Cooking with the Breville "Smart Oven"

[Shel_B]

This morning I roasted a TJ's pork tenderloin in the mini Breville, and, overall, I was pleased with the results.

I chose the TJ's tenderloin because it is the perfect size to fit into the oven and the roasting pan. And while TJ's pork isn't the best in town, it's inexpensive and was convenient to purchase, and ideal for first attempt and an experiment. Both Toots and I like the loin cuts for their lower fat, and we're willing to give up some flavor for the more heart-healthy results. But this is about the Breville, not a treatise on our eating preferences, so I'll move on.

I set the oven to 400-degrees for 35-minutes, based on some times I used when making a similar roast in Toots' stove oven. The Breville came to indicated temp quickly - much faster than the oven in my stove would have done - thereby saving plenty of electricity. A plus for the Breville.

The Breville did a fine job with the tenderloin, although at the setting I used it came out a scosh over done. Next time I'll use less time, maybe 30 minutes, or perhaps drop the temp a few degrees.

Thus far, I'm quite pleased with the way the Breville has performed. I baked some potatoes, made toast several times (the Breville is not as good at this task as a good quality, dedicated toaster, but adequate for my needs), roasted the tenderloin, cooked a frozen pizza, and reheated some slices of a delivered pizza.

Thus far, I'm happy with the mini-Breville, and the choice seems to be about perfect for my needs. The big one would have been more than I needed, and would have taken up too much space in my small kitchen. If you're cooking mostly for one or two people, and, of course, depending on what you cook, the mini may be just right for you.

[rotuts]

good for you. you bought what you needed and are putting it through its paces in your own kitchen !

BTW what is the size of the 'pan' that came with it?

maybe I can come up with other interesting ideas based on that size. I agree that the BV's make OK toast

the toast might improve if you get some bread where you can cut it thicker.

the bread that comes out of my Home Made (machine) bread is spectacular in the BV. about 1/2 thick

try some good sourdough if you like that cut thicker in the BV.

as I grew up in the Bay Area there were lots of choices for this. if not sour dough, something from a good bakery w a bit of crust.

Edited January 10, 2014 by rotuts (log)

[Shel_B]

I only use artisan bread that I cut myself, and have tried making toast at various thicknesses.

The pan is 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 ... I just checked the manual, and the tray is 10 x 10.

Edited January 10, 2014 by Shel_B (log)

[rotuts]

the thicker cuts might work out better in the BV. in my Home Made ( machine ) bread for some reason the crusts on that turn to concrete. Ive learned to thinly slice them off and offer those crusts to the Birds

having done that, my BV toast is superb. w a think layer of various TJ jams and jellies.

look for a bread thats a bit denser.

[Shel_B]

the thicker cuts might work out better in the BV. in my Home Made ( machine ) bread for some reason the crusts on that turn to concrete. Ive learned to thinly slice them off and offer those crusts to the Birds

having done that, my BV toast is superb. w a think layer of various TJ jams and jellies.

look for a bread thats a bit denser.

Yeah, I noticed that the crusts on my toast tend to get hard and, sometimes, slightly burnt. All the bread I use is denser than supermarket white bread. I don't use jams or jellies, sometimes some peanut butter tho. The pan, in case you didn't get the edit above, is 10 x 10.

[Alex]

The naan experiment was a partial success....the tiles were OK, could have been hotter. Lots of fussy slapping of bread on tiles in very hot oven. Didn't get burned but risk always there.

In the end, I went to the fry pan and that was easier and better. Bread from both was excellent and reheated/toasted later it was the best flatbread I have ever made.

Corn bread today, recipe not my favorite but it did OK in BSO. But done several minutes before time given in recipe so lucky I was watching.

I use Paul Prudhomme's cornbread recipe (cutting back on the sugar) and it, too, works fine in my large Breville. I also noted that it takes less time than in my conventional oven, even when I cut back on the temperature by 10 or 20 degrees F.

[Shel_B]

Baked Salmon Cakes in the Breville

Over the past weekend I found two small, Corning Ware White Round Grab It Bowls which have little handles on them, and which also had their dedicated lids, for $2.00 http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-Corning-Ware-White-Round-Grab-It-Bowls-P-150-B-/400641113607?hash=item5d48123e07. I planned to make salmon croquettes today and it occurred to me that it might be interesting to see how the recipe translates to being baked rather than fried. In addition, I had some left over poached salmon, and it seemed like a perfect place to use it up, adding it to the canned salmon I planned to use.

I had to adjust the recipe a bit to accommodate the additional salmon, but essentially the croquette recipe was used as it had been developed.

The batch of salmon fit perfectly into the two small casseroles, and the dishes fit perfectly into the small Breville. Never having baked a salmon loaf before, I could only guess at time and temp. I searched a few on line salmon recipes and decided on 400-deg F. for 20-minutes, slid the salmon-packed casseroles into the Breville, and let her rip. When the final bell rang, it looked like the salmon was slightly undercooked, so I added a few more minutes to the time and, voila, a fine result.

