KitchenAid KOCE900HSS Owners Manual - Page 11

BUILT-IN MICROWAVE OVEN USE A magnetron in the oven produces microwaves which reflect off the metal floor, walls, and ceiling and pass through the turntable and appropriate cookware to the food. Microwaves are attracted to and absorbed by fat, sugar, and water molecules in the food, causing them to move, producing friction and heat which cooks the food. ■■ To avoid damage to the microwave oven, do not lean on or allow children to swing on the microwave oven door. ■■ To avoid damage to the microwave oven, do not operate microwave oven when it is empty. Cooking Guidelines Covering Covering food helps retain moisture, shorten cook time, and reduce spattering. Use the lid supplied with cookware. If a lid is not available, wax paper, paper towels, or plastic wrap approved for microwave ovens may be used. Plastic wrap should be turned back at one corner to provide an opening to vent steam. Condensation on the door and cavity surfaces is normal during heavy cooking. ■■ The turntable must be in place and correct side up when microwave oven is in use. Do not use if turntable is chipped or broken. See the "Assistance or Service" section to reorder. ■■ Baby bottles and baby food jars should not be heated in microwave oven. Stirring and Turning Stirring and turning redistribute heat evenly to avoid overcooking the outer edges of food. Stir from outside to center. If possible, turn food over from bottom to top. ■■ Clothes, flowers, fruit, herbs, wood, gourds, and paper, including brown paper bags and newspaper, should not be dried in microwave oven. ■■ Paraffin wax will not melt in the microwave oven because it does not absorb microwaves. Arranging If heating irregularly shaped or different sized foods, arrange the thinner parts and smaller sized items toward the center. If cooking several items of the same size and shape, place them in a ring pattern, leaving the center of the ring empty. ■■ Use oven mitts or pot holders when removing containers from microwave oven. ■■ Do not overcook potatoes. At the end of the recommended cook time, potatoes should be slightly firm. Let potatoes stand for 5 minutes. They will finish cooking while standing. ■■ Do not cook or reheat whole eggs inside the shell. Steam buildup in whole eggs may cause them to burst. Cover poached eggs and allow a standing time. Food Characteristics When microwave cooking, the amount, size and shape, starting temperature, composition, and density of the food affect cooking results. Amount of Food The more food heated at once, the longer the cook time needed. Check for doneness and add small increments of time if necessary. Size and Shape Smaller pieces of food will cook more quickly than larger pieces, and uniformly shaped foods cook more evenly than irregularly shaped food. Starting Temperature Room temperature foods will heat faster than refrigerated foods, and refrigerated foods will heat faster than frozen foods. Piercing Before heating, use a fork or small knife to pierce or prick foods that have a skin or membrane, such as potatoes, egg yolks, chicken livers, hot dogs, and sausage. Prick in several places to allow steam to vent. Shielding Use small, flat pieces of aluminum foil to shield the thin pieces of irregularly shaped foods, bones, and foods such as chicken wings, leg tips, and fish tails. See the "Aluminum Foil and Metal" section first. Standing Time Food will continue to cook by the natural conduction of heat even after the microwave cooking cycle ends. The length of standing time depends on the volume and density of the food. Turntable On/Off For best performance, the turntable should be on during microwave cooking. If using oversized cookware that does not turn freely on the microwave turntable, turn the turntable off. To turn off the turntable when setting a microwave function, touch TURNTABLE and then OFF. When cooking with the turntable off, food should be turned halfway through the cooking process. NOTE: The turntable cannot be turned off during any auto cooking cycle. Composition and Density Foods high in fat and sugar will reach a higher temperature and will heat faster than other foods. Heavy, dense foods, such as meat and potatoes, require a longer cook time than the same size of a light, porous food, such as cake. 11