Cuisinart Combo Steam/Convection Oven (Part 2)

[Kerry Beal]

2 hours ago, csingley said:

 

 

Has anybody tried steam-baking biscuits?  American biscuits that is, not British cookies.  SOP around our house involves forming and freezing buttermilk biscuits, then baking them for breakfast - a perfect application for the little steam oven.  My vision of the Cuisinart bread function yielding big puffy glorious butter-browned bastards was dashed when I tried it, but then that was the fault of the batch not the steam - they were disappointingly flat when I tried regular convection baking; underleavened, apparently.  I plan to experiment further, and would be keenly interested in anyone elses' results with biscuits or similar pastries.

 

 

 

When looking for the right appliance for the task - I prefer to cook my brown bastards in a cast iron kettle!

[rotuts]

those microwave 'racks'  work surprisingly well, paying careful attention to the sugar content of the bacon is a must !

[csingley]

Quote

When looking for the right appliance for the task - I prefer to cook my brown bastards in a cast iron kettle!

 

Madam (?) with all due respect, I am holding a hammer, and by God I am going to drive nails with it.

 

Often a full pan of biscuits is too many.  The application I am talking about is tossing individual biscuits from the freezer straight into the toaster oven on a school morning.  I'm just looking for ways of improving the quality of the product under those constraints toward the glory of the proper biscuits you recommend.  Now that you mention it, I've got a little 6.5" Lodge skillet that fits in the steam oven; I could preheat that in the Cuisinart and cut the biscuits to fit 3 or 4 in that pan.  Good idea, thanks!

 

But what I'm really curious about is playing with the steam bake and what I can do with it.  I've done plenty of steam cooking in rice cookers - rice, fish, dumplings, chawan-mushi, etc.  I've also done my share of straight baking, but the combination of steam and radiant heat is a new technique for me.  My SIL runs a retail bakery, and many times I've watched them do the steam injection to keep a skin from forming on the bread and get a superior rise, while still browing into a baked crust by the end.  I'm wondering if the same effect would help biscuits.  The effect worked pretty dramatically when I tried to steam-bake popovers... which are, granted, much wetter & leaner than biscuits.

 

Nobody's steam-baked pastry?  Is it a bad idea?

[blue_dolphin]

15 minutes ago, csingley said:

Nobody's steam-baked pastry?  Is it a bad idea?

Last week, I used steam-bake to blind bake the crust for a quiche and used the same function to bake the filled quiche.  

The crust came out very crispy but not as flaky as usual.  I can't say that was for sure due to the steam bake function as I'd inadvertently left the pastry sitting out on the sunny side of the counter.  It got quite warm and that alone could have caused the problem.

I plan a repeat soon.  It's nice to be able to make a quiche without heating up the big oven.

 

I've also been meaning to try steam-bake or the bread function on some of those little frozen croissants from TJs that you proof overnight and then bake.  I've only used the regular convection bake for them thus far. 

1 hour ago, Kerry Beal said:

When looking for the right appliance for the task - I prefer to cook my brown bastards in a cast iron kettle!

15 minutes ago, csingley said:

Madam (?)

I'm thinking Kerry was poking fun at this sentence from your post above:

3 hours ago, csingley said:

...My vision of the Cuisinart bread function yielding big puffy glorious butter-browned bastards was dashed when I tried it,...

 

Which gave me a laugh, too !

Edited August 4, 2016 by blue_dolphin (log)

[csingley]

10 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

Last week, I used steam-bake to blind bake the crust for a quiche and used the same function to bake the filled quiche.  

The crust came out very crispy but not as flaky as usual.

 

Yeah that's the kind of thing I'm talking about.  I'm thinking about rocking some puff pastry sheets on the steam bake; would be a perfect test I think.  The only downside is that then I'd have to make pastry cream and eat the ensuing Napoleons.  Stop me, I cannot stop myself!!

 

11 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

I'm thinking Kerry was poking fun at this sentence from your post above:

 

No doubt, I was poking fun at myself too.  I didn't see any <faux_indignation> tags in the forum markup options; I suppose I should have added them manually.  The question mark involved my assumption that Kerry Beal was in fact a ma'am; I've known Kerries who were outies rather than innies.

[Anna N]

Swing on over to here, 

 

Click

 

kind sir, to get a measure of Kerry who is indeed of the female persuasion.  And is in possession of a wicked sense of humour.

[csingley]

Whoah - loonie ladies represent!!  Y'all clearly know how to get it done.

