Table-top halogen ovens

SharonBugs

After much experimenting and reading online, it just seems all articles wirtten about any brand of halogen oven, talks about defrosting, cooking from frozen, and quick. So we kinda reckon, tho our manual is so literally basic, the infra red must come from the halogen tube. Not willing to put up with the questions goin thru my mind and not to mention my slight dissapointment with the cheese toast.....we tried roasting a frozen chinese peking duck that i happened to have in my freezer.

SUCCESS....it' worked. Cooked at 50 degree lower than said on the package, and cooked it for the same time recommended, so we did 150C for 30 mins. The duck defrosted and cooked right thru...YEH!!

And I went to bed happy LOL!

Hope this helps. Will be posting more of my experiment. Anyone know if it's possible for me to cook casserole straight on the bowl itself? For it might be rather difficult trying to find the right sieze casserole dish to fit into it.

SharonBugs.

irishwexford

I am getting used to my JML Halogen oven. Cheese on toast turns out a treat. Cooked a large chicken on Sunday in roasting bag and put potatoes around that on small rack, chicken was moist and pototoes done to my taste. Not tried cakes yet as we do not eat much of these but everything else ok. -Not used my fan oven or grill since purchasing this oven. I read my meters each week and electricity savings are the best thing about all this. I will try yorkshire puddings next, so far have just put frozen ones in. Wish I could get a good cookbook

SharonBugs

So far, some good, some not so good.

Yesterday, I used it to heat and brown my kid's cottage pie lunch at 180C for 20 mins, it didn't brown at all, it only heat it up. So I turned it up to max, for another 15 mins...still the mash topping didn't brown, but burny spots starts appearing.

Dinner... made chicken kiev ....flatten a chicken breast (in a plastic bag) with rolling pin to thickness about 3mm. Season with salt and pepper on both side. Roll a dollop of cream cheese in the middle and wrap the chicken around it the best I can so that there's no gap for the cheese to melt out. In another plastic bag, crush some cornflakes. Put the chicken log into bag and gentle roll it about in the crumbs until well covered. Pan fry in oil on pan to seal and brown the outside of chicken, then place on high rack in Halogen oven, at 150C for 15 mins (if I remember correctly)- the chicken is cooked but the cheese center was not as hot as I expected it to be, so finished off in the micro again. I think, 180C for 30 minutes might do the trick.

Today, thought I'll stick 3 spuds on high rack, to cook at 160C for 30 mins, thinking we might have ready jacket spuds when we get in from our walk. The spuds had slight golden brown colour on the top, top half is cooked and soft, but bottom half is still hard. Had to finish it off in the micro. Wondering if I had to switch it to 200C for 30 mins...I am trying to stay within the 30 mins coz when i do my spuds in the micro, I do 4 mins at 750 for each spud.
So far, the micro wins, with this spud round. Anyone done's jacket potato in the halogen before?

SharonBugs:rolleyes:

Raksha

Just some thoughts - browning seems better the higher the item is to the top - so higher racks for things you want to brown

fifi_folle_2

I'm still struggling to get to grips with my Halogen oven. For some things it's great and others it just doesn't do what I want it to. It's been brilliant for blind baking a pastry case, a home-made lemon meringue pie (yum!), some tiny fairy cakes, re-crisping a batch of hm hobnob biscuits from the freezer and by setting the heat halfway between off and thaw it maintains a temp of 29 degrees so it's perfect for proving bread.
Sadly all my cakes and actually baking the loaf of bread have been disappointing. I've made "tents" with foil to stop them burning before they cook through, turned the temperature down etc but still not had great results.
Does anyone have any cake or bread recipes that have been successful in their halogen? Or is it just not that good for certain things (like yummy fattening cakey stuff)

geordie_joe

fifi_folle wrote: »

by setting the heat halfway between off and thaw it maintains a temp of 29 degrees so it's perfect for proving bread.

Now that is a great tip, thanks for that :T

fifi_folle wrote: »

Sadly all my cakes and actually baking the loaf of bread have been disappointing.

Never used mine for bread but will this weekend. My cakes are also not good in the hallogen oven. They taste great but don't rise much, but I think I've discovered why. The heat coming from above forms a crust that stops the cake rising. I tried the tin foil tent but it didn't work.

Last Sunday I used the bottom of another cake tin instead of tin foil and the cake rose really well. Unfortunately two things went wrong, both my fault. I put the bottom of the cake tin on non-stick side up and the cake stuck to the underneath of it. When the cake rose so well I stupidly took the lid off the oven and pulled the cake tin bottom of the top of the cake. As the cake had stuck to it, it pulled away a large chunk of the cake and the rest sunk back down again.

Next time I will put the non-stick side down and probably grease it. I'll also resist the urge to go in and have a look before it's baked.

I also had the idea of putting the cake in the microwave for a minute before putting it in the halogen oven. My experience with doing cakes in the microwave shows they are fully risen in just a minute. But a few seconds too long in the microwave makes them dry. So rising them in the microwave then finishing them off in the oven might work.

irishwexford

Regarding jacket pototoes, I use my oven the same temperatures as I would my fan oven, so spuds would go on about 200. I strayed onto a forum about halogen cooking and everyone on there said use it like a normal oven but knock off about 20 on temperature, as I have a fan oven i already had to do that so would try spuds on a higher heat and use tall rack. It will take me some time to get everything right but then it took ages to get used to fan oven, burnt so much trying. it will be awhile before I attempt cakes. Saw a cookbook on Play.com which I will order and hopefully everything will fall into place.:cool:

furndire

irishwexford wrote: »

I am getting used to my JML Halogen oven. Cheese on toast turns out a treat. Cooked a large chicken on Sunday in roasting bag and put potatoes around that on small rack, chicken was moist and pototoes done to my taste. Not tried cakes yet as we do not eat much of these but everything else ok. -Not used my fan oven or grill since purchasing this oven. I read my meters each week and electricity savings are the best thing about all this. I will try yorkshire puddings next, so far have just put frozen ones in. Wish I could get a good cookbook

I found my yorkshire puds rose really well, and were getting a bit over cooked on top, so flipped them over to cook underneath - perfect.

Paula202

Hi all

my oven has finally arrived and I used it tonight, not a great test just some crispy potato slices Mine is from Ideal World and although the instructions mention the self clean function they don't say how to use it, I have gathered from reading around that you put in water , detergent and set the temp to thaw (i think) but how long do you need to put it on for? Also I assume you add warm/hot water?

Many thanks for all the recommendations here, can't wait to try cooking a chicken and roast potatoes

Paula

geordie_joe

Paula202 wrote: »

I have gathered from reading around that you put in water , detergent and set the temp to thaw (i think) but how long do you need to put it on for? Also I assume you add warm/hot water?

Yes, put some warm water in, just enough to clean it. Don't know your model, but if it hasn't got a wash setting then thaw or keep warm will do.

The length of time you leave it depends on what you have used it for and how dirty it is. As it's glass you will see when it is clean. Shouldn't take long, so don't go far.