Author: The Cooker

The latest trends in kitchen appliances include a lot of innovative gadgets like air fryers and halogen ovens. Both these appliances are usually popular among those people who prefer a healthy lifestyle. Air fryers and halogen ovens are a great addition to any kitchen. They are alternative to the deep frying in which food is cooked by using a lot of oil.

Any food that is cooked in deep oil can be prepared in the air fryers with much less oil. They perfectly cook brown and crisp food with less oil than traditional cooking appliances. They use only a small amount of oil, a tablespoon or so, to achieve a similar result .

Cooking in an air fryer is a healthy way as well, everybody can enjoy foods which were previously considered unhealthy without having to worry about the health implications.

In air fryers food is cooked by hot air circulating around it due to which food is cooked evenly.

You can make everything from chicken wings to butternut squash. You can check Cooking school dropout for more ideas.

To avoid burning the food, the contents are coated in oil but you only require a small spoonful of oil for the whole pan. Besides being good for health in general, air frying can also help you to lose weight. Fat and oil have a high calorific value. So less oil means fewer calories.

As for the halogen oven, the ability to cook food quickly is one of its main features. Halogen oven uses the power of a halogen bulb to cook food. Its lid comprises a motor fan which circulates the hot air and controls the temperature of the cooking inside. A transparent glass bowl encloses the food so that the progress of the cooking process is easily visible from the outside.

There are switches on the lid to act as a timer, temperature knob and some pre-set programs to cook easy recipes. One of the numerous benefits of cooking in a halogen oven is the fact that you can have healthy, low fat meals. There are a number of snacks which you can prepare in this way and which will be a lot healthier when cooked in the halogen oven.

The major advantage with the halogen oven is a transparent glass cover through which you can clearly see the food being cooked inside. This helps to see how brown the food has turned at the end point of cooking. If the air fryer has a lid, you will have to open the lid to check the progress.

The other advantage of halogen ovens is that they have much larger internal capacity of 5 liters and above allowing cooking whole chickens too, while air fryers are usually available in 1 – 4 liters capacity. The additional space is needed for them to cook things like whole chickens and whole meals.

Both appliances feature digital or mechanical timers, making it easier to cook food at pre-set timings

A halogen oven can be simply cleaned by scrubbing the base tray with soapy water where all drippings are collected, whereas the air fryer needs to be cleaned after it cools down by removing the cooking basket and cleaning with soapy water.

In modern society many people do not have time to prepare healthy meals. For this reason, they use halogen ovens or pressure cookers to prepare quick and nutritious meals.  Pressure cookers are pots that use pressure to cook food. Pressure builds up inside the cooker as the water inside boils. It produces steam, which causes the temperature inside it to rise. A pressure cooker’s combination of steam and pressure speeds up the cooking process.

These cookers are usually made from thick-wall stainless steel or thick aluminum. Pressure cookers always require liquid in order to cook food under pressure. Inside a pressure cooker, once the water (liquid) is boiling and the steam is trapped, the pressure from the steam increases and pushes on the liquid, which increases its boiling temperature.

Some foods are not recommended for pressure cooking. Foods such as noodles, pasta, cranberries, cereals and oatmeal could expand too much froth, and sputter, which can block the steam vent. Pressure cookers can only be filled up to 2/3 full, depending on ingredients and liquid.

The heat will cause the food to expand, so the pot mustn’t be filled more than half full. The lid contains a small vent-hole that contains a pressure-regulating mechanism Water in the food being cooked will boil and make a steam build-up in the vessel, which will increase the pressure inside the vessel.

After cooking is finished, it is important to release the steam slowly first, because if the lid is opened suddenly, a large amount of steam can cause scalding. Many pressure cookers have special mechanisms for controlled steam release before opening the lid. The cover must be closed very tightly, and there must be a way of releasing steam.

The food and cooking liquid are sealed inside the pot, and as the liquid heats up eventually coming to a boil, it forms steam and pressure inside the pot. As the steam builds in pressure, it raises the boiling point of the cooking liquid to 250°F, causing the food to cook faster. Due to the shorter cooking time, vitamins are preserved relatively well during pressure cooking.

The increased pressure in the pot also forces liquid into the food, again resulting in the faster cook time, as well as helping some foods, like tough cuts of meat, become more tender. You can cook just about anything in a pressure cooker, from vegetable and grains to meat and fish.

The halogen oven cooks certain foods very well indeed, keeping them moist and maintaining taste and texture. The heat comes from above and is circulated by a fan. Cooking in halogen oven provides healthier meals. This means that food prepared in this oven does not lose its nutrients and juices. They are compact and suitable for use in your kitchen.

