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 escape.
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.
vegetables 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. Do not cover foods when cooking by
Combination, Convection or Grill.
STANDING TIME
Dense foods e.g. meat, jacket
potatoes and cakes, require a
STANDING TIME (inside or
outside of the oven) after cooking,
to allow heat to finish conducting
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 2-5 mins.
■ EGG DISHES – Stand 2-3 mins.
■ PRECOOKED CONVENIENCE FOODS – Stand for 5 mins.
■ PLATED MEALS – Stand for 2-5 mins.
■ VEGETABLES – Boiled potatoes benefit from standing
1-2 mins., however most other types of vegetables can be
served immediately.
■ DEFROSTING – It is essential to allow standing time to
complete the process. This can vary from 5 mins. e.g.
raspberries, to up to 1 hour for a joint of meat.
If food is not cooked after STANDING TIME, return to oven
and cook for additional time.
