GE JEM23K04, JEM23K03, JEM23K02, JEM23K01 Owner’s Manual

SpacemakerII TM Microwave Oven

Contents

Adapter Plugs 25 Microwave Cookware Guide 12

Aluminum Foil 4 Microwaving Tips 3

Appliance Registration 2 Minute/Second Timer 7 Beverage Pad 10 Model and Serial Numbers 2

(',are and (_leaning 24 Popcorn Pad 10 Consumer Services 27 Power Levels 7-9

Control Panel 6 Precautions 2-4 Cooking Complete Reminder 5 Problem Solver 26

(_ooking Guide 17-23 Quick Reheat 10 Defrosting Guide 15, 16 Safety Instructions 2-5

Delayed Cooking 7 Time Cook 8 Dinner Plate Pad 10 Time Defrost 9

Express Cook Feature 8 Warranty BackCover Extension Cords 25

Features 5

(;lossary of Microwave Terms 11

Grounding Instructions 25

Heating or Reheating Guide 13, 14

Hold Time 7 GE Answer Center'

Eight Bulb Replacement 24 800.626.2000

Model JEM23K

Microwave power output

of this oven is 800 watts.

(! EC-705 "lest Procedure)

GE Appliances

Help us help you...

Before using your oven, read this book carefully.

It is intended to help you operate

and maintain your new microwave oven properly

Keep it handy R)r answers to your questions

If you don't understand something or need more help, write (include

your phone number):

Consumer Affairs GE Appliances

Appliance Park Louisville. KY 40225

Write down the model and serial numbers.

You'll find them on a label inside the oven.

These numbers are also on the Consumer product Ownership

Registration Card that came with your microwave oven. Before

sending in this card, please write these numbers here:

Model Number

Serial Number

Use these numbers in any correspondence or service calls

concerning your microwave oven.

Be sure your microwave

oven is registered.

It is important that we know the location of your microwave oven

should a need occur for adjustments.

Your supplier is responsible for

registering you as the owner. Please check with your supplier to

be sure he has done so; also send in your Consumer Product

Ownership Registration Card. If you move, or if you are not the

original purchaser, please write to us, stating model and serial

numbers.

This appliance must be registered.

Please be certain that it is. Write to:

GE Appliances Range Product Service

Appliance Park Louisville, KY 40225

If you received a damaged oven...

hnmediately contact the dealer (or builder) that sold you the oven.

Save time and money. Before you request service...

Check the Problem Solver in the back of this book. It lists causes of

minor operating problems that you can correct yourself.

All these things are normal with your microwave oven.

•Steam or vapor escaping from around the door.

• Light reflection around door or

outer case.

•Dimming oven light and change in blower sound may occur while

operating at power levels other than high.

•Dull thumping sound while oven is operating.

• Some TV-Radio interference

might be noticed while using your microwave oven. [t's similar to the

interference caused by other small appliances and does not indicate a

problem with your oven.

If you need service...

To obtain service, see the Consumer Services page in the

back of this book.

We're proud of our service and

want you to be pleased. If for some reason you are not happy with the

service you receive, here are three steps to follow for further help.

FIRST, contact the people who

serviced your appliance. Explain why you are not pleased. In most cases, this will solve the problem.

NEXT, if you are still not pleased, write all the details--including

your phone number--to:

Manager, Consumer Relations GE Appliances

Appliance Park Louisville, KY 40225

FINALLY, if your problem is still not resolved, write:

Major Appliance Consumer

Action Panel

20 North Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606

PRECAUTIONS

TO AVOID POSSIBLE EXPOSURE TO EXCESSIVE MICROWAVE ENERGY

(a) Do Not Attempt to operate this

oven with the door open since open-door operation can result in

harmful exposure to microwave energy. It is important not to defeat

or tamper with the safety

interlocks.