If you have a halogen oven at home, you will realize how easy cooking can be. You just set the temperature, set the timer, put your food in and push the on button. When switched on, beams of infrared radiation are released from the halogen bulbs to produce heat. The halogen bulb, which acts as the heat source is very efficient.

You can roast, bake or boil chicken, turkey, beef, steam fish or vegetables, bake cookies, muffins and biscuits in a halogen oven. Halogen ovens are also healthy. You need much less oil when using a halogen oven than for almost any other type of food preparation.

 

The Halogen Oven is a wonderful cooking appliance. It is compact and suitable for use in the kitchen. Halogen ovens are usually sold with some basic accessories that you need in order to get started.These accessories include a high and low rack, tongs, handling trays, a lid rest stand, a steamer tray, a frying pan, an extender ring, 4 skewers.

However, over time the accessories will need to be replaced or you may wish to buy a few more accessories to advance your cooking skills further. There are plenty of accessories available to buy which can help you get the best out of a halogen oven. Each accessory can meet your different cooking needs.

The extender ring is used to maximize your cooking space making a 12 l bowl into a 17 l capacity oven if for any reason you need more space.  It is great if you have a larger family or if you are having guests round for a meal. The extender ring will enlarge the height and capacity of the oven to allow you to cook larger items of foods such as large chicken or turkey.

The steamer tray has holes to allow steam to circulate and is ideal for steaming fish and vegetables with a little water in the halogen bowl to create the steam. Just put a little water in the bottom of the oven and put whatever you want to steam on the tray. It is a very healthy way of cooking.

The baking tray

If you like baking, then this is an essential accessory for your oven. It allows you to make things like cakes or bread much easier than in a regular oven. The baking tray is also great for chips, wedges, and baking as it stops things falling through the holes of the stands.  It also means you can lift everything out in one go which makes life easier.

The grilling plate

As the name suggests, this is specifically designed for grilling. It is great for steaks, chicken, chops, anything that you would normally grill in other words.

The tongs are used to take food out from the halogen oven to avoid burning your hands. They allow to remove hot food safely and carefully from your oven. They can grip individual items of food and can also be used to remove hot dishes and trays.

You can pick up, turn over and serve foods without strain.

Lid holder for holding the lid while unloading the content, tong, a lid stand is a great accessory to have close to hand. It comes in really handy if you need to place the hot lid down on a surface. Take care not to place the lid directly on the table or countertop.

During the cooking process, the halogen oven lid heats up meaning it is unsafe to place directly onto your workbench in case it leaves scorch marks. The lid holder keeps the halogen lid safely & securely in a horizontal position

Round Cooling Rack is perfectly sized for cooling cookies, pies, and cakes, baking dishes and steaming vegetables. It is a great workspace for finishing foods, like decorating cookies, cupcakes, and more.

Halogen ovens are extremely efficient. They are compact and suitable for use in your kitchen. If you have a halogen oven at home, you will realize how easy cooking can be. You just set the temperature, set the timer, put your food in and push the on button. You can roast, bake or boil chicken, turkey, beef, steam fish or vegetables, bake cookies, muffins and biscuits in a halogen oven.

The halogen oven is easy to install. Just take it out of the box, put it on your kitchen counter and plug into the power outlet. No need to involve an electrician or a kitchen fitter specialist like you might need if installing a conventional oven. In general, a halogen oven consists of a glass bowl with a lid on top that contains a high powered fan and halogen bulbs.

This means you can watch your food cooking, cakes rising without having to open the oven door, you can adjust cooking times according to how the food looks. When switched on, beams of infrared radiation are released from the halogen bulbs to produce heat. The halogen bulb, which acts as the heat source is very efficient.

The fan circulates hot air over and around the food to cook it from all directions without burning it. The temperature inside is controlled by a thermostat, which means the light knows when to turn on and off. The temperature and timing dials are easy to use.

There is a digital display panel to set cooking time; the panel which lights up as you select the temperature and the touch panel to set fan speed ‘High’, for example, help the food cook even faster and improves browning. When the cooking cycle is finished the oven emits a long beep. The end result is that food is cooked faster than in traditional ovens. Halogen ovens are also very economical.

Being smaller, and heating up instantly, means that they use much less energy than a standard oven – you can save up to 75% on your energy usage with these ovens. Halogen ovens not only save space due to being a bit smaller than conventional ovens, but they are also capable of cooking food nearly three times faster. Halogen ovens are also healthy. You can read more about it on our website.

You need much less oil when using a halogen oven than for almost any other type of food preparation.There is no need to add oil or fat, it means your meals will be healthy and you can enjoy the food you like best without worrying that it might be bad for your health. Halogen ovens don’t break down essential vitamins and minerals in food the same way microwaves often do.

