LG LMV2031SS Owners Manual - Page 18

USING YOUR MICROWAVE OVEN DEFROSTING TIPS • When using Defrost Weight/Time, the weight to be entered is the net weight in pounds and tenths of pounds (the weight of the food minus the container). • Before starting, make sure you have removed any of the metal twist-ties which often come with frozen food bags, and replace them with strings or elastic bands. • Open containers such as cartons before they are placed in the oven. • Always slit or pierce plastic pouches or packaging. • If food is foil wrapped, remove foil and place food in a suitable container. • Slit the skins, if any, of frozen food such as sausage. • Bend plastic pouches of food to ensure even defrosting. • Always underestimate defrosting time. If defrosted food is still icy in the center, return it to the microwave oven for more defrosting. • The length of defrosting time varies according to how solidly the food is frozen. • The shape of the package affects how quickly food will defrost. Shallow packages will defrost more quickly than a deep block. • As food begins to defrost, separate the pieces. Separated pieces defrost more easily. • Use small pieces of aluminum foil to shield parts of food such as chicken wings, leg tips, fish tails, or areas that start to get warm. Make sure the foil does not touch the sides, top, or bottom of the oven. The foil can damage the oven lining. • For better results, let food stand after defrosting. (For more information on standing time, see the "Microwave Cooking Tips" section.) • Turn food over during defrosting or standing time. Break apart and remove food as rquired. METAL RACK CAUTION To avoid risk of property damage: Do not use the rack to pop popcorn. The rack must be on the four plastic supports when used. Use the rack only when cooking food on the rack position. Do not cook with the rack on the floor of the oven. The metal rack gives you extra space when cooking in more than one container at the same time. To use the rack: 1. Place the rack securely in the four plastic supports. • The rack MUST NOT touch the metal walls or back of the microwave oven. 2. Place equal amounts of food both ABOVE AND BELOW the rack. • The amount of food must be approximately the same to balance out the cooking energy. COOKING TIPS GETTING THE BEST COOKING RESULTS To get the best results from your microwave oven, read and follow the guidelines below. • Storage Temperature: Foods taken from the freezer or refrigerator take longer to cook than the same foods at room temperature. The time for recipes in this book is based on the normal storage temperature of the food. • Size: Small pieces of food cook faster than large ones, pieces similar in size and shape cook more evenly. For even cooking, reduce the power when cooking large pieces of food. • Natural Moisture: Very moist foods cook more evenly because microwave energy is attracted to water molecules. • Stir foods such as casseroles and vegetables from the outside to the center to distribute the heat evenly and speed cooking. Constant stirring is not necessary. • Turn over foods like pork chops, baking potatoes, roasts, or whole cauliflower halfway through the cooking time to expose all sides equally to microwave energy. • Place delicate areas of foods, such as asparagus tips, toward the center of the dish. • Arrange unevenly shaped foods, such as chicken pieces or salmon steaks, with the thicker, meatier parts toward the outside of the dish. • Shield,with small pieces of aluminum foil, parts of food that may cook quickly, such as wing tips and leg ends of poultry. - 18 -