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Further Information
Tips for good cooking
Please read this section in conjunction with the Safety Guide on Page
1.
Stir liquids and purees before during and after cooking to
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distribute the heat evenly. Mashed potato will cook more evenly
and more thoroughly if lightly covered.
Never tightly cover food. Always cover it loosely.
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Do not allow plastic film to touch food as it may chemically break
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down or melt or even catch fire and contaminate the food.
Arrange food in the dish so that the thicker part is on the outside
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and the thinner part inside for more even cooking. Fold under
the thin edges of fish fillets and tapered foods.
5-6 minutes per 500 gr. will cook most fruit and vegetables.
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Seafood takes less time.
Different foods require different temperatures to cook. Add more
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minutes as you drop the power.
Up to 20% of the cooking takes place after the oven turns off
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so always remember that your food will continue cooking after
you’ve removed it.
Food that takes an hour in to cook in a regular oven should take
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around 15 minutes in the microwave.
Foods with baking powder should stand a few minutes before
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cooking to allow the leavening agents to work.
If a recipe calls for milk and water, reduce the water.
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Rotate large items of food occasionally during cooking to
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encourage even heat distribution.
Food cooks best and reheats better in a round dish or a dish with
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curved sides.
Salt attracts microwaves. Don’t just sprinkle it on food before
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cooking, stir it in or add it later.
Fats and sugars attract microwaves - thoroughly mix sugar with
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other ingredients. Care should be taken when cooking foods
with high sugar or fat contents as they can reach very high
temperatures.
Handle pastry-wrapped foods like mince pies carefully as the
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filling gets hotter than the pastry.
Hints for reheating food
Heat leftovers and pre-cooked food to at least 70°C. Food should
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be hot and steaming before it is served.
When re-heating liquids such as meat stews see that the liquid
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boils for around 3-5 minutes to ensure the pieces of meat are
completely heated through.
Hints for defrosting
Only defrost food in the microwave if you plan to cook the food
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immediately after it has thawed. Some areas of the food may
begin to cook during defrosting, which can allow bacteria to
flourish.
Remove the food from the wrapping, place it on a microwave
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safe dish. Rotate and re-arrange food during defrosting. Where
appropriate, stir the food and if possible, separate the food items
and remove those which have already defrosted.
Steam and Smoke
Steam is a natural product of microwave cooking. It escapes from
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the vents in the top and rear of the appliance. These vents should
never be blocked.
Steam may condense in and around the oven during cooking
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and should be dried off after use.
If during cooking, smoke starts to come from the oven do NOT
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open the oven door! Immediately switch off at the mains, unplug
the oven and wait for the smoke to completely subside and the
oven to fully cool down before removing the food.
Before you use your microwave oven again, consult a service
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technician and have the oven tested .
Testing Your Oven
Place a cup of water in the oven and heat it on full power for 2
minutes. If the water gets hot the oven is working.
Dim Oven Light
During low power microwave cooking the oven light may appear to
dim slightly. This is normal and not a cause for concern.
Troubleshooting:
If the oven fails to work or will not respond to commands.
Check that the oven is plugged in securely. If it is not, unplug
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from the outlet, wait 10 seconds and plug it in again securely.
Check for a blown mains fuse or a tripped circuit breaker. If these
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are intact, test the outlet with another appliance.
Make sure that the oven door closes fully and securely.
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If none of the above rectifies the situation, contact the Tesco
helpline.
Do not try to adjust or repair the oven yourself.
