In a microwave oven, frozen meals can be thawed and
cooked in one process. The table will show you some
examples. (See Page GB-44.)
Also remember the general notes on "Heating" and
"Thawing" of foods.
COOKING OF MEAT, FISH AND POULTRY
• When shopping, make sure that all pieces are as
even as possible. This will ensure a good cooking
result.
• Thoroughly wash meat, fish and poultry in cold,
running water and dry with a paper towel prior to
preparation. Process as usual.
• Beef should be well hung and with few tendons.
• The cooking result can vary even with similar size
meat pieces. This is, in part, due to the type of food,
various fat and water content and also the initial
temperature.
• When shopping, make sure that all pieces are as
even as possible. This is very important if you'd like
to cook the vegetables in one piece (e.g. potatoes).
• Wash and clean vegetables prior to preparation,
then measure and cut the amount required for your
recipe.
• Season the food like usual, but salt your foods only
after cooking.
• Add about 5 tablespoons of water for each 500 g
of vegetables. Fibrous vegetables will require more
water.
• Vegetables are usually cooked in a covered bowl.
Vegetables with a high water content, e.g. onions or
potatoes, can be cooked in a microwave foil without
any additional water.
THAWING AND COOKING
To prepare commercially available frozen meals, please
follow the manufacturers instructions as indicated on the
package. Usually, the exact cooking times and notes for
the preparation in a microwave are listed.
• Larger meat, fish and poultry pieces should be
turned once during cooking to ensure more even
cooking on all sides.
• After cooking, cover roasts with aluminum foil and
let it stand for about 10 minutes (standing time). The
roast will continue to cook during this time, i.e. fluid
will be evenly distributed, so that less moisture is lost
when cutting.
COOKING FRESH VEGETABLES
• Stir or turn the vegetable once while cooking.
• After cooking, allow the vegetables to stand for
about 2 minutes, so that the temperature will
distribute evenly (standing time).
• All times are guidelines and can vary depending on
initial temperature, weight and the consistency of
the vegetable. The cooking time will be shorter the
fresher the vegetables are.
GB-42