(b) Do Not Place any object between the oven front face and

the door or allow soil or cleaner residue to accumulate on sealing

surfaces.

properly and that there is no damage to the:

(1) door (bent)

(2) hinges and latches (broken or

loosened)

(3) door seals and sealing surfaces

(d) The Oven Should Not be adjusted or repaired by anyone except properly qualified service

personnel.

Microwaving Tips

IMPORTANT SAFETY

.Make sure all cookware used in your microwave oven is suitable

for microwaving. Most glass

casseroles, cooking dishes, measuring cups, custard cups,

pottery or china dinnerware which

does not have metallic trim or

glaze with a metallic sheen can be

used. Some cookware is labeled "suitable for microwaving."

If you are not sure if a dish is microwave-safe, use this test:

Place in the oven both the dish you are testing and a glass measuring

cup filled with one cup water--set the measuring cup either in or next

to the dish. Microwave 1 minute at high. If the dish heats, it should not

be used for microwaving. If the dish remains cool and only the water in the cup heats, then the

dish is microwave-safe.

.Paper towels, waxed paper and plastic wrap can be used to cover

dishes in order to retain moisture and prevent spattering. Be sure to

vent plastic wrap so steam can escape.

.Some microwaved foods

require stirring, rotating or

rearranging. Check cookbook

supplied.

.Steam builds up pressure in foods which are tightly covered

by a skin or membrane. Pierce potatoes, egg yolks and chicken

livers to prevent bursting.

If you use a meat thermometer while cooking, _ s_re it is

safe lbr tw_eimmbrowav_ _xvm_s.

INSTRUCTIONS

Read all instructions before using this appliance.

When using electrical appliances, basic safety precautions should

be followed, including the following:

WARNING-TO reduce

the risk of bums, electric shock, fire, injury to persons or exposure

to excessive microwave energy: .Read and follow the specific

"PRECAUTIONS TO AVOID POSSIBLE EXPOSURE TO

EXCESSIVE MICROWAVE ENERGY" on page 2.

.This appliance must be grounded. Connect only to

properly grounded outlet.

See "GROUNDING

INSTRUCTIONS" on page 25. .Use this appliance only for its

intended use as described in this manual. Do not use corrosive

chemicals or vapors in this appliance. This microwave oven

is specifically designed to heat or cook food, and is not intended for laboratory or industrial use.

.For best operation, plug

this appliance into its own electrical outlet, to prevent flickering of lights, blowing of fuse or tripping of circuit

breaker. .Do not mount this appliance

over a sink. Install or locate this appliance only in accordance

with the provided Installation Instructions.

• Be certain to place the front surface of the door three

inches or more back from the

countertop edge to avoid accidental tipping of the appliance in normal usage.

.Do not cover or block any openings on the appliance.

.Do not store this appliance outdoors. Do not use this

product near water--for example

in a wet basement or near a swimming pool.

.Do not immerse power cord

or plug in water.

.Keep power cord away from

heated surfaces.

.Do not let power cord hang

over edge of table or counter. .Do not operate this appliance

if it has a damaged power cord or plug, if it is not working

properly, or if it has been damaged or dropped.

.See door surface cleaning

instructions in the Care and Cleaning section(s) of this book.

.This appliance should be serviced only by qualified service

personnel. Contact nearest

authorized service facility for examination, repair or adjustment.

.As with any appliance, close

supervision is necessary when used by children.

.To reduce the risk of fire in the oven cavity:

--Do not overcook food. Carefully attend appliance if

paper, plastic or other combustible

materials are placed inside the oven to facilitate cooking.

--Remove wire twist-ties from paper or plastic bags before

placing bags in oven.

--Do not use your microwave

oven to dry newspapers.

--Do not use recycled paper products. Recycled paper towels,

napkins and waxed paper can

contain metal flecks which may cause arcing or ignite Paper

products containing nylon or

nylon filaments should be

avoided, as they may also ignite

(continued noxt page)

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS (continued)

--Do not pop popcorn in your microwave oven unless in a

special microwave popcorn accessory or unless you use

popcorn labeled for use in microwave ovens.

