Gallet FMOEGH 233S Instruction Manual - page 61
ENG
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III. HOw FOOD QUALITIES AFFECT MICROwAVE COOKING
Food density
Light, porous foods such as pastry and bread are prepared faster than heavy, dense foods such
as roast. When preparing porous foods in MW oven, make sure the outer parts do not dry and
crispen. Cover the outer parts with foil (for MW ovens) or cook at low power.
Food height
Top part of tall foods, namely when baking will bake faster than lower part. It is therefore
suitable to turn the food while cooking, sometimes several times.
Initial temperature
The initial temperature of the food directly affects the time for which the food needs to be
cooked or heated. It is the same as with conventional cooking – frozen foods cook longer than
foods refrigerated and foods stored at room temperature.
Moisture in food
Because the microwaves are drawn by moisture, relatively dry foods such as roast or some
kinds of vegetable should be sprinkled with water or covered.
Food size
The smaller and more unified the pieces of ingredients in the MW are, the better. It is also
suitable to cook cut-up food in bigger kitchen ware in order that the microwaves may get to the
pieces from all sides and ensure even cooking.
Quantity of food
The amount of microwaves remains the same regardless of the quantity of food prepared.
The more food you put in the oven the longer will the preparation take. Small quantity of food
requires shorter time for cooking or heating. When using regular times for cooking or heating,
the food may overheat or burn.
Bones and fats
Bones conduct heat and big amounts of fat draw MW energy. When preparing slice of meat with
bones and fat, be careful not to cook the meat unevenly and roast it too thoroughly. Foods with
big amounts of fat and sugar require careful choice of cooking time because they may easily
become hot and burn or even cause fire in the MW by self-ignition.
Shape of ingredients
Microwaves penetrate the food only approx. 2.5 cm. The inner parts of the food will cook by the
heat created on the surface penetrating inward. In other words, only the inner parts of food will
actually cook by the microwave energy. The rest will cook by heat distribution in the food. It is
therefore obvious that the worst shape of food for food preparation by MW oven is thick block.
Before the centre heats up, the edges will burn. Try to make the edges of food round. These will
cook best in the MW.
Defrosting frozen foods
Frozen foods may be put into the MW oven for defrosting (do not forget to remove all metal clips
and packages). Cover the parts of food which defrost faster than others if needed. The process
of defrosting will thus slow down or stop. Some foods do not need to be defrosted completely
before further preparation. E.g. preparation of fish is so quick that it is sometimes better to start
preparing them when slightly frozen.