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Website:
http://www.sharp.co.uk/support
Help Line:
08705 274277 (office hours)
MICROWAVING
MICROWAVE POWER LEVELS
Introduction:
Water, sugar and fat in food absorb microwaves which
causes them to vibrate. This creates heat by friction, in
the same way your hands get warm when you rub them
together.
Outer areas of food are heated by microwave energy,
and remaining portions by conduction. It is, therefore,
important to
turn
,
rearrange
or
stir
food to ensure
even heating. Where recommended allow food to
stand. This is not optional but necessary to ensure
thorough cooking and is particularly important for
dense food, such as joints of meat.
Microwaves pass through non-metallic dishes and
utensils and heat the food inside the dishes.
Microwaves are reflected by metal. The oven is lined
with metal and has a fine metallic mesh in the door to
prevent microwave leakage. Metallic dishes are not
suitable for microwaving. Only use utensils that are
suitable for microwave ovens.
(See suitable cookware, pages 13 - 14).
Power level:
The microwave power level is varied by the
microwave energy switching on and off.
When using power levels other than 100P you will
be able to hear the microwave energy pulsing on
and off as the food cooks or defrosts.
IMPORTANT:
The microwave power level will default
to 100P unless you press the
POWER LEVEL
button
to the desired setting.
TO CHECK THE POWER LEVEL:
To check the microwave power level during cooking,
press the
POWER LEVEL
button. As long as your
finger is pressing the
POWER LEVEL
button the
power level will be displayed. The oven continues to
count down although the display will show the power
level.
To change the power level for cooking, enter the
required time and then press the
POWER LEVEL
button.
For example:
Your oven has 5 power levels. To choose the power
level for cooking, follow the advice given in the
recipe section. Generally the following
recommendations apply:
100P
- (HIGH output = 800W) used for fast
cooking or reheating e.g. for casseroles, hot
beverages, vegetables etc.
70P
- (MEDIUM HIGH output = 560W) used for
longer cooking of dense foods such as roast joints,
meat loaf and plated meals, also for sensitive dishes
such as cheese sauce and sponge cakes. At this
reduced setting, the sauce will not boil over and food
will cook evenly without over cooking at the sides.
50P
- (MEDIUM output = 400W) for dense foods
which require a long cooking time when cooked
conventionally, eg. beef dishes, it is advisable to use
this power setting to ensure the meat will be tender.
30P
- (MEDIUM LOW output = 240W Defrost
setting) to defrost, select this power setting, to ensure
that the dish defrosts evenly. This setting is also ideal
for simmering rice, pasta, dumplings and cooking
egg custard.
10P
- (LOW output = 80W) For gentle defrosting,
eg. cream gateaux or pastry.
P = Percentage
x1
100P (HIGH)
x2
70P (MED HIGH)
x3
50P (MEDIUM)
x4
30P (MED LOW)
x5
10P (LOW)
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