--Do not operate the oven

while empty to avoid damage to the oven and the danger of fire.

If by accident the oven should

run empty a minute or two, no harm is done. However, try to

avoid operating the oven empty at all times--it saves energy and

prolongs the life of the oven.

--Do not overcook potatoes. They could dehydrate and catch

fire, causing damage to your oven. .Do not use the oven for storage

purposes. Do not leave paper products, cooking utensils or food

in the oven when not in use.

.If materials inside oven

should ignite, keep oven door closed, turn oven off, and

disconnect power cord, or shut off power at the fuse or circuit

breaker panel.

.Some products such as whole

eggs and sealed containers--

for example, closed jars--will explode and should not be heated

in this microwave oven. Such use of the microwave oven could

result in injury. ,Avoid heating baby food in

glass jars, even without their lids; especially meat and egg mixtures.

.Don't defrost frozen beverages in narrow necked

bottles (especially carbonated beverages). Even if the container

is opened, pressure can build up

This can cause the container to

burst, possibly resulting in injury. .Use metal only as directed in

this book. TV dinners may be microwaved in foil trays less than 3/4" high; remove top foil cover

and return tray to box. When

using metal in the microwave oven, keep metal at least 1 inch away from sides of oven.

.Cookware may become hot because of heat transferred from

the heated food. Pot holders may be needed to handle the cookware

.Sometimes, the oven tray can become too hot to touch. Be

careful touching the tray during

and after cooking.

.Foods cooked in liquids (such

as pasta) may tend to boil over more rapidly than foods

containing less moisture Should this occur, refer to page 24 for

instructions on how to clean the inside of the oven.

• Thermometer--Do not use a

thermometer in food you are

microwaving unless the thermometer is designed or

recommended for use in the microwave oven.

.Plastic cookware--Plastic cookware designed for

microwave cooking is very useful, but should be used

carefully. Even microwave-safe

plastic may not be as tolerant of

overcooking conditions as are

glass or ceramic materials and may soften or char if subjected to

short periods of overcooking. In

longer exposures to overcooking,

the food and cookware could

ignite. For these reasons: 1 ) Use

microwave-safe plastics only and

use them in strict compliance with the cookware manufacturer's

recommendations. 2) Do not

subject empty cookware to microwaving. 3) Do not permit

children to use plastic cookware

without complete supervision. .When cooking pork, follow

the directions exactly and always

cook the meat to an internal

temperature of at least 170°F. This assures that, in the remote

possibility that trichina may be

present in the meat, it will be killed and meat will be safe to eat.

.Do not boil eggs in a

microwave oven. Pressure will build up inside egg yolk and will

cause it to burst, possibly

resulting in injury.

.Foods with unbroken outer "skin" such as potatoes, sausages,

tomatoes, apples, chicken livers and other giblets, and egg yolks

(see previous caution) should be pierced to allow steam to escape during cooking.

.Not all plastic wrap is suitable

for use in microwave ovens. Check the package for proper use.

.Spontaneous boiling--Under certain special circumstances, liquids may start to boil during or

shortly after removal from the microwave oven. To prevent

bums from splashing liquid, stir the liquid briefly before

removing the container from the microwave oven.

."Boilable" cooking pouches and tightly closed plastic bags

should be slit, pierced or vented as directed on package. If they

are not, plastic could burst during or immediately after cooking,

possibly resulting in injury. Also, plastic storage containers should beat least partially uncovered because they form a tight seal.

When cooking with containers tightly covered with plastic wrap, remove covering carefully and

direct steam away from hands and face.

.Hot foods and steam can cause burns. Be careful when

opening any containers of hot food, including popcorn bags,

cooking pouches and boxes. To prevent possible injury, direct steam away from hands and face. -

SAVE THESE

INSTRUCTIONS

Features of Your Oven

Cooking Complete Reminder

(For all cooking and reheating features)

To remind you that you have food in the oven, the oven

will beep once a minute until you either open the oven door or touch the CLEAR!OFF pad.

