My convection oven has been a faithful kitchen helper since 1982 when I first began my job as an oven demonstrator–they were even light enough to carry with me on cooking jobs. Towards the latter 80’s I stopped seeing small electronic versions.

However, when Farberware stopped making them, Delonghi picked up the slack. Many brands popped up but Delonghi seemed to maintain their place as the leader, and each one seemed to have better features than the previous one. When choosing one for yourself, look reliability and how long the company has made the model–totally unknown brands often pop out of nowhere.

I choose a Delonghi convection oven in 1998 that sit on my cabinet adjacent to the full sized stove. It heats quickly, it shuts down upon completion, it is a snap to wipe out and it uses only 1500 watts of electricity. I use my full size oven to store large pots and frying pans. Some new models come with pull out bottoms that make your job even easier. Some of the models will also have rotisseries.

My convection oven will hold a 14 pizza pan or 2 9-inch pies. While some of my older cookie sheets were just an inch too big, I quickly solved the problem with those inexpensive foil pans. Another benefit of these foil pans is cookies don’t stick to them.

Custard and rice pudding seems to bake faster in a convection oven. The grandkids like Grandma’s Potato Bombers. Once you’ve tasted these, fast food French fries will taste like shoestring grease pencils.

Grandma’s Potato Bombers: Scrub Russet potatoes and cut them into wedges. Spray with oil and cover with zesty seasonings. Bake at 425 for about 45 min or until roasted to golden brown.

Should you spill something on the bottom of the oven, like juicy apple pie or milk from scalloped potatoes, not to worry. Simply heat some water to almost boiling in your tea kettle, and lay down a small towel over the bottom. Cover the towel with hot water and allow it to set for about 30 minutes. It should wipe right up. To avoid this problem in the future, use a tin foil oven liner.

Prices vary, and often you might find them on sale at your local Macys. Or see them at nearby Fry’s Electronics once you have seen them and know what they look like, you may also be able to buy one online for much less. Just go to your search engine and type in Convection Ovens and you will find a list of many choices and their descriptions.

Of course, if you’re getting a complete new kitchen you are undoubtedly planning on getting a built-in oven. Remember big ovens are like big cars, they can really suck up the fuel. I have used my convection oven for 20 years and there’s no going to a big black box ever again. You will want use it more often, simply because it’s faster and cleaner.

There is hardly a house or an office without a microwave. However this great tool is just like the late Rodney Dangerfield, never getting its due respect. For example, people often assume microwaves are self-cleaning, however, they are not . Some interiors resemble a scene from CSI: Miami! Say, perhaps, that some guilty party had hot chocolate last night – famous for boiling over – making a full-fledged mess. However just by pulling out the revolving tray immediately, you can clean it later. But the worst villain in the microwave mishaps are those bags of seasoned popcorn we see in commercials. Besides the astronomical price of these bags, they can burn quite easily. It is not unusual for people to add additional minutes to the recommended time because they haven’t heard any pops, even though just 30 seconds more is adequate to burn our capricious kernels. Popcorn burnt in a microwave can leave a scent lingering in your nuke machine for weeks. If, however, you treat the microwave with common sense, your faithful helper will hasten your food prep chores.

I have probably used some dozen different models and sizes of microwave during my years of cooking. But not until the late 90’s did I really understand the full benefits. They became lighter and faster and a breeze to keep clean. I recommend you buy a good brand. Check Consumer Reports for recommendations. Read the manual thoroughly, and be aware of the microwave’s limitations. I have learned by experience things my microwave can do and things it should do. I love a bargain but I would not buy a used microwave not when a brand-new machine is so cheap. Those who merely take something out of a box and heat may need the larger with many more desirable functions.

BASIC LIST OF MICRO DON’TS

• Never place any kind of metal or foil lined item in the microwave!

• Melting chocolate is very tricky, as it will easily burn, leaving a terrible odor.
• Forget using the microwave for baking cakes and cookies, they need the heat to brown.
• Potatoes baked in the microwave just don’t taste like oven baked potatoes.
• Bagged microwave popcorn never lives up to its promise.
• The microwave is a poor choice for frozen quiches, as the crusts burn causing the quiche to become solid and inedible.
• Never cook meatloaf or hamburger patties in the microwave!
• Old fashioned oats shouldn’t be cooked in the microwave; because it needs stirring too often I highly recommend a double boiler.

GOOD THINGS TO DO IN YOUR MICROWAVE

• The microwave gets tea and coffee hot, and if they’re forgotten, there’s no pot to burn.

• Boneless chicken will defrost within 5 minutes (make sure to always carefully wrap the chicken first).
• Fresh vegetables out of the freezer will be ready in minutes – perfect for singles!
• Warm milk before you make your custard or bread pudding.
• Frozen muffins, wrapped well and microwaved for 30 seconds, taste like they are fresh from the oven.
• Use the microwave to plump raisins or sun dried tomatoes and to soften dried fruit.
• The microwave can be used to soften hard lumps of brown sugar.
• When cooking bacon in the microwave, lay it flat between two thick paper towels, these will absorb about 40% of the fat and will leave the bacon crunchy.
• Hate cold coffee? Microwave for 30 seconds and it’s hot again – just remember you put it there!

What are your DOs and DON’Ts for the microwave? I’d love to hear them!

I am in favor of kitchen tools that offer me the most service in the least amount of space, and didn’t cost a fortune and also save energy. TOASTER OVENS fall into that category. Toasters have come a long way since that chrome 2-slicer I got as a wedding gift. Now, we have more toaster selection than this month’s crop of movie selections. Somehow word has leaked out to the makers of these hot numbers that we hate cleaning and that’s why they have provided us with a toaster oven with removable bottom rack. There is color choice: white, black and brushed chrome. They have made them high enough for a small chicken and wide enough for 8 cupcakes. They bake toast and broil. The only drawback to broiling is the sides may require more wiping down.

Whether you go for 4-slice size for 6-slice size, you enjoy them for baking yams, potato wedges or whole ones, small meatloafs, or fortified meat patties. They are small and cook food quickly. They come with timers and will shut themselves off. They come in many brands and models to suit every taste and kind of cook.

When I got bored with my old worn outdated old toaster model, I wandered down to my local Macys small electrics dept and examined the latest crop of toaster teasers. I was duly impressed as my choices were as varied as their price tags. Delongi toaster ovens begin at a sale price of $39 go to $99 with a 4 slice and 6 slice models. There were also models of Oster and Sunbeam in the same department. Nearly all of them came with removable bottom panels and handles on the sides. But the single Cusinart toaster model had the most appeal to me. It was a generous 14 wide inches and had plenty of depth. It was nearly big enough for many of your basic baking needs and features easy to clean inner sides. When you cut down my cleaning duties and give a product with quality construction, you have my attention and my reaching for my credit card. While they call them toaster oven, they are much more than a bread burner, they even motivate you
back to the kitchen which is a my primary goal of this website. Your local utility will appreciate your wise usage of the kilowatt hour.

Tell me of your uses and thoughts on this new improved tool for the kitchen.