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Cooking Guidelines
Cooking Tips
•
When food comes to the boil, reduce the temperature setting.
•
Using a lid will reduce cooking times and save energy by retaining the heat.
•
Minimise the amount of liquid or fat to reduce cooking times.
•
Start cooking on a high setting and reduce the setting when the food has heated through.
Simmering, Cooking Rice
•
Simmering occurs below boiling point, at around 85˚C, when bubbles are just rising occasionally to the surface
of the cooking liquid. It is the key to delicious soups and tender stews because the flavours develop without
overcooking the food. You should also cook egg-based and flour thickened sauces below boiling point.
•
Some tasks, including cooking rice by the absorption method, may require a setting higher than the lowest
setting to ensure the food is cooked properly in the time recommended.
Searing Steak
To cook juicy flavoursome steaks:
1. Stand the meat at room temperature for about 20 minutes before cooking.
2. Heat up a heavy-based frying pan.
3. Brush both sides of the steak with oil. Drizzle a small amount of oil into the hot pan and then lower the meat
onto the hot pan.
4. Turn the steak only once during cooking. The exact cooking time will depend on the thickness of the steak
and how cooked you want it. Times may vary from about 2 – 8 minutes per side. Press the steak to gauge
how cooked it is – the firmer it feels the more ‘well done’ it will be.
5. Leave the steak to rest on a warm plate for a few minutes to allow it to relax and become tender before
serving.
For Stir-Frying
1. Have all the ingredients and equipment ready. Stir-frying should be quick. If cooking large quantities, cook
the food in several smaller batches.
2. Preheat the pan briefly and add two tablespoons of oil.
3. Cook any meat first, put it aside and keep warm.
4. Stir-fry the vegetables. When they are hot but still crisp, turn the cooking zone to a lower setting, return the
meat to the pan and add your sauce.
5. Stir the ingredients gently to make sure they are heated through.
6. Serve immediately.
Take care when frying as oil and fat heat up very quickly. At extremely high temperatures oil and fat will
ignite spontaneously and this presents a serious fire risk.
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