1. Door Latches.

2. Door Screen. Metal screen

permits viewing of foods and keeps microwaves confined inside

oven.

3. Oven Vents.

4. Model and Serial Numbers.

5. Mode Stirrer Cover. Protects

the microwave energy distributing system. Do not remove this cover.

You will damage the oven.

.8 Cubic Foot

Oven Interior

6. Oven Interior Light. Turns on

when the door is opened or when the oven is operating.

7. Touch Control Panel and Display. See next page for

instructions.

8. Door Open Button. Push to open door.

9. Glass Cooking Tray. Tray must

be in place when using the oven. Cooking performance will be unsatisfactory without the tray in

place. The tray may be removed for cleaning.

lo. Automatic Cooking Guide.

Contains cooking information for Quick Reheat and Popcorn

functions.

Your Touch Control Panel

The Touch Control Panel allows you to set the oven controls with

the touch of a finger. It's designed to be easy to use and understand.

When You Plug in the Oven

The display panel displays five 8's, "18 POWER" and all of the oven

functions. After 15 seconds, all lights disappear and "RESET"

appears in the upper portion. Touch the CLEAR/OFF pad,

set the Clock and oven is ready lk)r use.

If power is disrupted at any time, the above sequence recurs, and you

must reset Clock after touching the CLEAR/OFF pad.

1. DISPLAY. Displays time of

day, time counting down during cooking functions, power level,

cooking mode and instructions.

2. TIME DEFROST. Gentle thawing at automatic power level

3 (Low).

3. TIME COOK I & II. Microwave for a selected amount of time usin

automatic power level 10 (High).

4. POWER LEVEL. Touch this pad alter you enter the cooking

time if you want to change from automatic power level 10 (High) for cooking or power level 3 (Low)

lk)r defrosting.

5. POPCORN. Cook prepackaged microwave popcorn by just

pressing this pad. The microwave popcorn feature is designed to be

used only with prepackaged microwave popcorn weighing 3.0

to 3.7 ounces.

6. BEVERAGE. Reheat a beverage by just pressing this pad.

7. MINUTE. Use with number pads to enter whole minutes. For

example, for 4 minutes touch 4

and MINUTE.

Program Cooking

Use your Touch Control Panel to Time Defrost or Time Cook with

choice of power levels from 1

(lowest) to 10 (highest); to Quick

Reheat using a preset time and power level; to cook popcorn using a preset time and power level; to

time kitchen tasks with the Min/Sec Timer; and to set the clock.

8. CLOCK. Touch this pad to enter

time of day or check time of day while microwaving.

To set clock, first touch CLOCK pad and then enter time of day. For

example, if time is 1:30, touch number pads 1,3, and 0 and" 1:30"

will appear in display. Then touch

START pad. To reset or change

time, simply repeat this process.

9. ADD 30 SECONDS. Press this pad to add 30 seconds to the cook

time as it's counting down.

10. MIN/SEC TIMER. This feature uses no microwave energy. It

functions as a kitchen timer, as a holding period after defrost or as a

delay timer before time cooking.

11. CODE REHEAT. Use Code

Reheat for quick reheating of a

variety of foods using different times and power levels.

12. DINNER PLATE. Reheat a

plate of leftovers by just pressing this pad.

13. NUMBER PADS. Touch these

pads to enter cooking/defrosting time, power level and time of day.

14. CLEAR/OFF. When touched,

it shuts off the oven and erases all settings (except time of day).

15. START. After all selections are

made, touch this pad to start oven.

Create your own programs to suit your individual cooking style. For

example: use the Min/Sec Timer to delay the start of Time Cook I& II

or program a hold time between Time Defrost and Time Cook

1 & ll. SetTime CookI & 11 fora

two-stage program using different times and power levels.

How to Use the Minute/Second Timer

The MIN/SEC TIMER has three timing functions:

.it operates as a minute timer. .It can be set to delay cooking.

.It can be used as a hold setting after defrosting.

The MI N/SEC TIMER operates without microwave energy.

