There are no specific instructions for cooking different foods using the different functions . The pre heating is automatic and included in whatever time you put for cooking - at least 5 min. Trial and error so allow 5 xtra min . Don’t expect the panel not to stay lit after use because it stays on and then goes off after a while . Not very earth friendly.it does not let you know that the time is up on the settings. Which is a terrible feature . Sooo not worth the space it takes up , not to mention the price !