Heating And Cooking; Defrosting; Factors That Can Affect The Cooking Process - Pelgrim MAG545 Notice D'utilisation

Heating and cooking

Place the food on a suitable dish.
The food should preferably be covered
with, for example, microwave cling film or
a suitable lid.
Remove the cling film or lid carefully
afterwards. The steam that comes off can
be very hot!
If necessary, moisten foods that quickly
become dry.
Before placing them in the microwave, first
put potatoes and vegetables into cold
water for a moment. This prevents a skin
forming on them.
Wide, flat foods become hot more quickly
than narrow, tall foods.
For uniform results, it is best to stir or turn
food once or twice.
When reheating foods that are already
cooked, always select the highest
microwave power level.
The food should preferably be divided into
small pieces.
When cooking in the microwave, you only
need small quantities of water, salt and
seasoning.
It is best to add salt after cooking. This
prevents moisture being drawn out of the
food.
The food continues to cook for some time
after the microwave has been switched
off. Allow for this by not heating the food
for too long.
Important
When heating small quantities of powdery
products (such as when drying herbs),
always place a glass of water in the
microwave. Otherwise, due to the small
quantity, there is a chance of spontaneous
combustion.
Fish
Fish should be cooked gradually. With thin
fish, fatty fish or small portions, therefore, set
the power level to 40% (360 watt). In other
cases, you can safely set the power level a
bit higher. Allow, however, for the food
continuing to cook after the microwave has
been switched off.
Fish is done when the flesh has become
opaque.

Defrosting

Always defrost large dense pieces using
the defrost program. Thanks to the food
defrosting gradually and evenly, you will
not run the risk of the outside drying out
while the centre is still frozen.
To speed up the defrosting process, it is
recommended that after a while the food
be divided up into smaller pieces.
For large pieces of meat and dense food,
introduce a couple of breaks into the
defrosting process.
When defrosting irregularly shaped food,
halfway through the defrosting time you
can cover or wrap the thin parts with
aluminium foil.
When freezing foods, you can already
allow for them being defrosted in the
microwave by not using aluminium foil or
trays and by freezing flatter portions.
Factors that can affect the
cooking process
The cooking times given in this booklet are
only indications. The temperature of the
ingredients affects the cooking times. A
cold meal will require a longer cooking
time than a meal that is already at room
temperature.
Light, porous foods cook more quickly than
heavy, solid foods, such as stews and
rolled meats.
Take care when cooking light, porous
foods. The edges quickly become dry and
tough.
Bones and fat conduct heat better than
meat. Cover chicken legs and wings, for
example, with aluminium foil.
Microwaves penetrate food to a depth of
about 3 cm. The centre of thick foods is
heated as a result of heat from the heated
part (the outside) spreading to the inside.
Thin and ring-shaped foods are heated the
quickest and are therefore also done the
quickest.
Meat and poultry that is cooked in the
microwave for more than about 15 minutes
becomes lightly browned. Any food
cooked for a shorter time can be rubbed
beforehand with a "browning" sauce, such
as Worcestershire sauce, soya bean oil or
barbecue sauce.
Greaseproof paper prevents splashing.
Food also retains heat better.
Small pieces of food are heated more
evenly if you place them separately in the
microwave, preferably in a circle.