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• You can bake in a microwave oven, although not with
recipes that include yeast.
• When preparing food with a thick skin, e.g. potatoes,
apples, whole squash or chestnuts, you should prick
holes in the skin to prevent the food from bursting
during cooking.
• When preparing food in a “traditional” oven, you
normally avoid opening the oven door as much as
possible. This is not the case with microwaves: no
energy or significant heat is lost. In other words, you can
open the oven door and look at the food as often as you
want.
Important safety measures when preparing food
• If using the microwave oven to heat baby food or liquids
in a feeding bottle, you must always stir the food/liquid
and check the temperature thoroughly before serving.
This ensures that the heat is evenly distributed and
avoids scalding injuries.
The lid and/or teat must NOT be fitted on a feeding
bottle when it is placed in the microwave oven.
• If some foods are heated too long, they may char and
give off smoke. If this happens, you should leave the
oven door closed and switch off the microwave oven
completely.
• Some foods with low water content, e.g. chocolate in
squares and pastries with a sweet filling, should be
heated carefully, otherwise they or the container may be
ruined.
USING UTENSILS WHEN PREPARING FOOD
Before starting to prepare food in containers, you should
check that the containers you wish to use are made of a
suitable material, as some types of plastic may become
limp and deform, while some types of ceramics may crack
(particularly when heating small quantities of food).
In order to test if a container is suitable for use in a
microwave oven:
• Place the container in the appliance.
• At the same time, place a half-full glass of water in the
container.
• Start, and run for 15-30 seconds on maximum power.
• If the container becomes very hot to the touch, do not
use it.
Suitable utensils and materials
When cooking food in a microwave oven, you should
PREFERABLY use the following utensils and materials:
•
Glass and glass bowls
•
Stoneware
(glazed and unglazed). The food stays hot
longer in glazed stoneware than in other dishes.
•
Plastic containers
. Can be used for many heating
purposes. Caution! Plastic containers made from
melamine, polyethylene and phenol must NOT be used.
•
Porcelain.
All porcelain can be used in the microwave
oven, although fireproof porcelain is preferable.
•
Fireproof covered dishes
. Glass dishes with lids
that fit so closely that steam cannot escape are ideal
for vegetables and fruit to which no liquid is added
(however, the cooking time must not exceed 5 minutes).
• Browning dishes You must be very careful when using
this type of dish. Never heat the browning dish for more
than 5 minutes on the turntable. Suitable insulation,
such as a heat-tested plate, should be placed between
the browning dish and the turntable to prevent the
turntable from overheating.
• Microwave roasting film can be used, particularly for
soups, sauces, stewed dishes or when defrosting food.
Can also be used as a loose covering to prevent fat, etc.
from spraying out into the oven compartment.
•
Kitchen roll
is ideal, as it absorbs moisture and fat.
For example, bacon can be placed in layers, with
kitchen roll between each layer. The bacon will then
be completely crispy, as it does not sit in its own fat.
Home-baked bread can be taken directly from the
freezer, wrapped in kitchen roll and heated in the
microwave oven.
•
Wet kitchen roll
can be used for fish or vegetables.
Covering the food prevents it from drying out.
•
Greaseproof paper
Fish, large vegetables, such as
cauliflower, corn on the cob and similar can be wrapped
in wet greaseproof paper.
•
Roasting bags
are ideal for meat, fish and vegetables.
However, they must never be closed using metal clips.
Cotton thread should be used instead. Prick the bag
with small holes, and place it in the microwave oven on
a plate or glass dish.
Unsuitable utensils and materials
When cooking food in a microwave oven, you must NOT
use the following utensils and materials:
•
Sealed glass jars/bottles with small openings
, as
they may explode.
•
General-purpose thermometers
•
Silver foil/foil trays
, as the microwave rays cannot
penetrate the material and the food will not cook.
•
Recycled paper, as it may contain small metal
splinters that could cause sparks and/or fire.
•
Closed tins/containers with tightly sealed lids
, as
excess pressure may cause the tin/container to explode.
• Metal clips and lids/film containing metallic threads
since they can cause sparks in the microwave oven and
must therefore be removed.
•
Metal bowls/containers and packaging
, unless they
are designed specifically for use in microwave ovens.
The microwaves are reflected and cannot penetrate the
food through the metal.
•
Plates, dishes and bowls/containers with metal, gold
and silver decorations.
They may break and/or cause
sparks to form in the oven compartment.
CLEANING
When cleaning the appliance, you should pay attention to
the following points:
• Turn off the appliance and remove the plug from the wall
socket before cleaning.
• Clean the appliance by wiping it with a damp cloth. A
little detergent can be added if the appliance is heavily
soiled.
• Do not use scouring pads, steel wool or any form of
strong solvents or abrasive cleaning agents to clean the
appliance, as they may damage the outside surfaces of
the appliance.
