Miele H 162 MB User manual

Operating Instructions
Microwave
Combination Oven
H 152 MB, H 162 MB
It is essential to read these
operating instructions before Q\}@ä
installing or using the machine, to
avoid the risk of accident, or damage
to the machine. M.-Nr. 05 031 630

Description of the appliance
Control panel
Appliance
Description of the appliance
2

Control panel
bFunction selector switch for lighting
and operating modes as follows:
Microwave mode
Conventional modes
i.e. Fan heat, Grill
Combinations:
Microwave + Fan heat,
Microwave + Grill.
cIndicator light for heating
dTemperature selector for operating
modes with Fan heat
eDisplay
fMinute minder button l
gTime entry button g
hButton hfor setting microwave
power and time of day
iStart/Stop button, to start and
interrupt a process
j"+/–" buttons to select
microwave power level and time
(Press and hold the button briefly to
change in short steps, hold in for a
longer time to change quickly)
Appliance
kGrill heating element
lOven interior lighting
mFirst and second shelf supports for
rack
nAir vent for the fan
oData plate
Accessories
1Rack, 2Glass tray, 3Boiling rod
Special accessories
Glass rear panel with grease filter
(available at extra cost)
The glass panel and grease filter for the in-
terior back wall can be inserted when
using the Fan heat system. The grease fil-
ter will trap any excess droplets of fat
keeping the oven interior and the area
behind the rear wall cleaner.
Description of the appliance
3

Contents
Description of the appliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Warning and Safety instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Caring for the environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
perating modes
Microwave Mode h. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Normal oven operating
systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Fan Heat D. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Grill J. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Combination programmes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Time of day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Before using for the first time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Suitable containers for microwave ovens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Material and shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Using microwave mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Deactivating the door lock before the end . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Using conventional functions
Fan heat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Switching on the timer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Grill. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Switching on the timer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Using combination programmes
Microwave + Fan heat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Deactivating the door lock before the end . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Microwave + Grill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Deactivating the door lock before the end . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Contents
4

Altering entered data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Minute Minder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Altering a minute minder entry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Defrosting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Chart for defrosting food. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Reheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Chart for reheating food . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Cooking
Microwave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Fan Heat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Combination programmes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Chart for cooking food . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Chart for cooking and crisping/browning food . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Defrosting and Reheating / Cooking
Chart for defrosting and reheating or cooking of deep
frozen pre-prepared meals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Defrosting and reheating, or cooking and crisping or
browning of deep frozen pre-prepared meals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Grilling
Preparing food for grilling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Grilling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Test to see if cooked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Chart for grilling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Baking
Fan Heat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Combination programme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Chart for baking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Contents
5

Cleaning and care
Stainless steel surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Glass front, controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Oven interior. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Problem solving guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
After sales service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Customer contact. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Electrical connection IRL, U.K., ZA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Electrical connection AUS, NZ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Installation
Possibilities for installation and combination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Installation measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Contents
6

Warning and Safety instructions
This appliance complies with all rele-
vant legal safety requirements. Im-
proper use of the appliance can,
however, present a risk of both per-
sonal injury and material damage.
Before installation and before using
the appliance for the first time, read
the operating instructions carefully.
They contain important notes on
safety, on the operation and care of
the appliance. This way you will
avoid the risk of accidents and dam-
age to the appliance.
Do not let children access the ap-
pliance or its controls. Supervise its
use by the elderly or infirm.
Keep these instructions in a safe
place and pass them on to any fu-
ture user.
Correct usage
The appliance is intended for do-
mestic use only: to cook food, and
in particular to defrost, reheat, cook,
bake, and to grill. Any other usage is at
the owner’s risk and could be dan-
gerous. The manufacturer cannot be
held responsible for damage caused
by improper use of the appliance.
Technical safety
If the connection cable is dam-
aged the new cable must be fitted
by a service technician trained by the
manufacturer.
Do not use the microwave function
of the appliance if
- the door is warped.
- the door hinges are loose.
- holes or cracks are visible in the cas-
ing, the door, the door seal or the oven
interior walls.
Switching on with this type of damage
could result in microwaves no longer
being contained within the oven, and
presenting a hazard to the user.
Never open the casing of the ap-
pliance.
Tampering with electrical connections
or components and mechanical parts
is highly dangerous to the user and can
cause operational faults.
Before connecting the appliance to
the mains supply make sure that
the rating on the data plate corre-
sponds to the voltage and frequency of
the household supply. If necessary
check with a qualified electrician.
Do not connect the appliance to
the mains electricity supply by an
extension lead.
Extension leads do not guarantee the
required safety of the appliance, (for
example danger of overheating).
Warning and Safety instructions
7

