9
General Guidelines
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. veget ables
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 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.
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 mins. wrapped in aluminium foil.
JACKET POTATOES – Stand 5 mins. wrapped in aluminium foil.
LIGHT CAKES – Stand 5 mins. before removing from dish.
RICH DENSE CAKES – Stand 15-20 mins.
FISH – Stand 2-3 mins.
EGG DISHES – Stand 1-2 mins.
PRECOOKED CONVENIENCE FOODS – Stand for 1-2 mins.
PLATED MEALS – Stand for 2-3 mins.
VEGETABLES – Boiled potatoes benefit from standing
1-2 mins., 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 mins. e.g. raspberries, to
up to 1 hour for a joint of meat. See pages 18-20.