It is no wonder these useful cooking appliances are gaining popularity. Most models have a “self -cleaning” function.  You can either just remove the large glass bowl and put it in your dishwasher or use the “auto clean” cycle which most of these ovens have. You just add water and detergent, select the “clean” cycle, set the timer and let it clean itself.

One more important thing: although the oven gets hot to cook the food, it does not throw heat to the outside and therefore is good for using in the summer months when you don’t want to heat up your kitchen.

It is hard to say which cooker is better: halogen or induction as both of them have their benefits and drawbacks. Considering the factors like the type of cooking, safety, efficiency and ease of use you can decide for yourselves which one is better for cooking.

However, halogen cookers appear to have more advanced features than traditional induction cookers, they offer a lot more benefits:

-They are easy to operate and can be used for baking, roasting, defrosting and steaming, the temperature inside is controlled by a thermostat, due to it food is never overcooked or burnt.

-Food is cooked 3 times faster than in induction cookers, consuming less energy. The halogen cookers cook certain foods very well indeed, keeping them moist and maintaining taste and texture.

-Halogen cookers are very economical you don’t need to add much oil when you cook different dishes. Halogen cookers are designed to be a speedy and hassle-free accompaniment to traditional cookers. They have a digital interface with pre-set cooking modes.

The halogen cookers let you cook a whole range of foods, from roasts to rice and chips to cakes. The hinged lid makes it easy for you to get food in and out when the oven is still hot without having to hold the hot lid.

-This is a very convenient cooker as you can use any type of cookware, pots and pans on it, including   glassware and metal cookware. Heat is evenly distributed throughout the circle on the stove-top, and is transferred to the pot by contact. While with induction cookers you need special cookware.

Halogen cookers are portable and ideal for small kitchens, they can be fitted on the countertop with no need for major alterations in the kitchen, you just need to plug the cooker into any handy power outlet. Halogen cookers don’t generate heat and keep the kitchen cooler. A halogen cooker consists of a glass bowl with a lid on top that contains a high powered fan and halogen bulb.  The heat comes from above and is circulated by a fan.

-Technically halogen cookers are self-cleaning. You only need to fill the units with water and washing liquid and not set the temperature too high.

The negative sides of induction cookers are: some limitation on cookware, especially if you are trying to use non-stick pans or do not want to use heavy cast iron cookware. Besides, you need to be very careful while cooking in Induction cookers otherwise the food may burn, especially while frying.

In Induction cookers the food particles are directly heated, not the pot and hence this is the most energy efficient cooking method but it is necessary to cook only in steel or iron utensils with flat surface. All induction pots are made of stainless steel and are magnetic to a certain degree.

Using an induction stove, pots usually heat up evenly and quickly because the entire base of the pot is heated up at the same time, but they are generally more expensive than regular pots. The inadequate power supply can stop cooking and this is another drawback of induction cookers.

So we can say that halogen cookers are better than induction ones. Everything in halogen cookers is designed for our convenience.

Halogen ovens are perfect for people with a busy lifestyle, families and students. You can cook quick, easy and nutritious meals for all the family, as well as grill bacon, sausages, toast, chips, etc. Halogen ovens are very good for such dishes It is a healthy way to cook in halogen ovens as all the fat in the food drips to the bottom of the pan.

Here are some types of foods that are really suited to cooking with halogen oven.

Full Chickens

All you need is a roasting pan. Setting a roasting rack over the pan will help to cook the chicken more evenly since air can circulate freely. With a roasting rack the chicken won’t be resting in its own drippings, which will give you crispier skin. Crispy, fragrant roast chicken skin is delicious. It is a bit fatty, though. But whether you eat it or remove it, always roast with the skin on, as it holds in moisture and keeps the meat from drying out. You can line the pan with aluminum foil. The full chicken will turn out golden brown and moist.

Pork and Beef

A halogen oven will cook almost any meat so it turns out tasting delicious. Steaks and bacon can be cooked just how you like, they can even be nice and crispy, which you will never achieve in a microwave oven.

Baked potatoes

A halogen oven works wonders when it comes to baked potatoes. They come out tasting firm and crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. Again, that is something you won’t achieve in a microwave.

Pizzas

These are ideally suited to halogen cooking and turn out firm and crispy around the edges, but still soft and wholesome, that is something a microwave isn’t capable of.

Frozen Foods

a real attraction of a halogen oven is that you can cook many frozen foods right out of the freezer. There is often no need to thaw or pre-heat. Frozen sausages, pies, burritos and even vegetables – a halogen oven can deal with them all.

There are a few different ways to cook roast potatoes in the halogen oven.

You can choose to parboil your potatoes or cook them directly in the oven or you can cook with other vegetables or meat. You can choose to cook in the bowl or on a rack or everything together.

