20
COOKING TECHNIQUES
STANDING TIME
Dense foods e.g. meat, jacket potatoes and cakes,
require standing time(inside or outside of the oven)
after cooking, to allow heat to finish conducting to
cook the center completely. Wrap meat joints and
jacket potatoes in aluminum foil while standing.
Meat joints need approx. 10-15 minutes, jacket
potatoes 5 minutes. Other foods such as plated
meal, vegetables, fish etc. require 2-5 minutes
standing. After defrosting food, standing time
should also be allowed. If food is not cooked after
standing time, return to the oven and cook for
additional time.
MOISTURE CONTENT
Many fresh foods e.g. vegetables and fruit, vary in
their moisture content throughout the season,
particularly jacket potatoes. For this reason cooking
times may have to be adjusted. Dry ingredients e.g.
rice, pasta, can dry out during storage so cooking
times may differ.
DENSITY
Porous airy foods heat more quickly than dense
heavy foods.
CLING FILM
Cling film helps keep the food moist and the
trapped steam assists in speeding up cooking
times. Pierce 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.
SHAPE
Even shapes cook evenly. Food cooks better by
microwave when in a round container rather than
square.
SPACING
Foods cook more quickly and evenly if spaced
apart. NEVER pile foods on top of each other.
STARTING TEMPERATURE
The colder the food, the longer it takes to heat up.
Food from a fridge takes longer to reheat than food
at room temperature.
LIQUIDS
All liquids must be stirred before and during
heating. Water especially must be stirred before
and during heating, to avoid eruption. Do not heat
liquids that have previously been boiled. DO NOT
OVERHEAT.
TURNING & STIRRING
Some foods require stirring during cooking. Meat
and poultry should be turned after half the cooking
time.
ARRANGING
Individual foods e.g. chicken portions or chops,
should be placed on a dish so that the thicker parts
are towards the outside.
QUANTITY
Small quantities cook faster than large quantities,
also small meals will reheat more quickly than large
portions.
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 escape.
Eggs, potatoes, apples, sausages etc, will all need
to be pierced before cooking. DO NOT ATTEMPT
TO BOIL EGGS IN THEIR SHELLS.
COVERING
Cover foods with microwave cling film or a lid.
Cover fish, vegetables, casseroles, soups. Do not
cover cakes, sauces, jacket potatoes or pastry
items.
