The ‘E’ setting on the main oven thermostat is used for slow cooking, keeping
food warm and warming plates for short periods.
USING THE ‘E’ SETTING FOR SLOW COOKING
1. All dishes cooked by the ‘E’ setting should be cooked for a minimum 6
hours. They will ‘hold’ at this setting for a further hour but marked
deterioration in appearance will be noticed in some cases.
2. Joints of meat and poultry should be cooked at Mk. 6 for 30 minutes
before turning to the ‘E’ setting and never be cooked lower than the
middle shelf position.
3. Joints of meat over 6 lbs (2.7kg) and poultry over 4 lbs 8oz (2 kg)
should not be cooked using the ‘E’ setting.
4. Always stand covered joints on a rack over the meat tin to allow good
air circulation.
5. A meat thermometer should be used when cooking pork joints and
poultry. The internal temperature of the food should reach at least 88
o
C.
6. This method is unsuitable for stuffed meat and stuffed poultry.
7. Always bring soups, casseroles and liquids to the boil before putting in
the oven.
8. Cover casseroles with foil and then the lid to prevent loss of moisture.
9. Always thaw frozen food completely before cooking.
10. Root vegetables will cook better if cut into small pieces.
11. Adjust seasonings and thickenings at the end of the cooking time.
12. Use the zones of heat in the oven, e.g. meringues and milk puddings
can be cooked lower in the oven whilst other dishes requiring greater
heat can be cooked above them.
13. Egg and fish dishes need only 1-5 hours cooking and should be
included in day cooking sessions, when they can be observed from
time to time.
14. Dried red kidney beans must be boiled for a minimum of ten minutes
after soaking, before inclusion in any dish.
19
THE ‘E’ SETTING
