until boiling. Add 1 tomato and heat for
a further 20 to 30 seconds, remove and repeat
procedure with remaining tomatoes. The skin will
be loosened and easily removed.
• To dry fresh breadcrumbs (1 cup), spread on the
base of a plate and heat on HIGH for 2 to 3
minutes, stirring twice during heating.