The electrical safety of this ap-
pliance can only be guaranteed
when continuity is complete between
the appliance and an effective earthing
system, which complies with local and
national regulations. It is most import-
ant that this basic safety requirement is
tested by a qualified electrician. The
manufacturer cannot be held respon-
sible for the consequences of an inade-
quate earthing system, such as an elec-
tric shock.
This appliance must only be oper-
ated as a built-in appliance. This is
necessary to ensure that all electric
components are shielded.
Installation work and repairs may
only be carried out by suitably
competent persons trained by the
manufacturer to ensure safety. Repairs
and other work by unqualified persons
could be dangerous.
The appliance is only completely
isolated from the electricity supply
when:
–it is switched off at the wall socket,
and the plug removed (where applic-
able)
–or the mains fuse is withdrawn
–or the screw-out fuse is removed (in
countries where this is applicable)
Do not pull on the cable, only on the
plug.
Use
General notes
Always ensure that food is suffi-
ciently cooked or reheated. Many
factors will affect the overall cooking
time, including the size and amount of
food, its initial temperature, changes to
recipe and the shape and size of cook-
ing container. Some foods may contain
micro organisms which are only de-
stroyed by thorough cooking, therefore
when cooking or reheating foods, e.g.
poultry, it is particularly important that
food is fully cooked through (at more
than 70°C, for more than 10 minutes). If
in doubt select a longer cooking or re-
heating time.
It is important that the heat is
allowed to spread evenly throug-
hout the food being cooked.
This can be achieved by stirring and/or
turning the food, and by observing a
sufficiently long standing time, which
should be added to the time needed
for cooking, reheating or defrosting.
Always remember that cooking
times in a microwave oven are
usually considerably shorter than with
traditional methods of food preparation.
Excessively long cooking times can
lead to food drying out and eventually
burning, or catching fire.
There is also a danger of fire if bread-
crumbs, flowers, herbs, grains etc., are
dried in the microwave oven. Always
ensure that this type of procedure is
supervised.
Warning and Safety instructions
8

Do not use full power if you warm
empty dishes or dry herbs. The
lack or minimum amount of food could
cause damage to the appliance.
Always ensure that food is suffi-
ciently cooked or reheated. Many
factors will affect the overall cooking
time, including the size and amount of
food, its initial temperature, changes to
recipe and the shape and size of cook-
ing container. Some foods may contain
micro organisms which are only de-
stroyed by thorough cooking, therefore
when cooking or reheating foods, e.g.
poultry, it is particularly important that
food is fully cooked through (at more
than 70°C, for more than 10 minutes). If
in doubt select a longer cooking or re-
heating time.
Do not leave the oven unattended
when cooking with oils and fats as
these can be a fire hazard if allowed to
overheat.
If you see smoke rising from the
food in the oven keep the oven
door closed, to avoid fuelling any
flame. Turn the oven selector switch to
“0", or remove the plug from the socket.
Do not open the oven door until the
smoke has dispersed.
Never heat undiluted alcohol in the
microwave oven as this can easily
ignite.
Do not heat up unopened tins of
food in the oven as pressure will
build up in the tin and it will explode.
Food left in the oven to take ad-
vantage of residual heat should al-
ways be covered to avoid it drying out,
and to avoid a possible build-up of con-
densation which could adversely affect
the oven interior.
Try to avoid the interior walls being
splashed with food or liquids con-
taining salt. If it does happen wipe
these away thoroughly, to avoid corro-
sion on the stainless steel surface.
The glass dish and the rack take a
maximum load of 8 kg. Do not ex-
ceed this or the accessories may be
damaged.
Wear oven gloves when removing
the glass tray from the oven. If the
glass tray has a heavy load, pull it only
slightly towards you, and then hold
firmly at the sides as you take it out.
Do not lean or sit on the open oven
door. This could damage the ap-
pliance. Take care in the region of the
hinges. An oven door can support a
maximum load of 8 kg.
When it is hot do not place the
glass tray on a cold surface, such
as a tile or granite worktop . It could
break. Place it on a pot rest or a wire
rack.
Under no circumstances use a
steam cleaner to clean this ap-
pliance. Pressurised steam could give
rise to a short circuit, or cause perma-
nent damage to the surface and to
components, for which the manufac-
turer of the oven cannot accept any re-
sponsibility.
Do not use the oven to heat up the
room. Due to the high tempera-
tures radiated, objects left near the
oven could catch fire.
Warning and Safety instructions
9

