Small Oven benefits ?

Piliger

Hi,

I am in an apartment with my 21yo son and we have a full sized free standing cooker.

However it is very rare that we cook anything substantial in the oven. And 90% of the time all we cook is 5 or 6 par boiled roast potatoes chopped on a tray, or one single breast of chicken on a tray. NB: The grill compartment won;t work as an oven, the thermostat is broken and can't be fixed.

So I was thinking maybe we are wasting humungous amounts of electricity ? Maybe I need to look at a work top oven ? or one of those super modern hot air ones ... I can't recall what they are called ?

Any thoughts ?

Thoie

I use a counter top halogen oven for that kind of thing. The halogen oven is about 1000w, as opposed to 3000w for the real oven. It also doesn't need time to get up to temperature, and generally I can cook things on a slightly lower heat. I still use my main oven if I'm doing a big roast dinner or something, but for day to day use when it's just me, I use the halogen one.

Piliger

Thoie wrote: »

I use a counter top halogen oven for that kind of thing. The halogen oven is about 1000w, as opposed to 3000w for the real oven. It also doesn't need time to get up to temperature, and generally I can cook things on a slightly lower heat. I still use my main oven if I'm doing a big roast dinner or something, but for day to day use when it's just me, I use the halogen one.

I did some research a while back on that and two things arose .... I was told they are very noisy and BRIGHT ... and take up a LOT of room on the counter ?

Thoie

Piliger wrote: »

I did some research a while back on that and two things arose .... I was told they are very noisy and BRIGHT ... and take up a LOT of room on the counter ?

I live in an apartment with a tiny kitchen. The halogen is extremely bright, but I don't generally stand around staring at it I have very little counter space, and chose the halogen oven over a microwave - it takes up less space than a microwave. You can get them in different sizes. I *think* mine is a 30 litre one. I don't find it particularly noisy, but my main oven is a fan oven - it's no louder than that.

Faith

Halogens are good for small volume cooking. Put it in top of the hob when it's in use if you need, and you could always store it inside the oven when it's not in use.

Just note that it cooks like a grill - top down, so you need to turn food during cooking to get it cooked through.

Piliger

Thoie wrote: »

I live in an apartment with a tiny kitchen. The halogen is extremely bright, but I don't generally stand around staring at it I have very little counter space, and chose the halogen oven over a microwave - it takes up less space than a microwave. You can get them in different sizes. I *think* mine is a 30 litre one. I don't find it particularly noisy, but my main oven is a fan oven - it's no louder than that.

Ok. Interesting. I guess I could put something in front of it while cooking ... Our room is a Kitch/sitting room ...

Could you say what model you use and if you would recommend it ?

Piliger

Faith wrote: »

Halogens are good for small volume cooking. Put it in top of the hob when it's in use if you need, and you could always store it inside the oven when it's not in use.

Just note that it cooks like a grill - top down, so you need to turn food during cooking to get it cooked through.

Ahh ... I didn't realise that. I thought it was like an oven.

If so ... why is it better than a grill ? :P

Thoie

Faith wrote: »

Just note that it cooks like a grill - top down, so you need to turn food during cooking to get it cooked through.

I generally turn things if I'd turn them in an oven. Mine blows air around like a fan oven (I thought they all did). I will sometimes cover things if I'm going to be leaving it a particularly long time.

Faith

Piliger wrote: »

Ahh ... I didn't realise that. I thought it was like an oven.

If so ... why is it better than a grill ? :P

It cooks like an oven, not a grill, but the heat only comes from the halogen element at the top.

Thoie wrote: »

I generally turn things if I'd turn them in an oven. Mine blows air around like a fan oven (I thought they all did). I will sometimes cover things if I'm going to be leaving it a particularly long time.

Mine didn't blow air around at all. I think mine was Andrew James?

oscarBravo

I bought a wee mini oven in Aldi a few weeks ago. It sits on top of my microwave and gets used several times a week. Best €25 I've spent lately.

phormium

Halogen oven is the best option. Yes it's bright in theory but as already said you're not going to be gazing into it, no worse than a good bright bulb.

More similar to an oven than a grill, I would sometimes turn things, like for example scones, I turn them over for the last few minutes to brown the bottom but for things like chicken, chips, wedges, sausages, fish, that sort of thing I don't turn but I always put it on metal tray to conduct the heat better to the underneath.

They do take up a bit of space but worth it in my opinion. Dunnes usually have the cheapest I find as they regularly seem to be reducing them to sell them off, I bought my last two there for €30 each, one was for my 83yr old father, he gets great use from it, never cleans it though!

Piliger

Thanks Phormium. I tend to agree.

I have been looking at this Andrew James model. I think it has a fan ...

I assume i would save quite a bit of electricity, with lower wattage and no warming....

Sorry about the photo size !!

Aineoil

On Friday in the Dunnes in Ennis they had a Kitchen Hero halogen oven reduced to 35 euro. I have only cooked a steak in it yet.

phormium

They all have a fan.

That is a fancy looking one, the lid seems to be hinged which would be handy, I have the stand for the lid but it's awkward enough, I usually just prop it up against it.

What price is that one? I wouldn't be hung up on brands, they are a very simple piece of equipment, the halogen bulb in them all seems much the same, I am on my second one as is my father as the bulb goes eventually and it's nearly cheaper replace the whole thing than the bulb. I originally had the JML one which was around 80 quid at the time, no better or worse than the 30 euro one.

