Culinary Lifestyle

Winter – Spring Cooking Tips

With warmer days but still chilly nights our menu choices at this time of year seem to alternate between crisp refreshing salads, warming soups, casseroles and braises.

Seasonal salads topped with some broiled seafood, chicken or steak are fairly simple to put together easily but those warming comfort foods that sound so appealing at the end of a busy day require long slow cooking, so planning is key. Taking the time plan a menu for the week and do some advance cooking is a good way to make use of the fabulous features of your appliances as well as ensure that you have fresh healthy food ready to eat at the end of a busy day.

Oven Braising

Meats that ideal for braising include pork shoulder, brisket, corned beef, short ribs and chicken but with the exception of chicken these meats require at least 1 ½ - 2 hours of slow cooking in the oven to tenderize. However the first step of searing the meat and cooking the aromatic vegetables only takes 12-15 minutes so the actual preparation time is minimal. It is important to cook braises in a heavy casserole with a tight fitting lid because it is the steam that is sealed inside the pan that does the actual cooking. Using the oven is ideal for this type of cooking because the heat surrounds the pan and keeps the food cooking at moderate temperatures without building up any hot spots or evaporating precious cooking liquids.

Braising with A Steam Oven

If you have a Steam Oven you can use the steam without using a heavy casserole however it is advisable to use a deeper sided pan to capture as much moisture as possible.

Convection Broiling

Broiling in today’s modern ovens is safe and efficient and probably the fastest way to prepare a simple delicious meal. A couple of key points to remember when broiling; Always use the 2-piece oven broil pan when broiling meats that have fat so that the fat can drip down and be shielded from the direct heat of the broiler and set the rack one position down from the top rack so the meat is not to close to the broil element or open flame. When searing steak or lamb chops cook the meat for 6-8 minutes on the first side, and 4-5 on the second then turn the oven off and let the meat rest in the oven for a minute or two before removing the meat.

When broiling chicken breasts, or fish lower the oven temperature to 450° to avoid creating a hard crust without properly cooking through the center.

Shrimp and scallops can be cooked on a rimmed baking sheet on the top rack because they are best cooked with high heat for a short period of time.

Use a rimmed baking sheet for broiling vegetables and cook them on the second rack position from the top at 450°

Convection Steam Oven

A Convection Steam Oven is an amazing tool to have in the kitchen but unless you plan to use it I am afraid it will just sit there and look pretty. Convenience is certainly a great factor when cooking with the Steam Oven, but it’s the remarkable flavor and nutrient value of all foods cooked with steam that quickly makes this the favored appliance in the kitchen. Some great ways to use your Steam Oven include:

• Season a few racks of ribs with a dry-rub overnight, then cook them low and slow in Convection Steam 320° for 1 ½ - 2 hrs until they are tender. Glaze with your favorite BBQ sauce and finish in the Convection oven or on outdoor grill.

• Experiment with some bread making, proof the dough in a bowl in the Steam Oven, punch it down and form the loaves and place them back in the oven for the second rising. Increase the temperature when ready to bake and enjoy amazing fresh crusty breads. Steam a small chicken and use the meat the sandwiches and salads and the bonus homemade chicken stock it will yield.

• Steam rice, grains or potatoes without worrying about messy spillovers, once you set the timer you can safely leave the kitchen and it will turn the unit off when the cooking time elapses and hold the food in gentle steam.

• Cook a delicate custard, flan or bread pudding without having to use a water bath.

The appliances we distribute at Purcell Murray offer an amazing array of features that can really make a difference to your day-to-day cooking, once you plan to use them. Helping you understand how to benefit from the features of your appliances is our goal, to learn more we invite you to sign up for a complimentary Product Education Class or Culinary Class.

See our weekly Blog postings to learn how to adapt your cooking to using the features of your Convection oven.

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The recipe archive features seasonal recipes for cooking complete meals that will feed 4 – 6 people, using Convection, Convection Broil and Slow Roasting, in addition new recipes are posted weekly on the Purcell Murray Blog. If you have questions about cooking in Convection or have a favorite Convection meal you would like to share please e-mail Larissa at ltaboryski@purcellmurray.com

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ltaboryski@purcellmurray.com