 

Our summer trips are of a different sort.  Saturday we're flying off to Taiwan to see family for the rest of the summer - kind of a forced language immersion for the rug rats, since that side of the family speaks nary a word of English.  Given all the "foreign" goodies we're bringing back (aged rum, fresh-roasted coffee, prosciutto, a variety of luxe cheeses, etc. etc.) I don't believe we'd be able to cram the Cuisinart into the checked luggage.  I won't be doing any cooking anyway... my FIL is almost 90, a cook of the old school who serves killer Sichuanese food out of a kitchen the size of my bedroom closet, whose implements he hardly permits others to touch.  The Mrs. and I were just dedicating a rather extravagant budget toward an earnest attempt at burning down every seafood restaurant, hotpot joint, and food stall in Taipei, which is one hell of a food town when you get right down to it.  it almost makes it worth enduring the sparsely air-conditioned dog days along the Tropic of Cancer.  Hopefully the typhoons will all miss us this time.

 

Upon my return I will resume research into the miraculous effects of steam baking.  There's a really great kind of Chinese snack called a shui-jian-bao ("water fried bun") which are kind of like big potstickers with yeasted dough... I've made these successfully in a cast iron pot with a lid... but, you know, surely they could be made less traditionally and with greater fuss in the Cuisinart steam oven!

 

Happy potchky'ing to all.

Edited August 4, 2016 by csingley (log)

[Kerry Beal]

1 hour ago, Anna N said:

Swing on over to here, 

 

Click

 

kind sir, to get a measure of Kerry who is indeed of the female persuasion.  And is in possession of a wicked sense of humour.

Yes I had Anna in fits of giggles with the brown bastards but she was concerned I might be accused of racism. I did explain I'd cook bastards of any colour in the same pot!

 

Oh - and pastry is fabulous in the CSO hammer - Anna made a bunch of tarts when we first got it here up north that had the best shells ever.

Edited August 4, 2016 by Kerry Beal (log)

[csingley]

2 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

Yes I had Anna in fits of giggles with the brown bastards but she was concerned I might be accused of racism. I did explain I'd cook bastards of any colour in the same pot!

 

Oh - and pastry is fabulous in the CSO hammer - Anna made a bunch of tarts when we first got it here up north that had the best shells ever.

 

 

Glad to hear it... but really, "tart"?  Can't we just have a simple culinary discussion unsullied by such benighted language? 

 

I'll get right on that just as soon as I waddle home from Taipei, 10lbs heavier... and clearly in need of a rigorous comparative matrix of pastry products baked to different protocols.  In the meantime, I've got chicken pot pies (leftover meat from roast Cornish hen) to stick into ramekins and thence into the Cuisinart!

[Kerry Beal]

And try custard in there too.

[Shelby]

I made some venison zucchini meatballs last night in the steam boy.  15 mins on steam/bake at 350F.  Super tender.  

 

[lindag]

cyalexa,

what kind(s) of ryes do you make?  I'm currently working on a sourdough starter so I can make KAF's Jewish Rye Bread.

 

[cyalexa]

1 hour ago, lindag said:

cyalexa,

what kind(s) of ryes do you make?  I'm currently working on a sourdough starter so I can make KAF's Jewish Rye Bread.

 

check PM

[cyalexa]

I just searched both parts of this topic for salmon. There were 10 or so posts so I got a few ideas but would like to know if anyone has found a CSO method that is their favorite way to prepare salmon. A friend just came home from Alaska and is coming over so we can eat some of the salmon he caught. I generally do a quick hard unilateral sear on the skin in a cast iron skillet followed by about 10 minutes in a low oven. 

[rotuts]

I do my salmon the same way you do :  skin side down for color , flip , and finished in the oven.

 

if you used  Steam-Broil @ the max 500, I doubt you'd get that sort of wonderful crust on the skin w/o over cooking the salmon.

 

Id guess the CSB would be useful for a much lower temp steam or steam-bake that might get you to an internal temp of say 125 if that

 

then the is type of salmon would very much enjoy a nice  -aise sauce.  

 

this sort of thing :

 

http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/sauces/tp/saucesforfish.htm

 

note they chose salmon as their test fish and its on the  "blond' side of done not browned.

 

think French Restaurant White table cloth salmon,  vs salmon w a char.

 

Id enjoy hearing how this works out.

Edited August 5, 2016 by rotuts (log)

[gfweb]

1 hour ago, rotuts said:

.

 

  vs salmon w a char.

 

 

 

 

I tend to serve salmon or char.

[rotuts]

however, le(s) deux sur le plate provides interring textures and contrasts  

 

I used to char Char on the grill way back when.  it was delicious. and locally fairly fresh.  even though it might have come from Iceland

 

or there a bouts.