When using kitchen appliances
connected to sockets near the
oven ensure that the cable cannot get
trapped in a hot oven door, which
could melt the cable insulation and be
dangerous.
In countries which may be subject
to infestation by cockroaches or
other vermin, pay particular attention to
keeping the appliance and its surround-
ings in a clean condition at all times.
Any damage which might be caused
by cockroaches or other vermin will not
be covered by the appliance guarantee.
Microwave mode
Always check the temperature of
the actual food itself after taking it
out of the oven. Do not be misled by
the temperature of the container. In
particular when preparing food for
babies, children, and the elderly or
infirm, it is essential to check the
temperature of the food or liquid it-
self, after stirring and before serving.
The temperature of the container does
not necessarily give a correct indica-
tion of the temperature of the food or liq-
uid in it.
Never cook or reheat food or
liquids in sealed containers or
bottles. With baby bottles the screw top
and teat must be removed. Otherwise
pressure builds up which can cause
the bottle or container to explode pos-
ing a severe risk of injury.
When heating liquids, the boiling
rod provided should be placed
into the container.
When heating, and especially reheating
liquids, milk, sauces etc., in the micro-
wave oven, the boiling point of the liq-
uid may be reached without the produc-
tion of typical bubbles. The liquid does
not boil evenly throughout. This so-
called ’boiling delay’can cause a sud-
den build up of bubbles, when the con-
tainer is shaken on removal from the
oven. This can lead to the liquid boiling
over suddenly and explosively. There is
a danger of burning. The formation of
bubbles can be so strong that the
pressure forces the oven door open.
The user could be injured and the ap-
pliance damaged.
The boiling rod ensures that the liquid
boils evenly and that bubbles form at
an early stage during the operation.
Do not use any containers or cut-
lery made from or containing met-
al, aluminium foil, lead crystal glass-
ware, temperature-sensitive plastics,
wooden utensils or cutlery, metal clips
or wire ties. Such items could be dam-
aged, or cause a fire hazard.
The rack supplied with the appliance is
designed to be compatible with micro-
waves.
Warning and Safety instructions
10

The rack gets hot when working
with microwave mode. There is a
danger of burning.
Eggs can only be cooked in their
shells in the microwave oven in a
specially designed egg-boiling device.
Similarly, hard-boiled eggs should not
be reheated in the microwave oven as
this may lead to the eggs bursting,
even once they have been removed
from the oven.
Eggs can be cooked without their
shells in the microwave oven only if
the yolk membrane has been punc-
tured several times first. The pressure
would otherwise cause the egg yolk to
explode.
Do not reheat food in the oven in
heat-retaining bags intended for
normal ovens.
These heat-retaining bags usually con-
tain a thin layer of aluminium foil which
reflects microwaves. This reflected en-
ergy can, in turn, cause the outer
paper covering to become so hot that it
ignites.
Food with a thick skin or peel,
such as tomatoes, sausages,
jacket potatoes, aubergines, should be
pierced or cut in several places to
allow steam to escape and prevent the
food from bursting.
Ovenproof earthenware can retain
a considerable amount of mois-
ture. Earthenware and porcelain con-
tainers with hollow handles and lid
knobs must only be used in this oven if
they have vent holes, which allow the
moisture to escape. Without vent holes
there can be a pressure build-up, caus-
ing the container to crack or shatter,
dangerously.
Normal oven functions:
Fan Heat, Grill
Caution - Danger of burning
High temperatures arise when the
oven is being used as a normal
oven.
Great care should be taken to en-
sure that small children do not
touch the oven when it is being used.
External parts of the oven such as door
glass, vents and the facia panel can
become quite hot.
Wearing heat-resistant oven gloves
is recommended when placing
food in the oven, turning it or removing
it. When the Grill function has been
chosen, either solo or in a combination
programme the grill element becomes
very hot and there is a danger of burn-
ing.
Wait until the grill element has
cooled down before lowering it for
cleaning.
Do not use force to pull it down as
this can cause the element to
break.
Bottling
Bottling should only be undertaken by
an experienced cook who has received
proper training in this method of
preserving fruit and vegetables in an
oven or microwave oven, and under-
stands the implications of the chemical
reactions involved.
Warning and Safety instructions
11

Disposal of your old machine
Before discarding an old machine
switch off and disconnect it from
the power supply. Cut off and render
any plug useless.
Cut off the cable directly behind the ma-
chine to prevent misuse.
The manufacturer cannot be held
liable for damage caused by non-
compliance with safety instructions.
Warning and Safety instructions
12

