When I first had my steam combination oven cooking vegetables was a bit of a hit and miss affair - timings are everything and I didn't really get it that carrots would cook in double quick time and my potatoes from raw would take about an hour to cook.
After using the oven for a year or so I find the best way to cook potatoes is to coat them in oil and add them to the tray for an hour, add the onions and the carrots for the last ten minutes of cooking time. There is nothing more delicious than caramelised vegetables and they taste so much sweeter than steamed or roasted.
I spray the oven tray with oil before adding the vegetables, this makes the tray non-stick and saves on washing up too.
Add pork chops to the tray, slices of eating apples, vegetables and in an hour you have a complete meal cooked and ready for the table.
The above photographs were taken about a year ago whilst I was getting used to the oven. The roasties don't look very golden but a year on and the story is improved. We're getting caramelised vegetables, I'm cooking whole meals on the tray and loving every minute using my new kitchen toy.
My combi oven cooks by either convection, steam or a combination. It's now a real workhorse in the kitchen, and the only negative, the oven isn't self cleaning and my shiny oven interior is now long gone but at least I'm getting my value from it.
I'm pleased that I didn't choose a dedicated steam oven because of it's limitations, the steam combi oven gives the cook far more flexibility.
More posts:
Potato Daupinoise
Potato Boulangere
Almond and Lemon Drizzle Cake
Individual Lemon and Blueberry Steamed Puddings
Red Onion Focaccia
