Emerson MW8117W - Manual (Page 19)

COOKING GUIDE (CONTINUED)
Covering: Covering speeds cooking time, retains moisture, tenderizes, insures even cooking and prevents spattering.
Casseroie iids or piastic wrap are used for a tighter seai. Vent piastic by turning back one edge at the side of dish to form a
narrow siot where excess steam can escape. Various degrees of moisture retention are aiso obtained by using wax paper or
paper toweis.
Browning: iVIicrowave energy cooks some foods so quickiy that the fats and sugars within the food do not have time to
carameiize and give a "browned" appearance. Browning agents do not affect the quaiity of microwaved foods, but can add
coior and fiavor. For meats and pouitry, use bouquet sauce diiuted with water or meited butter, soy, Worcestershire, barbecue
or steak sauce, a sprinkiing of paprika or dry gravy mix; jeiiy giaze or crumb coating. Frosting and topping finish cakes and
breads. Top casseroies at the end of microwaving with grated cheese or crumbs.
Some Foods Do Not Microwave Well
Eggs in Shells and hard boiled eggs can burst.
Pancakes do not crust, but they reheat well. Fully-prepared, frozen pancakes are available for microwaving,
j Deep Fat Frying can cause burns,
i Bottles with narrow necks may shatter if heated.
I Pop Popcorn only in special microwave poppers. Do not use oil unless specified by the manufacturer, or heat longer
¡than recommended. Never pop popcorn in paper bags or glass utensils or directly on the glass tray.
HOT SNACKS AND APPETIZERS
Hot hors d'oeuvres and appetizers can be prepared very quickly in the oven by the hostess, or individual servings may be
prepared by guests.
Many appetizers may be cooked on the serving platter, provided the platter does not have metal trim. A time saving tip -
prepare these foods ahead of time, refrigerate or freeze, and refresh in the oven at serving time. A plate of appetizers will
take only seconds to prepare or refresh.
Cheese melts very rapidly and will toughen if overcooked, so watch foods combined with cheese closely so that
overcooking will not occur. As soon as cheese starts to bubble, cooking is completed.
Appetizers that have a crisp pastry exterior are best prepared in a conventional oven.
To prepare appetizers wrapped in bacon, it will be necessary to precook the bacon and then wrap around the foods.
Oysters wrapped in bacon are easier to prepare in the broiler of your conventional range.
Seafood mixtures can be prepared in serving shells as microwave energy will pass through the seafood shells without
heating. Aluminum foil should not be used for shells.
If spreads are placed on crackers, care should be taken not to overcook as moisture from the food will cause crackers to
become soggy. Crackers used for spreads should be very dry and crisp. This helps avoid sogginess. Heat only until
spread is at serving temperature.
The time required to heat all appetizers will depend on the amount of food, and the number and the type of dish selected.
Remember the food will become very hot even if the dish is cool. Cheese mixtures retain heat longer when heated with
microwave energy.
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