Caring for the environment
Disposal of the packing
material
The transport and protective packing
has been selected from materials
which are environmentally friendly for
disposal and can normally be recycled.
Rather than just throwing these ma-
terials away, please ensure they are of-
fered for recycling.
Disposal of your old machine
Old machines may contain materials
which can be reclaimed or recycled.
Please contact your dealer, your local
waste collection centre or scrap mer-
chant about potential recycling
schemes.
Ensure that the machine presents no
danger to children while being stored
for disposal.
See the appropriate section in the
Warning and Safety instructions.
Caring for the environment
13

Operating modes
Microwave Mode h
When using the microwave mode, food
is cooked, reheated or defrosted in a
short time.
Functional description
This oven is equipped with a magne-
tron b, which converts electrical en-
ergy into microwaves.
There is a stirrer fan cabove the oven
ceiling. These two interior surfaces can
be penetrated by microwaves. The fan
distributes the microwaves evenly
throughout the oven interior, rebound-
ing off the walls to reach and enter the
food.
In order for microwaves to reach the
food, they must be able to penetrate
the cooking utensil being used.
Round or oval dishes appear to give
the most even result.
Microwaves can penetrate porcelain,
glass, cardboard and plastics but not
metal. Do not, therefore, use utensils
made of metal, or which contain metal,
for example in the form of gold or silver
trim. The metal reflects the microwaves
and this could lead to the creation of
sparks. The microwaves cannot be ab-
sorbed.
Microwaves pass through a suitable
container and find their way directly
into the foodstuff.
All foodstuffs contain moisture mole-
cules which, when subjected to micro-
wave energy, start to oscillate 2.5 thou-
sand million times a second. The
friction caused by this vibration creates
heat, which first starts developing
around the outside of the foodstuff and
then slowly penetrates towards the
centre. The moisture, fat and sugar con-
tent of food will affect the speed at
which it is cooked.
As heat is produced directly in the food,
–food can generally be cooked with-
out adding much liquid or cooking oil
–cooking, reheating and defrosting in
a microwave oven is quicker than
using normal oven methods
–nutrients, such as vitamins and mine-
rals, are retained
–colour, texture and taste of food are
not impaired
–the surface temperature stays cool
enough to avoid browning.
perating modes
14

Normal oven operating
systems
In Miele ovens these include Fan Heat,
and Grill.
These cook and brown the food.
Fan Heat D
This method works by the circulation of
hot air.
A fan situated on the back wall sucks in
the air, heats it over a ring element and
blows the heated air through the care-
fully spaced openings in the back
panel.
As the heat is quickly transferred to the
food, it is not usually necessary to pre-
heat the oven, except when roasting sir-
loin or fillet.
With Fan Heat food can be baked or
roasted at both levels at the same time.
Grill J
As the grill element needs to radiate a
high heat in order to cook the food, it
will take several minutes after being
switched on for the element to glow red
hot and so produce sufficient infra-red
heat for grilling.
Combination programmes
By using the combination programmes
you can quickly reheat and cook food
while browning it at the same time.
You can combine the microwave opera-
ting mode with each of the normal oven
modes.
The Fan Heat (hot air) mode is best
suited for combining with the micro-
wave since the heat reaches the
baked, roasted or cooked food immedi-
ately, maximising the time and energy
saved.
In general when using the modes in
combination, you should set the micro-
wave power level for baking not higher
than 150 W, and for cooking, and grill-
ing not higher than 300 W.
perating modes
15

Time of day
After the appliance has been con-
nected to the power supply or after a
power cut 0 •00 with AUTO on the left will
flash in the display.
The time of day must be set before any
other processes can be set.
Setting time of day
(24 hour clock)
Midnight (24 hours) is shown as 0•00.
Press the gand hbuttons at the
same time.
In the display the dot after the first fig-
ure flashes. As long as this dot is flash-
ing, (approx. 4 seconds) you can set
the time of day. It is shown in hours
•minutes.
Use the + or –button to enter the
time of day.
After four seconds if no further entry is
made, the oven display shows this
time. The dot between the figures now
stays on constantly to indicate that the
time of day has been set.
Once the dot has stopped flashing, you
would again have to press the gand
hbuttons simultaneously to change
the time of day.
Time of day
16

