Meat pies and fuel cost

I use the normal oven part of my Combi oven frequently, but not in combination with microwave. Just choose the temp, usually 180 centigrade,wait for a few minutes to get to that temp, shove the pie in, set 25 minutes or whatever and that's it.

You're supposed to leave space for ventilation when using this mode but all the pending junk mail sits on top (on a glass work top saver on top of the oven actually) and it never gets so hot that you cannot touch it.

can't be much going on, judging by this thread.

Ten minutes in a normal microwave, and you can eat the soft skin getting the vitamin C and other good stuff.

The microwave oven is your friend regarding efficiency. Use it whenever you can.

It won't be on for the whole time.

harry used his keyboard to write :

Microwave is at best 50% efficient in turning input to heat, but what output there is, is mostly used to heat the food, rather than the air in the box.

I was in no doubt about that as you ought to have gathered by my using the expression "heat shield". The makers of this naff oven (not a Neff BTW) had obviously decided to opt for a cheap solution rather than Bosch's more elegant triple glazing solution.

As to the relative merits of lower running costs with the higher capital cost of the Bosch against the Naff's low capital but higher running costs, I make no claims: there might be a crossover point in the TCO calculations depending on how much use each oven gets during its lifetime so I see no point in arguing a case for either oven on this basis alone.

My main point was in the shocking contrast between the expensive and efficiently heat insulated door of the Bosch and the cheap 'n' cheerful low insulation efficiency of the Naff oven door design approaches.

Not in my cat E combi oven.

10 Mins would reduce it to a shrivelled mess with a skin like a leather boot.

Vivaldi's seem to be the best (IMHO).

Microwave first then short burst in hot oven.

I find the warmth coming out of the vents is just right for softening the butter in a dish ready to spread on the jacket potatoes cooking inside.

G.Harman

But a nice crusty skin is 90% of the pleasure of a good baked potato. ;-)

In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes

Agreed! Microwaves are excellent, but they have their place. Some foods such as pastry are just better in a conventional oven. With baked potatoes, I rub oil all over, followed by salt flakes, then skewer each potato and bake for an hour or so at 200. I can see, though, that doing so can get a little extravagant for just one potato, unless something else is being baked at the same time.

Getting back to the original discussion, the potatoes as above are cooked in the combi, in conventional mode. Perfect with cold meats.

Microwave ovens effectively steam things. Anything that needs dry heat is better cooked, or at least finished, in a conventional oven. I m/wave potatoes, then give them 10 minutes in the oven at the end to crisp up the skin.

I microwave it first (wrapped in kitchen paper after pricking all over with a fork) to partially cook the inside (look up your device instructions for time which also depends on potatoes size) Then dip in oil and salt and into a hot oven for 1/2 hour maximum.

Of course if you are using your oven for other things, the shorter overall cooking time may not matter.

IME that's a lie

tim

or even drop them in the fryer for you ;-)

tim

I've seen "cook from frozen for best results" so often that I've never questioned it. Although I have never understood why it should be so.

Perhaps this article goes some way to explaining it.....