How to Time a 3-Minute

Phone Call

1. Touch MI N/SEC TIMER pad.

2. Touch 3 and MINUTE pad (for 3 minutes and no seconds).

3. Touch START. Display shows

time counting down. The timer signals when time is up.

Using a Holding Time The Minute/Second Timer can also

be used to program a "holding time" between microwave cooking

functions. The time can range from one second to 99 minutes and 99

seconds. A holding or standing time may be found in some of your

own recipes or in the Cooking Guide.

Programming Delayed

Cooking

To delay cooking up to 99 minutes and 99 seconds, touch TIME

COOK I & II and enter cook time. Touch MIN/SEC TIMER and enter

number of minutes to delay cooking. Touch START. Timer will

count down to zero and cooking will begin.

How to Defrost, Hold and

Time Cook

Let's say you want to defrost a

frozen casserole for 15 minutes, hold for 10 minutes and then

Time Cook for 25 minutes.

Here's how to do it: Step 1: Take casserole from

freezer and place in oven.

Step 2: Touch TIME DEFROST.

Step 3: Touch pads 1,5 and

MINUTE pad for 15 minutes defrosting time. (Defrosting is

automatically set on power level 3 but can be changed by touching the

POWER LEVEL pad and the desired power level.)

Step 4: Set standing or hold time by touching MIN/SEC TIMER.

Step 5: Touch 1,0 and MINUTE to hold for ten minutes.

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Step 6: Touch TIME COOK l & 11 Step 7: Touch 2,5 and MINUTE

pad lor 25 minutes of cooking time.

Step 8: Touch START. As each function is automatically

performed, oven display shows instructions entered and the

function. When time is up, the oven signals and flashes "End."

Questions and Answers

Q. What will happen if I accidentally reverse my defrost,

hold and cook instructions?

A. The oven will automatically

rearrange your program.

Defrosting will always come first, then hold, and then the cooking

function.

Q. Can I defrost and hold only?

A. Yes. Sometimes you may only

want to defrost a food, hold it, and

cook it later. All you need to do is

program in defrost and amount of time. Then program the hold time.

Be sure to put the thawed dish in

the refrigerator promptly. NOTE: Foods that are highly

perishable, such as milk, eggs,

fish, stuffings, poultry and pork should not be allowed to sit out for

more than one hour after defrosting. Room temperature promotes the

growth of harmful bacteria.

Q. I programmed my oven for a specific defrosting time but it

defrosted longer than necessary.

What happened?

A. When instructions conflict, the oven carries out the last

instruction. You may have set the

oven to defrost for 4 minutes, hold

for 2 minutes, and then defrost for

6 minutes. In this case, the oven would defrost for 6 minutes and hold for 2 minutes.

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Cooking by Time

Time Cook I & 11 allows you to microwave for a selected amount

of time. Power level 10 (High) is

recommended for most cooking,

but you may change this for more flexibility. See the Cooking Guide.

To become better acquainted with time cooking, make a cup of coffee by following the steps below.

Step 1: Fill a cup 2/3 fullof water,

add I teaspoon of instant coffee

and stir to dissolve. Use a cup that

has no metal decoration and is microwave-safe (refer to

Microwaving Tips in the Safety Instructions section). Place cup in

oven and close door.

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Step 2: Touch TIME COOK 1 & ll. Step 3: Select your time. Touch I

and M1NUTE pad for one minute.

Because automatic power level l0 is recommended for this cup of

coffee, there is no need to change the power level. (If power level 10 is not appropriate, see "How to

Change Power Level" at right.)

Step 4: Touch the START pad.

Step 5: When time is up, the oven signals and flashes "End." The

oven, light and fan shut off. Step 6: Open the door.

Using the Time Cook II Feature

The Time Cook II feature lets you set two time cooking functions within one program. This is ideal if

you want to change power levels

during your cooking operations. Here's how to do it:

Step 1: Place food in oven in microwave-safe container and

close the door.

