|
Issue Date: March 24, 2002
Spring Food Issue
Ode to the oven. The kitchen appliance that does it all.
By Pam Anderson
Over the years, I bought nearly every fad kitchen appliance and gadget on the market, thinking it would make me a better, more efficient cook. I'd play with each for a few weeks, but given their limited usefulness, none could justify a permanent place on my precious countertop. All of them ended up covered in dust on the basement shelves.
Last summer, as I prepared for a garage sale, I finally realized I had absolutely no use for these appliances, because I'd figured out how to cook just fine without them. Here's how:
Can the crock pot. At an oven temperature between 200 and 250 degrees, I slow-cook soups, stews and roasts as well as in a crock pot, and I'm not restricted to small batches. I can efficiently cook oversized roasts and double (or triple) recipes of soups and stews, to refrigerate or freeze for later meals.
Pitch the pressure cooker. At an oven temperature of 450 degrees, if I seal a pot with a sheet of heavy-duty foil pressed concave on the food, I can simulate a pressure cooker. Not only does this high-temperature, pressurized environment let me cook a pot roast (for example) in half the time, but the roast is more juicy and tender.
Farewell, fish poacher. For flavorful, moist, tender fish, I discovered all I needed was a sheet of heavy-duty foil and a 250-degree oven. Before enclosing the fish in foil, flavor it with salt, a few herbs and aromatic vegetables, or strips of citrus zest, then moisten it with a few tablespoons of flavoring liquid such as bottled clam juice or vermouth, and cook it for an hour.
Ta-ta, tea maker. Who needs an iced-tea maker when you can make it stovetop in less than 15 minutes? To make quick tea, slowly heat five tea bags and 1 quart of water until bubbles appear around the pan. Turn off the heat and let the bags steep for three minutes. Remove the bags and sweeten with sugar, if you like. Pour into a pitcher, and add 3 cups of ice.
Goodbye, grilling machine. After learning to sear meat, poultry and fish, I prefer my heavy-bottomed non-stick skillet to the incredibly popular indoor grilling machines. Cooked in a grill machine, meat, fish and poultry develop attractive grill marks. But if cooked in a hot skillet, the cut's entire surface sears, resulting in a rich, flavorful crust. With a skillet come pan drippings, which can be quickly turned into a flavorful sauce. To sear small, boneless cuts of meat, poultry and fish, heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Lightly coat the cut with oil, salt and pepper. A few minutes before cooking, increase the heat to high and turn on the exhaust fan. Cook until impressively brown, three to four minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the cut.
Banish the bread machine. I know a few cooks who couldn't live without their bread machines, but most admit they lost interest in this culinary toy after the first few loaves. I find it just as easy to make bread in a food processor (it kneads in just 30 seconds). I make free-form loaves, which I bake directly on my oven rack lined with unglazed quarry tiles that I bought at a discount home center for 50 cents each. Unlike a one-loaf bread machine, I can bake four loaves at a time this way.
I'm not totally anti-small appliances. Life would be difficult without my food processor, blender and mixer, and I own two waffle irons. My electric juicer is useful on occasion. Oh, and did I mention the state-of-the-art espresso machine I bought last month?
Your oven can act as a pressure cooker, tea maker and crock pot, without taking up any extra counter space.
|
