Preparation Tip - Marinades

Marinades are an easy way to make a simple dish something special. Marinade poultry overnight in the refrigerator for the best flavor.

Preparation Tip - Cakes

* To color cake tops sprinkle a mixture of cinnamon and sugar or cinnamon and coconut over the surface before serving.

* Cake recipes which contain coloring agents like chocolate, coffee, carrot, dates or banana are always best in the microwave.

* Grease your cake or loaf container and sprinkle it with chopped nuts and brown sugar, toasted coconut or biscuit crumbs before pouring in the cake mixture.

Preparation Tip - Reheating Rice

Reheat cold, cooked rice in 2-3 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of water, cover and cook using HIGH power (100%).

Preparation Tip - Delicious Desserts

* Do not use the mixer to mix batters. Combine the ingredients using a whisk or fork. There is no need to mix the mixture until smooth. Incorporating too much air into the batter will cause it to prematurely stale when cooked in the microwave.

* There is no need to sift ingredients.

* Creaming is easy. Simply soften butter in the microwave for 30-40 seconds using HIGH power (100%) and add sugar

* A microwave-safe plastic container gives better results than glass, ceramic or pottery containers. Do not grease microwave safe plastic containers.

* A ring mold container is generally the best to use as this overcomes the problem of having an uncooked center.

Preparation Tip - Cooking Eggs

When frying, poaching or baking eggs in the microwave, pierce the membrane covering the yolks and whites with a skewer or fork first, to prevent bursting.