[lindag]

I did my steelhead in the CSO on steam/broil for about five mins. then turned, added glaze and cooked for a couple more minutes on the second side.  Delicious and easy.

[kayb]

Yet another thing at which the CSO excels: Potato skins.

 

These have been a favorite at my house since the kids were little. Bake Yukon Gold potatoes until barely soft (I generally do this in the microwave. Halve them and scoop them out, leaving about 1/2 inch or so around the edges. Brush with a little bacon grease and broil (CSO broil @500, 7 minutes). Fill cavities with grated cheese, chopped bacon, chives, scallions, whatever else suits your fancy. Broil again (CSO 500F, 3 minutes). Serve with sour cream or Greek yogurt for dipping.

 

 

Please pardon blurry photo.

 

[Shelby]

I caught myself wishing that I had two CSO's last night ......I'd have to get rid of the Breville...but it doesn't do much these days besides hold my bread and croutons lol.  

 

I had bread success!!!!  Thank you, @Anna N, for your trouble shooting and giving me a recipe.  When I pulled the loaves out of the oven they were making this lovely "crackling" sound.  The one on the right had a little ear sticking up..which I couldn't wait to pull off and eat.  My husband snatched it before I could .  

 

I proofed it for 30 mins at 100F.  Then I turned it to the bread setting and baked it for 30 mins at 350F.  The center of the bread is supposed to read 190F when finished.  Mine was at 207.  I will shorten the baking time to 25 mins next time and see what I get.

 

 

After the bread was done, I steam baked a venison meatloaf.  Ronnie said it was the best meatloaf I've ever made.  I put it in at 350F for 50 mins.  The internal temp should read 165F...I forget what mine was but it was higher.  I will do it at 45 mins next time.

 

I was going to make some zucchini bread today, but I think I'll use my Instant Pot and give the steam boy a rest lol.

[Anna N]

@Shelby

 

 So happy you had a successful bake of bread!  The CSO of course was left in the closet on Manitoulin Island so my toast this morning was very disappointing. But I have a pork belly in the Breville on a quarter sheet pan  as a sort of consolation prize.   I did whine to Kerry up north that we really did need a second CSO there.   She was entirely sympathetic.

[rotuts]

did you use 'double' pans for those loafs ?

 

can you refresh my memory on where you got those pans ?

 

the CSB does cook much quicker than a dry oven

 

my TML's   ( on package of ground turkey   20.25 oz for some reason ) cooks is 30 min at steam-bake 375   I torch the bacon on top to

 

finish.  temp 185.   I add two eggs rather than one but I think the higher temp takes care of the 'crumbly' usues

 

I used to take the TML out a 140, for no known reason that make sense  and it was a bit crumbly w one egg,

 

still very moist and tender at 180.  I use finely ground 'quick' oatmeal and milk for the panade.

[Shelby]

7 minutes ago, rotuts said:

did you use 'double' pans for those loafs ?

 

can you refresh my memory on where you got those pans ?

 

the CSB does cook much quicker than a dry oven

 

my TML's   ( on package of ground turkey   20.25 oz for some reason ) cooks is 30 min at steam-bake 375   I torch the bacon on top to

 

finish.  temp 185.   I add two eggs rather than one but I think the higher temp takes care of the 'crumbly' usues

 

I used to take the TML out a 140, for no known reason that make sense  and it was a bit crumbly w one egg,

 

still very moist and tender at 180.  I use finely ground 'quick' oatmeal and milk for the panade.

No, the pans look like there are two per loaf, but it's just how the pans are made--they have a double lip.  Just one pan per loaf.  These are the ones I bought.  

 

Steam boy is getting ready to have a steam bath.  He got dirty during meatloaf cooking lol.

[Kerry Beal]

22 minutes ago, Anna N said:

@Shelby

 

 So happy you had a successful bake of bread!  The CSO of course was left in the closet on Manitoulin Island so my toast this morning was very disappointing. But I have a pork belly in the Breville on a quarter sheet pan  as a sort of consolation prize.   I did whine to Kerry up north that we really did need a second CSO there.   She was entirely sympathetic.

Of course Kerry does have a CSO here now thanks to the Amazon Prime sale - but it might be a matter of setting it up in the chocolate room where hubby is unaware of it's existence and running down there to make toast, and custard and...

[Shelby]

5 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:

Of course Kerry does have a CSO here now thanks to the Amazon Prime sale - but it might be a matter of setting it up in the chocolate room where hubby is unaware of it's existence and running down there to make toast, and custard and...

Once he has a piece of toast made in there, he'll beg you to put it front and center in the kitchen lol.