Peg's ideas

Reply to: When I first got my oven the Home Economist at Miele in Princeton sent me the following: MASTERCHEF OVEN COOKING TIPS When baking, if a recipe calls for 30 minutes of cooking time or less, use CONVECTION BAKE and chose the same temperature as indicated in the recipe. Baking time will be similar to the recipe. (Cookie baking is an example of this.) If the cooking time is over 30 minutes, choose CONVECTION BAKE and turn the temperature down by 25 degrees. Again, cook the item for about as long as indicated in the recipe. (Quick breads work well with this technique.) SURROUND is a mode which does not utilize the convection fan but instead heats from the bottom and top of the oven. Use SURROUND ROAST when preparing meats that benefit from a long slow cook time, such as pot roast or brisket. SURROUND BAKE works well for meringues, soufflés and any delicate baked good that would not benefit from the blowing of the fan. INTENSIVE is considered the "brick oven" mode and is the hottest of all the bake modes. The radiant heat from the bottom of the oven sets the crust while the convection heat melts the cheese. This is a perfect setting for pizza. "Homemade Pizza, the Intensive Way" is a recipe on the website that showcases this mode. The BAKE mode uses radiant heat from the bottom of the oven and can be used for such items as boxed cake mixes. For cooking roasts and whole birds, AUTO ROAST works well. It is a convection program which automatically sears meat at 450 degrees F for about 15 minutes and then drops down to a default temperature of 325 degrees or any temperature you select to finish cooking with Convection heat. By inserting the roast probe into the meat and setting it to an appropriate internal temperature (you can look in a dependable cookbook for these temperatures), the oven will beep and shut off when the roast is done. Foods that usually take a long time to cook are finished in a much shorter time when using AUTO ROAST. For example, a 19-pound unstuffed turkey will take about 2 1/2 hours to cook on AUTO ROAST as compared to about 4 hours in a conventional oven. "Turkey with Giblet Gravy for the Holidays", "Beef Tenderloin", and "Roast Pork Loin" are recipes on the Miele website which describe the AUTO ROAST mode in more detail. Use CONVECTION ROAST for smaller cuts of meat and poultry and for fish. The temperature and time suggested in any dependable recipe will work well. When broiling, use the BROIL or MAXI BROIL mode at a high temperature. Let the oven preheat for about 10 minutes. When broiling something thick like a London Broil, CONVECTION BROIL will cook the interior as it broils the top. I use convection bake for cookies and there is nothing wrong with adding minutes if whatever you're baking isn't quite done. It's a great oven, but you still have to manage your baking/cooking no matter what appliance you have.

Q