Hints and tips for using the oven
Always cook with the oven door
closed.
The oven is supplied with an exclusive system
which produces a natural circulation of air
and the constant recycling of steam.
This system makes it possible to cook in a
steamy environment and keep the dishes soft
inside and crusty outside. Moreover, the
cooking time and energy consumption are
reduced to a minimum.
During cooking steam may be produced which
can be released when opening the oven door.
This is absolutely normal.
However, always stand back from the
oven when opening the oven door during
cooking or at the end of it to allow any
build up of steam or heat to release.
Conventional cooking
Heat comes from the top and from the
bottom, therefore it is preferable to use the
central runners. If cooking requires more
heat from the top or from the bottom use
the top or the bottom runners or turn the
control knob to the relevant positions (bottom
heating
and top heating
Grilling
When grilling meat or fish, spread a little oil
on them and always place them on the oven
grid. The shelf level depends on the
thinckness of the food.
Always place the dripping pan at the lowest
level, with some water in it, to avoid smoke
and unpleasant smells.
Some hints
For baking cakes
Cakes require a moderate temperature
(normally between 150 and 200°C). In
addition, the oven must be heated up
beforehand - for about 10 minutes.
The oven door should not be opened before
at least 3/4 of the set cooking time is up.
Normal short pastry dough should be cooked
in a mould or tin for 2/3 of total cooking time
required and then garnished as desired
before being cooked completely.
Clearly, the remaining cooking time depends
on the type of garnish used (jam, fruit, etc.).
Care should be taken to ensure that any
dough and cake mixes are of the right
consistency since an unduly moist mix
lengthens cooking time unnecessarily. The
raw dough or mix should therefore be fairly
difficult to detach from the spoon or beater.
For cooking meat and fish
Meat cooked in the oven should weigh at
least 1 kg to prevent it from becoming too
dry during cooking. Very tender red meat to
be cooked rare, i.e. well cooked on the
outside but extremely juicy inside, requires
high-temperature cooking (200-220°C).
White meat, poultry and fish instead require
low-temperature cooking (150-175°C).
The ingredients for the accompanying sauce
).
or gravy should be put in the baking pan at
the very beginning only when cooking times
are short.Otherwise they should be added
during the last half hour. A simple way of
checking whether meat is done or not is to
press it with a spoon; if the meat does not
yield under this pressure it means that it is
done to a turn. In the case of roast beef and
fillet steaks, the inside of which should
remain fairly pink in color, cooking times
must be short. The meat can be cooked in
a baking pan or else directly on the shelf -
in this case a dripping pan must obviously
be placed underneath the shelf to collect
the juice. Once the meat is cooked, it is
advisable to let it rest for at least 15 minutes
before carving so that the juice does not
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