Cuisinart Combo Steam/Convection Oven (Part 3)

[Kim Shook]

1 minute ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Indeed, after a chicken your CSO won't be a virgin.  My preferred method is to get a Cornish game hen and cut in half, steam bake at 450F -- but a whole chicken works as long as the chicken is not too big.  If you like thighs, try 300F steam bake for an hour...makes less mess of the oven!

 

Oooh!  We love thighs!  Can I do a breast at the same time as the thighs?  My mom isn't a fan of dark meat.  Also game hens.  But those are usually frozen and I'd like to do this tonight.  I'll try the thighs if I can't find a small chicken.  Thank you!

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Just now, Kim Shook said:

Oooh!  We love thighs!  Can I do a breast at the same time as the thighs?  My mom isn't a fan of dark meat.  Also game hens.  But those are usually frozen and I'd like to do this tonight.  I'll try the thighs if I can't find a small chicken.  Thank you!

 

If you cook a breast and thighs together I recommend 450F steam bake, not the lower temperature.  For crisp skin don't treat the chicken with anything but salt.  I like to salt an hour or two ahead.

 

From memory I think the CSO is rated up to a 4 1/2 pound chicken.  I really would consider cutting a whole chicken in half and steam baking skin side up.

 

[gfweb]

2 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

If you cook a breast and thighs together I recommend 450F steam bake, not the lower temperature.  For crisp skin don't treat the chicken with anything but salt.  I like to salt an hour or two ahead.

 

 

 

That doesn't overcook the breast? Do you put it in later?

[Kim Shook]

3 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

If you cook a breast and thighs together I recommend 450F steam bake, not the lower temperature.  For crisp skin don't treat the chicken with anything but salt.  I like to salt an hour or two ahead.

 

From memory I think the CSO is rated up to a 4 1/2 pound chicken.  I really would consider cutting a whole chicken in half and steam baking skin side up.

 

Ok, there are 3 thighs and one breast salted and sitting in the fridge now.  According to the directions, you cook chicken pieces 12 minutes per pound at 450F.  I have a 1 lb. breast (ridiculous) and 4 7oz. thighs.  So, how long do I cook it for?  36 minutes and start checking temp at 30?  Thank you!!

[Kim Shook]

1 hour ago, gfweb said:

 

That doesn't overcook the breast? Do you put it in later?

This.

[ElsieD]

I tried broccoli tonight.  I started at 375F steam bake for 10 minutes.  It wasn't done so I tried 400F for another 5.  It was still too hard so added another 5 at 400F.  It was now a bit too soft but nice and charred.  Next time I'll try 400F steam bake for 10 minutes.  I'm keeping notes.

[Smithy]

ElsieD, I'll be watching your experiments with interest. An air fryer has found earned its way onto our counter, where I had thought there was no room.  Now I'm starting to think that the CSO would have about the same footprint as the air fryer and toaster combined...hmm...and maybe do the work of both...hmmm....

[Kim Shook]

The chicken was a great success.  I'll post pictures later (rough night w/ my mom), but I need to ask a quick question.  How dry does the water reservoir need to be.  I dumped it out (and also the internal tank), but there's still some drops in there.  Is that ok?

[Kim Shook]

Fantastic chicken.  Nothing on it but salt and pepper:

 

Out of the oven:

The best, most crisp and delicious skin I’ve ever made.  Really good chicken.  Very moist and tender.  I did thighs for us and a breast for Momma and even the breast was great.  And I overcooked it!  I got all wrapped up in getting the rest of the stuff done.  The breast was registering 175F and the thighs 195F!!  But they were still wonderful.

 

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

1 hour ago, Kim Shook said:

The chicken was a great success.  I'll post pictures later (rough night w/ my mom), but I need to ask a quick question.  How dry does the water reservoir need to be.  I dumped it out (and also the internal tank), but there's still some drops in there.  Is that ok?

 

I leave the tank and reservoir full all the time.  If you empty out the water you're making an awful lot of work for yourself.  Note I do use soft water for the CSO.

 

As for cooking breasts and thighs together...better to ask a normal person.  I pretend the bird was just caught eating my blueberries as it meets its crispy end.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

7 hours ago, gfweb said:

 

That doesn't overcook the breast?