Before using for the first time
Wipe out the oven interior with hot
water and washing up liquid. Dry
using a soft cloth.
Do not shut the oven door until the
interior is completely dry, to avoid
odours and the possibility of corro-
sion developing.
Wash the accessories.
With new appliances there is usually a
smell during the first use. It is dispelled
more quickly by using a high tempera-
ture as follows:
Run the oven on the Fan Heat Dset-
ting for at least an hour:
Select Fan Heat Dwith the oven
function selector.
The cooling fan starts up and the oven
interior lighting comes on.
Turn the temperature selector to 200
°C.
Only turn the temperature selector
clockwise and then back again anti-
clockwise. Do not force it past the
resistance Otherwise it could be
damaged.
The oven starts operating in Fan Heat
mode, and begins to heat up. The indi-
cator light on the control panel stays
alight while the oven is heating up.
Ensure the room is well ventilated
during this process.
Before using for the first time
17

Suitable containers for microwave ovens
Microwaves
–are reflected by metal.
–pass through glass, chinaware, plas-
tic and card...
–and are absorbed by food.
Material and shape
The material and shape of containers
used in the microwave oven can have
an effect on the result. Round and oval
shaped dishes offer a better distribu-
tion of heat in the food than rectangular
dishes.
Metal
When working in microwave mode
metal containers, aluminium foil and
metal cutlery, as well as china with
metallic decor (e.g. gold trim, co-
balt blue), must not be placed in the
microwave oven.
The metal reflects the microwaves and
so hinders the cooking process.
We recommend when defrosting and
cooking pre-cooked meals packed in
metal containers, the food should be
removed from the foil container and
placed in a container suitable for use in
a microwave oven.
Microwaves cannot penetrate alumi-
nium foil, so the food can only be
heated from the top. Reheating / cook-
ing will take longer and be less even
than if the food was transferred to a
dish suitable for a microwave oven.
Sparks and arcing may occur when
using metal containers.
Exceptions:
–Small pieces of aluminium foil
For even defrosting and to avoid over-
cooking unevenly shaped cuts of meat,
poultry or fish, small quantities of
Suitable containers for microwave ovens
18

aluminium foil may be used to mask
wing-tips or other thin parts for the last
few minutes of the process.
Make sure that the aluminium foil is
at least 2 cm from the oven walls at
all times. It must not touch the walls.
–Metal meat skewers or clamps
Metal skewers and clamps should only
be used if they are very small in com-
parison to the size of the cut of meat.
The microwave oven rack supplied
with the appliance is suitable for use in
a microwave oven. Do not place the
rack on the oven floor.
The rack can get hot.
Glassware
Heat-resistant glass is ideal for use in
the microwave oven.
Crystal glass contains lead which
could cause the glass to crack. Glass
dishes with a milled rim are subject to
the same risk. Both are unsuitable for
use.
Porcelain (chinaware)
Porcelain (chinaware) is suitable.
Do not use porcelain with gold or silver
edging or items with hollow knobs or
handles.
Earthenware
Decorated earthenware is only suitable
if the decoration is beneath an all-over
glaze.
Earthenware can get very hot, and
may crack.
Glazes and colours
Some glazes and colours contain metal.
This makes them unsuitable for use in a
microwave oven.
Plastics
Plastic containers must only be used
for Microwave mode alone and not in
normal oven mode.
Plastics must be heat-resistant to a
minimum of 180 °C.
Otherwise the plastic may melt and
fuse with the food.
Special plastic utensils, designed for
use in microwave ovens are available
from most department and hardware
stores. Melamine ware is not suitable
as it absorbs energy and heats up.
When purchasing plasticware, make
sure that it is suitable for use in a micro-
wave oven.
Disposable containers, such as trays
made from polystyrene, can only be
used for very short timed warming and
reheating of food.
Plastic boiling bags can be used for
cooking and reheating. They should be
pierced beforehand so that steam can
escape.
This prevents a build-up of pressure
and reduces the risk of the bag bur-
sting.
Suitable containers for microwave ovens
19

Roasting bags and -tubes can be
used. Roasting tubes should be about
40 cm longer and roasting bags about
20 cm longer than the food being
roasted, and carefully tied with string.
Turn the ends over and secure them.
Holes should be made according to the
manufacturer’s instructions.
Do not use metal clips or wire ties,
even if bound by paper.
There is a danger that they will ignite
when heated.
Wood
Wooden dishes are not suitable.
Moisture contained in the wood evap-
orates when exposed to microwave en-
ergy, causing the wood to dry and
crack.
Disposable containers
Only those plastic disposable con-
tainers which are specified by the pro-
ducer as suitable for use in a micro-
wave oven may be used.
Do not leave the oven unattended
when re-heating or cooking food in
disposable containers made of plas-
tic paper or other inflammable ma-
terial.
Disposable containers are not always
recyclable or degradable.
Suitable containers for microwave ovens
20