There are a couple of nice things about using the Breville in this way. In no particular order, cooking the salmon is quicker and easier as there is less cleanup, and my hands didn’t get dirty from making the patties. The Breville comes to temp a LOT quicker than a full-size oven, and that saves some time. In addition, I used quite a bit less energy than cooking the patties on the stove. Further, the cooking vessels can be used as serving dishes, or the salmon can be stored in the dishes to be reheated later, again adding to the convenience and ease of cleanup, prep, and serving.

Thus far, I am very happy with the little Breville. It’s turning out to be an almost perfect choice for the days I’m cooking for just myself, and thus far it’s been fine for the dishes that I make for two or more people. Toots likes it for its simplicity, and since our (loose) arrangement is that whoever cooks needn’t wash the dishes, it makes her work simpler and easier. The less dishes she has to wash the happier she is, and, of course, the happier she is, the happier I am. I'm a happy guy ...

Breville = Happy!

Edited January 14, 2014 by Shel_B (log)

[mgaretz]

Shel,

I just made crab cakes in the Breville. Didn't do any adjustments to my normal pan-fried recipe. Made 6 piles of crab and baked for 30 minutes at 425f. The recipe is 1lb of jumbo lump crab, 1 egg, 2 tsp Old Bay, about 1/3 cup mayo, 1 tsp mustard and panko to bind it (I'm guessing it ends up being 3/4 cup or so. For the baked version I dusted the tops with some extra panko.

They reheat well in the Breville as well. Reheat setting at 375f with convection for 15 minutes.

[Shel_B]

Shel,

I just made crab cakes in the Breville. Didn't do any adjustments to my normal pan-fried recipe. Made 6 piles of crab and baked for 30 minutes at 425f. The recipe is 1lb of jumbo lump crab, 1 egg, 2 tsp Old Bay, about 1/3 cup mayo, 1 tsp mustard and panko to bind it (I'm guessing it ends up being 3/4 cup or so. For the baked version I dusted the tops with some extra panko.

They reheat well in the Breville as well. Reheat setting at 375f with convection for 15 minutes.

Great! After my salmon was cooking I thought about doing what you did, putting panko on the tops, but I thought it may have been to late to do that. Next time, for sure.

And in the "What If" department, it would be nice to see what breads and muffins can be baked in the little oven.

[mgaretz]

Shel,

I just made crab cakes in the Breville. Didn't do any adjustments to my normal pan-fried recipe. Made 6 piles of crab and baked for 30 minutes at 425f. The recipe is 1lb of jumbo lump crab, 1 egg, 2 tsp Old Bay, about 1/3 cup mayo, 1 tsp mustard and panko to bind it (I'm guessing it ends up being 3/4 cup or so. For the baked version I dusted the tops with some extra panko.

They reheat well in the Breville as well. Reheat setting at 375f with convection for 15 minutes.

Great! After my salmon was cooking I thought about doing what you did, putting panko on the tops, but I thought it may have been to late to do that. Next time, for sure.

And in the "What If" department, it would be nice to see what breads and muffins can be baked in the little oven.

I have made rye bread (corn rye style with caraway) and challah in it quite succesfully.

[gfweb]

I do Italian loafs, hoagie rolls, mini-baguettes in the BSO

[Shel_B]

For lunch today I toasted a couple of TJ's  Masala Burgers in the mini Breville.  There are all sorts of veggie burgers that are similar, and I suppose they'd all toast up about the same as these.  Usually I pan fry these puppies with a little bit of oil, but I thought I'd try toasting them today.  They turned out great, crispy on the outside, warm and delicious on the inside, and nowhere near the muss and fuss of using the stove.  Plus, no extra oil was needed, and if you're watching calories, that's a plus.

 

But wait, what about the buns for these burgers?  We bought some very thin, flat whole wheat rounds from Costco  http://content.costco.com/Images/Content/Product/759254b.jpg last week, and they are the perfect size for the Masala Burgers.  After toasting the buns I decided to place them on the top of the Breville.  Putting them on a plate would cool them down and create "toast sweat," which would make the buns soggy and unappetizing.  The top of the oven gets hot, so it became a perfect place to hold the buns until the burgers were done.

 

All-in-all, another good cooking experience with the mini Breville.

Edited January 28, 2014 by Shel_B (log)

[judiu]

Brilliant, Shel!

[Shel_B]

When feeling lazy, or just wanting something chocolatey and quick, Toots falls back on this:

 

http://www2.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?prodid=11099406&whse=BD_827&topnav=bd

 

She uses the mix for brownies and to make layer cakes.  She made one of her quick cakes this past weekend, and it seemed like a package of the mix might be ideal for an experiment in the Breville.  I grabbed a pouch of the mix, made adjustments to the instructions and ingredients to suit my preferences, poured the batter into an oiled  Corningware Visions 8x8 baking tray, and baked myself a batch of brownies.  The results were fine, and kudos to another job well done by the mini Breville.

 

This "toaster oven" is turning out to be one of the better kitchen appliances I have.  I hope the puppy lasts a good many years.

 

Oh, the Breville is also a great place to temporarily store small items when unexpected guests arrive and some odds and ends need to be put out of sight.