PASTA & GRAINS
Guide for Cooking Pasta and Grains
Raw long grain rice takes time to rehydrate. Microwaving time is a little shorter than conventional, but the
greatest advantage is the ease with which you can prepare fluffy rice without sticking or burning. Cooked rice
and pasta reheat easily in the microwave oven without loss of flavor or texture. No extra water is needed to
prevent sticking or drying, so there's no danger of overcooking rice and pasta or thinning sauces.
Food
Hot
Salt
Oil or
Power
Cooking
Standing
Water
Butter
Level
Time
Time
Pasta (8 oz)
Egg Noodles
4 cups
1 tsp.
1 Tbsp.
100
6 1/2 - 7 1/2 min. 2 - 5 min.
Macaroni
4 cups
1 tsp.
1 Tbsp.
100
8 - 10 min.
2 - 5 min.
Spaghetti
4 cups
1 tsp.
1 Tbsp.
100
8 - 10 min.
2 - 5 min.
Lasagna Noodles
4 cups
1 tsp.
1 Tbsp.
100
12 - 14 min.
2 - 5 min.
Rice, Long Grain
100
5 - 6 min.
White Rice (1 cup)
2 cups
1 tsp.
1 tsp.
then
5 - 7 min.
80
9 1/2 - 12 min.
100
5 - 6 min.
Brown Rice (1 cup)
2 cups
1/2 tsp.
1 tsp.
then
5 - 7 min.
80
22 - 27 min.
COOKING GUIDE (CONTINUED)
CEREALS
Microwaveable hot cereals can be cooked directly in the cereal bowl and make cleaning up easy.
CONVENIENCE FOODS
Frozen Foods
A large variety of frozen foods, special dishes and dinners are available and the selections continue to
increase. The market is changing rapidly, therefore it is impossible to list the foods and types available and
recommend cooking procedures. In this book we can only give general directions to assist you.
T.V. Dinners
To prepare a T.V. dinner, follow the maker’s instructions for use with microwave ovens. To cook a T.V. dinner
will require approximately five to seven minutes for the food to thaw and heat to serving temperature
(depending on the types of food). Allow plastic wrap to remain over the dish for two minutes to allow heat to
equalize. Dinners that contain mashed potatoes have presented a bit of a problem due to the large compact
mass of this particular food. You may want to remove about half the mashed potatoes after defrosting is
started, then spread the remaining potatoes over the individual section of the tray. Heat the removed mashed
potatoes in an individual dish. For foods that should be crisp when cooking is completed, remove the plastic
wrap and use the broiler of a conventional oven to crisp the food.
Individual Frozen Foods
These may be commercially prepared or frozen at home. Place the container of frozen food in the oven and
heat only until the food starts to defrost and can be removed easily. Empty contents into a casserole or serving
dish and continue to defrost and heat. Do not heat foods in deep foil containers. To crisp and brown special
toppings, use the broiler of a conventional oven. If allowed to heat to serving temperature in a plastic container,
the container will warp or melt from the high heat of food.
Frozen Foods in Cooking Pouches or Boilable Bags
To prepare these foods, slit the plastic bag. An X-type cut will help remove the food at the end of cooking time.
Place the cut side down on a serving dish (with no metal trim). Heat foods other than vegetables for about
three minutes. Frozen vegetables require about eight to nine and a half minutes of cooking time. Allow the
pouch bag to remain over the food for about two minutes to allow time for the heat to equalize. Foods prepared
in cheese or white sauce should be removed from the pouch and placed in a glass casserole dish and stirred
to prevent overcooking of the sauce around the edges of the dish.
23
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