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BEFORE USING MICROWAVE
About Children and the Microwave
Children below the age of 7 should use the microwave
oven with a supervising person very near to them.
Between the ages of 7 and 12, the supervising person
should be in the same room.
At no time should anyone be allowed to lean or swing
on the microwave oven door.
Children should be taught all safety precautions: use
pot holders, remove coverings carefully, pay special
attention to packages that crisp food because they
may be extra hot.
Don’t assume that because a child has mastered one
cooking skill he/she can cook everything.
Children need to learn that the microwave oven is not
a toy.
About Food Safety
Check foods to see that they are cooked to the Unit-
ed States Department of Agriculture’s recommended
temperatures.
To test for doneness, insert a meat thermometer in
a thick or dense area away from fat or bone. Never
leave the thermometer in the food during cooking,
unless it is approved for microwave oven use.
CAUTION
•
ALWAYS use pot holders to prevent burns when
handling utensils that are in contact with hot
food. Enough heat from the food can transfer
through utensils to cause skin burns.
•
Avoid steam burns by directing steam away from
the face and hands. Slowly lift the farthest edge
of a dish’s covering and carefully open popcorn
and oven cooking bags away from the face.
Note:
•
Stay near the microwave oven while it’s in use and
check cooking progress frequently so that there is
no chance of overcooking food.
•
NEVER use the cavity for storing cookbooks or
other items.
•
Select, store, and handle food carefully to preserve
its high quality and minimize the spread of food-
borne bacteria.
•
Keep the waveguide cover clean. Food residue
can cause arcing and/or fi res.
•
Use care when removing items from the microwave
oven so the utensil, your clothes, or accessories do
not touch the safety door latches.
