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• In order to cook compact dishes such as meat and
poultry evenly, it is important to turn the meat a few
times.
• 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 appliance.
• If some foods are heated too long, they may burn 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, If not, 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 microwave
ovens, 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.
• Appliance roasting film 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:
• 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.
• Never use a scouring pad or any form of strong solvent
or abrasive cleaning agent to clean the appliance, as
those may damage the inside and outside surfaces of
the appliance.