Cuisinart Combo Steam/Convection Oven (Part 3)

[Anna N]

 

 

 

 This is where the CSO really shines and doesn't get quite enough publicity.   On most things it puts the microwave to shame for re-heating.  I think it is particularly valuable to those of us who live alone and often have leftovers.  This was 325°F  steam bake for 10 minutes.   It was indistinguishable from fresh.

[Kerry Beal]

1 hour ago, Anna N said:

 

 

 

 This is where the CSO really shines and doesn't get quite enough publicity.   On most things it puts the microwave to shame for re-heating.  I think it is particularly valuable to those of us who live alone and often have leftovers.  This was 325°F  steam bake for 10 minutes.   It was indistinguishable from fresh.

Yup - totally agree on the reheating!

[Anna N]

Breakfast. Potato salad and poached egg. Baby potatoes tossed in olive oil and roasted for 25 minutes at 400°F steam bake function. Recipe inspired by one found in Food 52: Mighty Salads.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I was given a gift of a frozen Stouffer's spinach soufflé that I plan to have for dinner tonight.  The directions call for cooking at 350 deg F. in a conventional oven for 50 minutes.  It is specifically stated not to use a toaster oven.

 

Is there really any reason not to use the CSO?  And if not, convection or steam bake?

 

[chromedome]

Usually the stricture against using a toaster oven is just because the heating element is too close, and scorches the top of the item being cooked. I think you're probably savvy enough to correct for that.

[rotuts]

steam cooking cooks faster than dry heat

 

try 350 for 40 and check there after 

 

loosely cover w foil or parchment paper.

 

bon appétit 

[gfweb]

Maybe even less time.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Steam bake 350 deg F for 40 minutes was just about perfect.  Maybe 35 would have been done but I didn't check.

 

[Anna N]

19 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

Steam bake 350 deg F for 40 minutes was just about perfect.  Maybe 35 would have been done but I didn't check.

 

 More data to add to our notebooks. Thank you.

[gfweb]

2 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

Steam bake 350 deg F for 40 minutes was just about perfect.  Maybe 35 would have been done but I didn't check.

 

Was it put in the CSO frozen?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

9 hours ago, gfweb said:

Was it put in the CSO frozen?

 

Mostly.  It had been sitting at room temperature for about an hour.

 

[Anna N]

Two small loaves of Walter Sands sandwich bread (from King Arthur flour site). Still not convinced of the efficacy of this oven for bread.  Final rise on counter as I have had too many "failures" using the proofing function. But still did not get the oven spring I am accustomed to getting with this bread. I used the "bread" funtion for baking it. My next experiment will be just convection bake. 

[Franci]

I am not a religious person but yesterday night I thought I had a curse, my Cuisinart just stopped working while I was roasting some potatoes.  Should I go to a pelegrinage? Just a couple days ago, still roasting potatoes I thought: is this slower than normal? Yes, it was. Just a sign.  Me and kitchen appliances are not going along lately. 

Edited June 18, 2017 by Franci (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

From the CSO recipe booklet, whole roasted branzino* p 20.

 

 

Stuffed, ready to refrigerate.

 

 

 

Baked.

 

 

 

CSO recipe followed exactly.  Excellent.  Watch out for the bones though.

 

 

*Branzino farm raised Turkish, by way of amazon fresh.

 

 

 

Edit:  served with baguette.

 

Edited July 21, 2017 by JoNorvelleWalker (log)

[chefmd]

Italian sausages and new potatoes cooked at 350 steam bake for 40 minutes.  It's just not fair.  CSO cooks food regardless of my (legendary in my own mind) skills.

[Franci]

I managed to return my oven (had to pay for shipping! It was expensive plus a $10 handling fees) and got a free new oven.

 

tonight a eggplant in fish fragrant sauce my way. With eggplants precooked in CSO.

 

Edited July 26, 2017 by Franci (log)

[chefmd]

Picked up this divided dish at thrift shop.  

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Having a few nice chicken thighs for once, I did an experiment.  I cooked one thigh at 300 deg F. for 60 minutes, steam bake, strictly according to the CSO instruction book.  I cooked another thigh by the @weinoo method at 425 deg F. steam bake for 40 minutes.

 

https://forums.egullet.org/topic/146617-cuisinart-combo-steamconvection-oven-part-1/?do=findComment&comment=1949300

 

The flesh of the 300 deg thigh was perfect.  Perfect.  I can't imagine how it could be better.  But the skin was not shatteringly crisp.  OK -- to be sure -- but not shatteringly crisp.  By the @weinoo method the skin was indeed shatteringly crisp, though the flesh was slightly stringy.

 

Thoughts?

 

[weinoo]

I wonder if 350 - 375 would give you even better results?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

4 hours ago, weinoo said:

I wonder if 350 - 375 would give you even better results?

 

One thigh left.

 

I was thinking maybe 300 followed by a broil?

 

[weinoo]

4 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

One thigh left.

 

I was thinking maybe 300 followed by a broil?

 

I would just roast it.

[Kerry Beal]

425 steam bake 30 min

[blue_dolphin]

28 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:

425 steam bake 30 min

 

This is my general MO for CSO thighs, though I check temps and sometimes pull them at 25 min or even a little earlier.

[Anna N]

19 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

 

This is my general MO for CSO thighs, though I check temps and sometimes pull them at 25 min or even a little earlier.

I am finding just lately that in a package of 6 thighs the variation in size makes even cooking quite a challenge. 

[blue_dolphin]

1 minute ago, Anna N said:

I am finding just lately that in a package of 6 thighs the variation in size makes even cooking quite a challenge. 

Agreed. I usually just buy a package of 2 but even there, the sizes can be wildly different.