 

Of course.  I wouldn't eat it any other way.

 

[blue_dolphin]

2 hours ago, Kim Shook said:

....  How dry does the water reservoir need to be.  I dumped it out (and also the internal tank), but there's still some drops in there.  Is that ok?

 

1 hour ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

I leave the tank and reservoir full all the time. 

Ditto 

 

1 hour ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

Note I do use soft water for the CSO.

I use tap water for the CSO, though I can understand why some choose otherwise. I haven't had problems yet. I've followed the instructions to run a vinegar solution through the system and have done that ~ once a year or so.

 

[weinoo]

I never empty the tank either. And I've never run anything through the system other than good old NYC tap water.

[Shelby]

I never ever empty the tank either.   I do use a Brita pitcher to fill it--we have well water and it's very mineral-y.  The little shelf in the bottom that catches the water--I just dump it and if there are a few drops left, it dries on it's own.

[kayb]

I can testify the CSO does not make toast worth a damn when you butter your bread, set it to toast, and then walk away and forget to push "start."

 

[MelissaH]

I'm relieved to hear that a mind-reading toaster does not yet exist.

[Kim Shook]

Made Texas toast in the CSO this morning.  I believe that I'm putting the toaster away for good if I can just get past Mr. Kim's fear of the CSO.  Anyone else experience this - family members deciding that it is too complicated to use?  I've assured him that if I can use it, anyone can, but he's suspicious!

[Shelby]

Just now, Kim Shook said:

Made Texas toast in the CSO this morning.  I believe that I'm putting the toaster away for good if I can just get past Mr. Kim's fear of the CSO.  Anyone else experience this - family members deciding that it is too complicated to use?  I've assured him that if I can use it, anyone can, but he's suspicious!

Oh for sure.  Ronnie is the same way.  Just take the toaster away so they have no choice.

 

I'm mean like that.  

[FauxPas]

3 hours ago, Shelby said:

Oh for sure.  Ronnie is the same way.  Just take the toaster away so they have no choice.

 

I'm mean like that.  

 

I did the same thing! Hid the toaster at the back of a bottom shelf. After a couple of weeks, we agreed we didn't need it at all anymore. We both like the CSO toast. 

[kayb]

3 hours ago, Kim Shook said:

Made Texas toast in the CSO this morning.  I believe that I'm putting the toaster away for good if I can just get past Mr. Kim's fear of the CSO.  Anyone else experience this - family members deciding that it is too complicated to use?  I've assured him that if I can use it, anyone can, but he's suspicious!

 

I sold my kitchen-phobic eldest child on it. Of course, it does a phenomenal job, on convection, of cooking that frozen convenience garbage on which she lives.

 

[ElsieD]

I have a toast question.  Today I was making bacon and tomato sandwiches for lunch using the CSO as my toaster.  I set the dial to #4.  Toast not dark enough so I put it back on #4 and gave it maybe two more minutes.  Nicely browned.  The next set I increased the dial to #5, and noted the time to toast was 2:32 a lot shorter than the 4:09 that showed up on #4.  Predictably  it too required extra time.  For the last toast, I set the dial to #6 and again the time displayed was 2:32.  Again, not surprisingly, it did not resemble toast and more time was required.  I just checked my settings on each level and as you might expect  the required time increases with the darkness of the toast.  # 5 should have showed a time of 4:28 and # 6 should have showed 4:46.  Is there something I should be doing differently other than changing the dial position?  Everything else so far seems to be working as it should.  

[lindag]

For my oven I keep the toast setting at #6.  That seems to be the 'right' setting for the darkness I prefer.    However, I re-think it each time I'm toasting something unusual and adjust accordingly, then keep an eye out.

 

 

[Anna N]

23 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

Is there something I should be doing differently other than changing the dial position?  

But were you starting each time from cold? I’m assuming that’s what the oven sensors expect. 

[weinoo]

Yes, immediately toasting again and the times are shorter (I think).

[ElsieD]

Aha!  I was doing one lot after the other, so no, the oven was still hot/warm.  I was treating it as a toaster where you can put toast in one after the other although now that I think about it, I slide the setting knob over to the lighter side just a hair when I make successive toast to make sure it doesn't get too dark.  I'm relieved.  I thought I might have a faulty oven.