Whirlpool MC8130XA - Manual (Page 65)

C O O K I N G G U I D E
Arranging food
For best results, distribute food evenly on
the plate. You can do this in several ways:
• If you are cooking several items of the
same food, such as baked potatoes,
place them in a ting pattern for uniform
cooking.
• When cooking foods of uneven shapes
or thickness, place the smaller or thinner
area of the food towards the center of the
dish where it will be heated last.
• Arrange uneven foods, such as fish, in
the oven with the tails to the center.
• If you are saving a meal in the refrigera­
tor or “plating” a meal for reheating,
arrange the thicker, denser foods to the
outside of the plate arvi the thinner or less
dense foods in the middle.
■ Place thin slices of meat on top of each
other or interlace them.
• Place thicker slices of meat, such as
meat loaf and sausages, close to each
other.
• Reheat gravy or sauce in a separate
container.
• When you cook or reheat whole fish,
score the skin - this prevents cracking.
• Shield the tail and head of whole fish
with small pieces of foil to prevent over­
cooking and ensure the foil does not touch
the sides of the oven.
• Do not let food or container touch the top
or sides of the oven. This will prevent
possible arcing.
Using aluminum foil
Metal containers usually should not be used
in a microwave oven. There are, however,
some exceptions. If you have purchased
food which is prepackaged in an aluminum
foil container, then refer to the instructions
on the package. It is possible to use dispos­
able containers, but it generally takes longer
and the final result will not be as good as
if food were placed in plastic or paper
containers.
If you use aluminum containers without
package instructions, follow these guide­
lines:
• Place container in a glass bowl and add
some water so that it covers the bottom of
the container, not more than Vi irrah high.
This ensures even heating of the container
bottom.
• Always remove the lid to avoid damage
to the oven.
■ Use only undamaged containers.
• Do not use containers taller than
• Container must be half filled.
• To avoid sparking, there must be a
minimum Vi“ between the aluminum
container and the walls of the oven and
also between two aluminum containers.
• Always place container on turntable.
• Thickness of the food layer must be
greater than thickness of the aluminum.
• Reheating food in aluminum foil contain­
ers usually takes up to double the time
compared to reheating in plastic, glass,
china, or paper containers. The time when
food is ready will vary a great deal.
• Let food stand for 2-3 minutes after
heating so that heat is spread evenly
throughout container.
Cooking you should not do in
your microwave oven
• Do not do canning of foods in the oven.
Closed glass jars may explode, resulting in
damage to the oven or possible personal
injury.
• Do not use the oven to sterilize objects
(baby bottles, etc.). It is difficult to maintain
the high temperature required for safe
sterilization.
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