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. 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
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