PS looked at the link, I see the price, it includes a spare bulb but still expensive enough. When my first bulb went the fitting for it was so badly corroded that removing the bulb broke it anyway so even a spare bulk would have been no good to me. They all come with most of the stuff listed.

Aineoil

Phormium,

The husband only bought the halogen oven on Friday, so I spent the weekend googling it. A few people, on some sites, said the hinged lid was a problem if you wanted to use an extender ring. I have no idea if this is true or not.

I didn't use the stand yet. I put the top part of the halogen oven on the hob.

Like yourself I wouldn't care that much about the brand. As you say they all seem to work on the same principal.

phormium

I was wondering that about the extender ring, I assumed the hinged bit moved up or something to accomodate it. Mind you I have only used the extender ring once to cook a small turkey last Christmas. I don't think I would pay that much for one.

Thoie

Mine theoretically will cook a chicken, but if I'm cooking a chicken I'm generally doing roast vegetables as well, and don't want them all swimming in chicken fat, but don't want to "grill" the veg either, so I'll use the main oven for that. Never used the extender ring.

Piliger

I am tempted toward a brand because I have read som many people talk about elements and bulbs breaking after a few months, and problems with hot lids etc. This model comes with lots of extras including a spare bulb and a flip up lid.
I'll walk around Dublin tomorrow and see if there are any alternatives before I decide. Thanks guys btw !!

rubadub

Piliger wrote: »

If so ... why is it better than a grill ? :P

I would not leave a grill unattended, that is why I want a halogen, I would be happy to leave it unattended and it has a timer. To me its a cross between an oven & microwave. I imagine I will use it for reheating food a lot, microwaves are poor for reheating lots of food, like chips or stuff high in fats.

I see the light it gives off as a bonus.

I am getting one for christmas, but also considering an air fryer. Not sure of the pros/cons of one over the other. The halogens are cheaper. The philips air fryers are half price in currys now
http://www.currys.ie/action/searchsite/airfryer?gclid=CPj73Nbc_7oCFYZ52wodOCUAPA&ef_id=UW@r-QAABRvLyV74:20131125102609:s

Piliger

Hi guys ... I ordered the Andrew James oven direct from Andrew James this afternoon. Cheaper than via Amazon. Finger's crossed .... :P

Piliger

Testing my halogen ..

Does anyone know why it has to be heated for 10 mins each time ? Is it really necessary ??

Thoie

I never have with mine, but at this stage I don't remember what the instructions were. I presume it's a prewarming (like we do with main ovens), but I've always found it gets up to temperature very quickly.

phormium

I have never done that, except when making scones, I might turn it on 5 mins before I put them in but that's just for baking and I don't honestly know if it even makes a difference.

Piliger

Interesting. I agree. I don't see the point. Maybe the very first time ... but not every time.

I did a Chicken Kiev and it is A M A Z I N G !! beautifully crispy after 20 minutes. I am also surprised that there is no seal between the lid and body.

One wonderful benefit is that normally I have to warm up my fan oven for 20-30 minutes and it fills the apartment with a smell of burnt fat even though the oven is fairly clean. With the Halogen there is no smell except the first time slight oil smell :-) Nice !!

Piliger

Hi guys ... the Halogen is going well for smaller items

However I am having a problem cooking larger items. I cooked a rolled stuffed turkey piece of about 800g in it's supplied tin foil tray and it turned out really badly.

I put foil over it and cooked it for the prescribed time. Then took it off for the last 30 minutes. When I checked it the bottom was not fully cooked so I rolled it over and did it for 15-20 mins.

But it turned out WAY over cooked and tough Not sure why... does cooking in a high sided tray cause problems ? would a flat tray be better ?

Now I am looking at nice pieces of spiced meat in superquin but worried about whether the halogen can successfully cook them....

Thoie

I've cooked a turkey breast OK (but it wasn't rolled and stuffed). I put it near the bottom rather than on a rack so that it wasn't straight under the light. For a "roast" type of thing I'd generally use a lower temperature than I would in the real oven (say 170 instead of 180), but I also check stuff earlier as well.

I don't like spiced meats, so have never tried those.

Faith

Wait, you cooked it for the prescribed time + 30 minutes + 20 minutes? Or the prescribed time + 20 minutes?

You overcooked it, plain and simply it seems. I mentioned at the beginning of this thread that you need to turn food during cooking to ensure it all gets cooked, so if you thought it would cook without being turned, that was your issue.

In future, cook for the correct amount of time and turn the item halfway through cooking.

CJhaughey

Anyone tried the Koolatron Czech Cooker?
It's very similar to the Rermoska but crucially has an adjustable simmerstat so temps can be controlled, Remoska are only sold by Lakeland in the UK so carry a bit of a premium.
In Poland their version is called Prodiz but works the same way.

Piliger

Thoie wrote: »

I've cooked a turkey breast OK (but it wasn't rolled and stuffed). I put it near the bottom rather than on a rack so that it wasn't straight under the light. For a "roast" type of thing I'd generally use a lower temperature than I would in the real oven (say 170 instead of 180), but I also check stuff earlier as well..

Maybe that is a good idea - I'll try that. I wonder if the use of the high sided foil thing that the turkey came in interfered with the heat ... maybe cooking on a much flatter tray would allow the heat to access most of the meat...