Method 1

Potatoes Only, Par Boil First

Wash and peel the potatoes, cut them in half, boil in water for about 5 to7 minutes depending on the size of your potatoes, just to make them softer, coat in oil, place on the rack or tray and cook on 175°C from 45 minutes to one hour until they are crisp and golden.

Method 2

Potatoes only, Directly into Your Oven

Wash and peel the potatoes, cut them into quarters. Cut the potatoes thinner or longer for faster cooking and to make sure they are cooked in the centre, coat in oil, place on the rack or tray and cook on 175°C from 45 minutes to one hour until they are crisp and golden.

Method 3

Roast Potatoes with Meat or Chicken

Wash and peel the potatoes, cut them in half, place them into the halogen with meat, and set the temperature to 176°C (350F) and timer to about 30 minutes.

Halogen ovens are perfect for roasting chicken, beef, pork, fish, and vegetables. You can make a lot of delicious dishes like herbed chicken, baked fish, cheesy mushroom, grilled prawns, etc. It  has made cooking and baking much easier. Any recipe you try, it will turn out to be marvelous.  Using a combination of racks, you simply lay the food, set the dials and produce a whole meal from one appliance.

Here are some delicious recipes

You will need :

•  1.5 kg chicken
• 2 white onions
• 2 medium sized carrots
• 2 medium sized parsnips
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp cooking oil, salt and pepper for seasoning

Preparation

Place the onion, carrots, parsnips and garlic gloves on the bottom rack. Pre-heat the halogen oven to 200°C .Glaze the chicken in oil and season to taste. Place the chicken on top or around the vegetables and set the timer for 35 minutes, then remove chicken and check if it is cooked. If the juices run clear, the chicken is done. If not, then return to the oven.

Super Simple Spaghetti Bolognese in a Halogen Oven

Most people only use their halogen ovens to cook meat but they can also cook pasta dishes. Here is one of the simplest and quickest ways to cook spaghetti Bolognese.

Ingredients :

• 500g lean minced beef
• 125g of button mushrooms
• garlic clove
• 2 x beef stock cubes
• one onion
• a jar of Bolognese sauce
• fresh spaghetti

Preparation

Crush the garlic clove, chop the onion, cut the mushrooms, Place all of the ingredients (apart from the spaghetti and Bolognese sauce) into a bowl and then place in the halogen oven before setting it to cook for seven minutes at 240°C, giving it a stir halfway through. Once the mince is browned, carefully take out of the oven and drain any excess liquid from the meat. Place the spaghetti in the other bowl and top with the mince and Bolognese sauce. Set the oven to 240°C and cook for a further 10 minutes .Carefully take the bowl from the oven, serve the spaghetti up and enjoy

 Stuffed Sweet Peppers Ingredients :

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small finely chopped onion
• 2 finely chopped bacon rashers
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 1/2 cups cooked rice
• 1/4 cup chopped, cashews
• 1/2 cup grated tasty cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
• 4 red sweet peppers, salad, to serve.

With the Extension ring and Low Rack preheat oven to 250°C. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large frying pan. Add onion, bacon and garlic. Cook, stirring for about 3 minutes. Add rice, cashews, cheese and parsley. Place breadcrumbs on the Multi-purpose baking dish.

Using the Oven Tongs, lower the dish into the oven. Cook for about 2 minutes or until golden. Using the Oven tongs, remove the baking dish and place the High Rack into the oven. Add bread crumbs to rice mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Trim the tops from the sweet pepper, remove the seeds and membrane; discard tops, seeds and membranes.

Spoon rice mixture into the sweet  pepper. Place the stuffed sweet pepper into the oven. Reduce temperature to 200°C and cook for about 15 minutes or until sweet peppers are tender and filling is heated through. Serve with salad.

Puffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:

• 4large mushrooms
• 1 egg, 170g soft cheese
• 8 Cherry tomatoes
• 1teaspoon wholegrain mustard
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped or snipped chives
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation

Place a baking tray on the top rack of your Halogen Oven and preheat at 170C for 5 minutes or so. Prepare the mushrooms removing the stalk and cleaning. Separate the egg into two bowls. Lightly beat the egg yolk with a fork and add about 50gram of the soft cheese, half of the chives and the mustard. Season to taste and mix together.

Spread the stalk side of the mushrooms with the remaining cheese. Cut the tomatoes in half and put 4 per mushroom into the cheese topping. Whisk the egg white until it holds its peaks. Stir lightly into the egg yolk mixture with a metal spoon.

Carefully place the mushrooms onto the hot baking tray and top each one with about a quarter of the egg mixture. Bake at 170C for about 15-20 minutes until it browns  and is cooked through.Sprinkle with the rest of the chives and some toasted crusty bread and butter and serve