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TIPS AND ADVICE
BLANCHING VEGETABLES
Before freezing vegetables, they should be
blanched. This preserves the quality and flavour
at their best. Method: wash and chop the
vegetables. Put 250g of vegetables in a dish with
275 ml water and cover. Heat for 3-5 minutes.
After blanching, immerse immediately in cold
water to prevent further cooking and then allow to
drain. Pack vegetables in an airtight container and
freeze.
PRESERVING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES
Using the microwave for preserving is quick and
easy. There are preserving jars, rubber vacuum
seals and suitable seals made of
plastic available specially made
for microwaves. The
manufacturers will supply precise
instructions for use.
LARGE AND SMALL QUANTITIES
Microwave times are directly dependent upon the
amount of food which you would like to thaw, heat
or cook. This means that small portions cook more
quickly than larger ones. As a rule of thumb:
TWICE THE AMOUNT = ALMOST TWICE THE TIME
HALF THE AMOUNT = HALF THE TIME
DEEP AND SHALLOW CONTAINERS
Both containers have the same capacity, but the
cooking time is longer for the
deeper one. You should therefore
choose as flat a container as
possible with a large surface
area. Only use deep containers
for dishes where there is a danger of overcooking,
e.g. for noodles, rice, milk etc..
ROUND AND OVAL CONTAINERS
Food cooks more evenly in round or oval
containers than in containers with corners, since
the microwave energy concentrates in the corners
and the food in these areas could become
overcooked.
ADDITION OF WATER
Vegetables and other foods with a high water content
can be cooked in their own juice or with the addition
of a little water. This ensures that many vitamins and
minerals are preserved.
FOOD IN SKINS OR SHELLS
Foods such as sausages, chickens, chicken legs,
baked potatoes, tomatoes, apples, egg yolks or such
like should be pricked or pierced with a fork or small
wooden skewer. This will enable the steam which
forms to dissipate without splitting the skin or shell.
FATTY FOODS
Fatty meat and layers of fat cook better than lean
portions of meat. Before cooking, cover the fatty
portions with a piece of aluminium foil or place the
food with the fat side down.
USING A FOOD THERMOMETER TO
DETERMINE COOKING TIME
Once cooked, every drink and every foodstuff has
a certain internal temperature at which the
cooking process can be switched off and the food
will be cooked. The internal temperature can be
ascertained with a food thermometer. The most
important temperatures are specified in the
temperature table.
Heating drinks
(Coffee, Water, Tea, etc.)
Heating milk
Heating soup
Heating stew
Poultry
Lamb
Pink
Well done
Roast beef
Rare
Medium
Well done
Pork, Veal
Drink / Food
Internal
Internal temp.
temperature
after 10 - 15 mins
once cooked
standing time
65-75o C
75-80o C
75-80o C
75-80o C
80-85o C
70o C
75-80o C
50-55o C
60-65o C
75-80o C
80-85o C
85-90o C
70-75o C
80-85o C
55-60o C
65-70o C
80-85o C
80-85o C
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