20
Standing time
Dense foods e.g. meat, jacket potatoes and
cakes, require a
standing time (inside or
outside of the oven) after cooking, to allow
heat to finish conducting through the food.
Jacket potatoes
Wrap in aluminium foil once cooked by
microwave only. Stand for 5 min. It is not
necessary to stand jacket potatoes cooked
in combination mode.
Fish
Stand for 2-3 minutes.
Egg dishes
Stand for 1-2 minutes.
Precooked convenience food
Stand for 2-3 minutes.
Moisture content
Many fresh foods e.g. vegetables
and fruit, vary in their moisture
content throughout the season.
Jacket potatoes are a particular
example of this. For this reason
cooking times may have to be
adjusted throughout the year. Dry
ingredients e.g. rice, pasta, can
dry out during storage so cooking
times may differ from ingredients
freshly purchased.
Cling film
Cling film helps keep the food
moist and the trapped steam
assists in speeding up cooking
times. However it should be
pierced before cooking, to allow
excess steam to escape.
Always take care when
removing cling film from a dish
as the build-up of steam will be
very hot. Always purchase cling
film that states on the packet
“suitable for microwave
cooking” and use as a covering
only. Do not line dishes with
cling film. Do not cover foods
when cooking by grill, oven or
combination.
Piercing
The skin or membrane on some
foods will cause steam to build
up during cooking. These foods
must be pierced or a strip of
skin should be peeled off before
cooking to allow the steam to
escape. Eggs, potatoes, apples,
sausages etc, will all need to be
pierced before cooking. Do not
attempt to boil eggs in their
shells.
General guidelines
Meat joints
Stand 15 min wrapped in aluminium foil.
Plated meals
Stand for 2-3 minutes.
Vegetables
Boiled potatoes benefit from standing for
1-2 minutes, however most other types of
vegetables can be served immediately.
Defrosting
It is essential to allow standing time to
complete the process. This can vary from
5 minutes. e.g. raspberries, to 1-2 hours for
a joint of meat. See pages 31-32.
If food is not cooked after standing time
,
return to oven and cook for additional time.
