I finally figured out how to use my convection oven (thanks Louie). I think I’ll stop here on why it took so long and go into how much I love it. Hot air circulates through the oven and cooks food more evenly with faster results; about 25% faster. And everything gets browned so nicely.
OK, here’s the story: on our Whistler weekend, the ovens were so loaded that everything was taking forever to cook. Louie asked me what the deal was with the convection feature and should we try it out? I was still clueless so Louie just set the oven to convection. Everything came out beautifully browned and cooked. The next night I used it too and the potatoes for my poutine were the best I had ever seen and tasted.
To test the convection feature in my own oven, I decided to roast some yams and broccoli and bake a frittata. I will be testing more dishes using convection cooking for sure. -bvox
Asparagus frittata with blue cheese and red chili
1-2 Tbsp butter or oil for pan
2 Shallots, sliced
1 red chili, sliced with seeds in
1 cup blanched asparagus
6 eggs
3-4 tbsp milk
Salt and Pepper
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
Preheat oven to 400. Heat skillet on low heat, add oil or butter (or a combination). When heated, add shallots and chili, cook for five minutes, then add blanched asparagus.
Meanwhile, whisk eggs, milk, parmesan cheese, s&p together. Poor egg mixture into the skillet and cook on low heat until slightly set, about 5 mins. Dollop the top with the crumbled blue cheese, and bake in oven for 10 minutes until puffy and golden.
Roasted yams with sesame seeds
· 5 or 6 small-medium yams, cut into wedges
· Tablespoon of vegetable oil
· Sea salt and pepper to taste
· 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Heat oven to 425 F. Parboil yam wedges for 5-8 minutes.Toss everything together and place on parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, turn each wedge over halfway through cooking, until browned. I roasted the broccoli at the same time, same temperature, except added dried chili flakes vs. sesame seeds. They were golden and tasty little numbers too!
I only have a convection oven in my new apartment and I love it. It warms up so fast…