Step 2: Touch TIME COOK I & 11 Step 3: Select your first cook time.

For example, touch 2, I and 5 for two minutes and 15 seconds.

Step 4: Touch TIME COOK I & 11. Step 5: Set your second cook time.

How to Change Power Level After setting cooking time,

touch POWER LEVEL pad, then touch desired number for

new power level.

Step 6: Touch the START pad. Step 7: "POWER 10" is displayed

and "COOK TIME I" counts down. Step 8: At the end of "COOK

TIME 1," the second power level is displayed and "COOK TIME 11"

is shown counting down.

When time is up, the oven signals

and flashes "End." The oven, light

and fan shut off.

The Express Cook Feature

The Express Cook feature is a

short-cut method to set time for I-5 minutes.

To Express Cook your fl)od or

beverage: Step 1: Touch a number pad (from

I to 5) that corresponds with the amount of your desired cooking

time (in minutes). For example, touch the 2 pad for 2 minutes of

cooking time.

Step 2: Touch the START pad.

The oven will automatically signal, flash "End" and shut off at the end

of the programmed time.

Add 30 Seconds

The Add 30 Seconds feature provides a convenient way to

extend cooking time by 30 seconds while the oven timer is counting

down. It will add 30 seconds to the time shown each time the pad is

touched.

Defrosting

The Defrost setting is designed

for speedy thawing of frozen food and is one of the great

advantages of a microwave oven. .Power level3 (Low) is

antolnatically set for det.resting, but you may change this for more

flexibility. .See the Defrosting Gu ide for

defrosting help. To become better acquainted with

the defrost function, defrost frozen pork chops by following the steps

below.

Step 1: Place a 1 -lb. package of

frozen chops in the oven and close

the door.

Step 2: Touch TIME DEFROST

Step 3: Select one half of the total

defl'osting time recommended in the

Defrosting Guide. For example, touch 4 and MINUTE for 4

minutes.

How to Change Power Level After setting defrosting time,

touch POWER LEVEL pad, then touch desired number for

new power level.

Step 4: Touch START. When cycle is completed, the oven signals and

flashes "End," then automatically

shuts off.

Step 5: Turn the package over, close the door and repeat Steps 2

and 3 to set the remaining half of defrosting time and touch START.

Step 6: When the oven signals and flashes "End," open the door,

remove the package and separate chops to finish defrosting.

Defrosting Tips

.Foods frozen in paper or plastic

can be defrosted in the package.

.For even defrosting, some foods

need to be broken up or separated

part of the way through the

defrosting time.

.Family size, prepackaged frozen dinners can be defrosted and

microwaved. If the food is in a foil

container, transfer it to a microwave-safe dish.

.Check the Defrosting Guide for

other defrosting tips.

Questions and Answers

Q. When I press START, I hear a

dull, thumping noise. What is it?

A. This sound is normal. It is

letting you know the oven is using

a power level lower than 10 (High).

Q. Can I defrost small items in

a hurry? A. Yes, but they will need more

frequent attention than usual. Raise the power level after entering the

time by touching the POWER

LEVEL pad and then the desired number pad. Power level 5

(Medium) cuts the total defrosting time approximately 112. Power level l0 (High) cuts the total

defrosting time to approximately

113.During either, rotate or stir

food frequently. Q. Why don't the defrosting

times in the Defrosting Guide seem right for my food?

A. These times are averages.

Defrosting time can vary according to the temperature in your freezer.

Set your oven for the time indicated in the Defrosting Guide.

If your food is still not completely

thawed at the end of that time, reset your oven and Miust the time

accordingly. Q. Should all foods be completely

thawed before cooking?

A. Some foods should not be completely thawed before cooking.

For example, fish cooks so quickly it is better to begin cooking while

it is still slightly frozen. Q. Can I open the door during

defrosting to check on the progress of my food?

A. Yes. You may open the door at

any time during microwaving. To

resume defrosting, close the door

and press START. The oven begins operating if time is left on timer. If

not, reset timer.

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