22
Important:
Food is more susceptible to the growth
of food poisoning organisms in warm
conditions. If the weather is hot, either
take care to ensure that food is not left
standing in a warm oven, or avoid
using the automatic cooking facility.
Hints for automatic cooking
•
Food is placed in a cold oven so
you will need to add about 10 - 15
minutes onto the cooking time to
allow for the oven to reach the
selected temperature.
•
Wine or beer may ferment, and
cream may curdle during the delay
period, so it is best to add these
ingredients just before serving.
•
Potatoes should be parboiled or
brushed with oil to prevent
discolouration during the delay
period.
•
Meat can be brushed with oil to
prevent it drying.
•
Lemon juice can be added to
certain fruits and vegetables such
as apples, pears, turnips and
parsnips to prevent discolouration
during the delay period.
USING THE OVENS
Defrosting and cooling in the
main oven
(Turn the oven control knob to the
defrost position .
To
defrost
frozen foods, place food
in the centre of the oven and
close
the door.
To
cool
foods after cooking prior to
refrigeration or freezing, place food
in the centre of the oven with the
door
open
.
Defrosting times
Small or thin pieces of frozen fish or
meat - eg; fish fillets, prawns, and mince
will take approximately 1 - 2 hours.
Placing the food in a single layer will
reduce the thawing time.
A medium sized casserole or stew will
take approximately 3 - 4 hours.
A 1
1
⁄
2
kg / 3lb oven ready chicken will
take approximately 5 hours, remove
the giblets as soon as possible.
Always check foods are thoroughly
defrosted before cooking.
Be safe
•
Do not defrost stuffed poultry using
this method.
•
Do not defrost larger joints of meat
and poultry over 2kg / 4lb using
this method.
•
Never place uncooked food for
defrosting next to cooked food
which is to be cooled, as this can
lead to cross contamination.
•
Defrosting meat, poultry and fish
can be accelerated using this
method, but make sure they are
completely thawed before cooking
thoroughly.
Place meat and poultry on a trivet
in a meat tin, to catch the juices
from the defrosting process.
15
USING THE MAIN OVEN
