Convection Oven Cooking

Start thinking of a toaster oven as a substitute for your full size conventional oven and not as a substitute for your four slice toaster. You want to look for a convection toaster oven. Convection ovens circulate heated air using a high temperature fan. Food heats faster in a convection oven because the fan blown air disturbs the thin layer of insulating air that otherwise surrounds the food.

If you live in an area of the country where Summer means 24 x 7 air conditioning a convection toaster oven can save you both discomfort and money. Instead of turning on that monster oven to roast a chicken or bake a pie and heat up your entire kitchen in the process, go with a convection toaster oven. For a small family a digital convection toaster oven can meet all your household cooking and baking needs. You can use it to bake, broil, toast, dehydrate, and defrost. A .5 cubic foot model can roast a 5 pound chicken.

Although the better models can reach an internal temperature up to 500 degrees F convection toaster ovens can cook at a lower required temperature than a full-size conventional oven and also cook the food more quickly. Another benefit of moving, heated air is that it heats the food surface more evenly eliminating hot spots on baked goods. Convection cooking produces superior results in up to 1/3 less time than conventional ovens. Your toaster oven will come with a recipe book to help make the time and temperature adjustments. There are also many specialized toaster over cook books at Amazon.com.

The models featured below are good choices but generally when shopping for a toaster oven you want controls that let you choose between bake, broil or toast, and an adjustable rack that can be removed for cleaning. You will find variation between brands and models but toaster ovens get hot to the touch. Some get hot enough to melt a plastic drinking cup left on top. None present a fire hazard but the hot exterior is a consideration if there are small children in the house.

Every toaster oven will darken bread. The Cuisinart Convection Toaster Oven Broiler and the DeLonghi EO1238 1/2-Cubic-Foot Toaster Oven will do a lot more. The Cuisinart gets slightly better marks with the experts because it has an automatic shut-off and a drip tray, which are lacking in the DeLonghi. The DeLonghi stays cooler to the touch during use and may be indicative of better insulation and sealing. Both use a fan to circulate heat and truly can be used to bake and broil just like your conventional oven, with the size limitation of course. The T-Fal OT8085002 Avante Elite Convection Toaster Oven and Krups FBC4-12 6-Slice Convection Digital Toaster Oven with Preset Cooking Functions are also highly regarded.

Easy Dutch Oven Recipes - Getting Started Cooking With Your Dutch Oven

Dutch Oven cooking is fun and easy. Dutch oven recipes are abundant and adapting them from your favorite home recipes is easy. With a little experience you'll find that it is fairly simple to cook with your Dutch oven. Here are some easy Dutch oven recipes to try:

Easy Dutch Oven Mountain Man Hash

1 lb. Bacon or sausage
2 lbs frozen potatoes (shredded or southern style)
1 dozen eggs
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Cut bacon/sausage into smaller pieces (about 1). Cook the bacon or sausage in the Dutch oven. Add potatoes, cover with lid with coals on top. Cook until potatoes are done, stirring occasionally. Mix eggs together in a bowl and pour on top of potatoes. Replace lid with coals on top and cook until eggs are done (shouldn't need a long time if the lid is hot). When eggs are done, sprinkle cheese on top, replace lid and bake until cheese is melted. Serve as is, or wrap spoonfuls in warmed flour tortillas to make breakfast burritos (provide salsa).

Easy Dutch Oven Taco Pie

1 ½ lbs. Ground beef
1 medium jar of taco sauce
6 large corn tortillas
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
8 oz can of tomato sauce

Brown the ground beef and drain it. Mix the taco sauce and tomato sauce. Line the Dutch oven with tin foil and put 3 tortillas in the bottom. Put ½ of the ground beef on the tortillas and cover with ½ of the sauce. Put 3 more tortilla shells on top, and put the remaining ground beef and sauce on top of those tortillas. Sprinkle the cheese on top. Cover the Dutch oven, place a few coals on top, and bake until the cheese is melted. You could also add onions, olives, mushrooms for some variety.

Easy Dutch Oven Au Gratin Potatoes

8-10 potatoes, sliced thin
2-3 Tbsp. Melted butter or margarine
2-3 medium onions, sliced thin
15 oz can of cheese soup
¼ cup milk
½ cup cracker or bread crumbs
1 cup shredded cheese

Put a little oil in the bottom of the Dutch oven. Put a layer of potatoes in the bottom and brush with the melted butter. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Add a layer of sliced onions. Continue the layering with potatoes and onions as described until all have been used. Mix the soup with the milk and pour over the top. Sprinkle the top with the bread or cracker crumbs. Add any additional desired seasonings. Put Dutch oven over 6-8 briquets and 16-18 briquets on top. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove and sprinkle the top with the shredded cheese. Replace lid and let the cheese melt-shouldn't take long.