20
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Standing Time
Dense foods e.g. meat, jacket potatoes and
cakes, require a standing time
(inside or outside of the oven) after cook ing,
to allow heat to finish con ducting to cook the
centre completely.
Meat Joints
Stand 15 minutes wrapped in aluminium foil.
Jacket Potato
Stand 5 minutes wrapped in aluminium foil
after cooking by microwave only.
Light Cakes
Stand 5 minutes before removing from dish.
Rich Dense Cakes
Stand 15-20 minutes.
Fish
Stand 2-3 minutes.
Egg Dishes
Stand 1-2 minutes.
Precooked Convenience Food
Stand for 1-2 minutes.
Plated Meals
Stand for 2-3 minutes.
Vegetables
Boiled potatoes benefit from standing
1-2 minutes, however most other types of
vegetables can be served immediately.
If food is not cooked after standing time,
return to oven and cook for additional time.
Defrosting
It is essential to allow standing time to
com plete the process. This can vary from
5 minutes e.g. raspberries, to up to 1 hour for
a joint of meat. See pages 27-28.
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 es cape.
Eggs, potatoes, apples,
sausages etc. will all need to
be pierced before cooking.
Do not attempt to boil eggs
in their shells.
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 further during
storage and cooking times may
differ from freshly purchased
ingredients.
Cling Film
Cling film helps keep the food
moist and the trapped steam
assists in speeding up cooking
times. Cling film 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 combination
or grill.
General Guidelines