• All recipes were tested in a microwave oven with an output of 650 watt.  For an oven with an output of 500 watt for instance, approximately 15 seconds per minute should be added to the suggested cooking time, whereas for an oven with an output of 700 watt approximately 15 seconds per minute should be subtracted
   
• The power varies from region to region as well as at certain times of the day.  Thus little power is available between 19:00 and 21:00, for instance, and consequently it might be necessary to extend the cooking time
   
• In Pretoria the altitude above sea-level is 1 328m.  If your town or city is lower, time should be added and vice versa
   
• The initial temperature of the meat influences the cooking time.  The colder the cut, the longer the cooking time.  Meat should preferably be at room temperature (20ºC) when cooked
   
• The shape or thickness of meat differs from cut to cut.  A rump fillet with a diameter of 60mm will cook more quickly than one with a diameter of 80mm, even if the mass is exactly the same
   
• If all the fat is distributed evenly around the meat, such as in pork, conduction of heat takes place more rapidly than for instance in the case of lamb which has abundant intramuscular fat
   
• If the meat has a larger mass than that given by the recipe, the cooking time should be extended
   
• The shape of the container also influences the cooking time.  Thus the cooking time will be longer for a smaller, deeper container than for a shallower, larger container because of the longer distance to the centre of the dish, and hence conduction of heat will take longer.

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