Sunday, June 15, 2008

LEARN HOW TO USE OVEN CORRECTLY







Ovens come in many shapes and sizes. Here we will focus only on convection ovens. Earlier, they used to come tin a round, lightweight variety, with a glass window. Simple equipment, but very effective. Some companies still make this model and even the best recipes can be made in it.
Modern Kitchens use sleek, square OTGs (Oven-Toaster-Griller) operated on electricity. You can bake a cake, toast sandwiches, or grill kebabs with the press of a button. There are instructions manuals and recipe booklets that come along with the oven. Do make it a point to read them thoroughly. There are gas ranges that have flame burners on the top and large oven at the bottom. These too are effective as electric ovens, ensure to read the manual and learn about the gas marks.
Baking : When baking cakes, cookies, breads or pies, ensure that the oven is preheated to the correct temperature as the recipe demands. It is the simplest rule for getting perfect results. When baking, use the setting that gives both top and bottom heat.
Toasting : To make pizzas, open sandwiches or simple toast, use the setting for top heat. Place pizzas on the tray and toast on the wire rack.
Grilling : To make kebabs in the grill, use the skewers provided and the basting tray to catch all the drips. Use the setting that gives top heat and remember to baste the kebabs regularly and rotate them.
Reheating : Ovens are great for reheating samosas, patties or stale bread. Use the setting as for baking.
Safety Tips :• Use the oven only for its intended use.• Never heat water in the oven. Never try to cook a whole egg.• Never use an oven to heat a room• Never leave a working oven unattended especially if there are children around.• Never use an oven to store things. If it is switched on accidentally, there could be a major disaster.• Keep the are surrounding the oven clean. Keep it free of bags, towels, drapes, crockery and other equipments.• Use of oven mitts is highly recommended to handle the hot baking dishes.



By Sanjeev Kapoor. Sourced from the asian Age 4th aug, 2007