[Prb]

Hello All:

I have had a conventional oven in every house we've lived. But until now I never had the time to look at it. Now I have taken a break from work and exploring cooking beyond the basic stuff i knew- someone then told me how wonderful an oven can be.

So I started exploring- but then, manuals dont seem to be of a lotta help. I googled for hours before I tried to grill a sandwich for starters, and nobody had any info- I was like shooting in the dark. I used a lotta trial and error before something came outta it.

I would appreiciate if friends here, who are experienced in using a conventional oven for some tips. I would appreciate info right from where to place stuff and what's grill, broil, bake etal.

Thanks a million,
Prb.

[jaanu_2721]

yes, even i want to knw? can anyone tel wht items we can cook in a conventional oven plzz?

[Jithiks]

Hi prb and jaanu,

Conventional ovens are mainly used for baking bread, cakes and pastas too.

Personally, I dont cook non veg...but have heard from my friends that they use it to cook a lot of chicken & fish recipes. Will surely find out more information from them.

At home, I use the convention oven to bake veggie puffs, cookies and make Pizzas.

For the recipe of this veggie puffs please go to this link Tiffins and on page 3 you will find it.

As for pizzas, you get the pizza dough readily available in some stores..freeze it until you are ready to use and we need to thaw them before we make pizzas.

If you need, I can post this recipe also under the tiffin section. It is easy and gives the satisfaction of a home made pizza too! Pizza crusts and ready made pizzas are also available and we can add desired toppings according to our taste and bake them at home.

I also make cookies ... either make it from scratch or buy the readymade dough and cut it into desired shapes and bake them in the oven.


Cheers
Krithika

[SupriyaDinesh]

Hi,
Can u pls elaborate on what r the things needed to start usung this oven..like the pans etc.Timings,temp etc..

Jithiks.. pls post pizza recipe in tiffins..

[Jithiks]

Hi Supriya,

For making cookies,puffs and pizzas, I have some rectangular oven safe non-stick cookie trays & pizza pans ( that come in a circular shape in different sizes). Some also use pizza stones that are available in stores..but I've not used them.

But if you want to cook meat like chicken, fish etc...my friends use the casseroles made of glass or cast iron. Some pots and pans are used both on stove top and inside the oven...(personally I have not used these kind)

I use Pyrex cookwares ( kind of heat resistant glass) to reheat in Microwave, but many of them say it also oven safe and can be used to cook dishes inside the oven..but I believe they place it in a rectangular glass bowl or non stick tray to avoid burning and spillage.

Supriya, sure I will post the Pizza recipe in the tiffin section. There are different types of pizzas that can be made..but I make only the vegetarian versions...ofcourse with lots of cheese..since my kids love it !

Cheers
Krithika

Hi,
Can u pls elaborate on what r the things needed to start usung this oven..like the pans etc.Timings,temp etc..

Jithiks.. pls post pizza recipe in tiffins..

[Sowparnika]

krithika,
thanks for the puffs recipe...will look out fo rthe sheets next time i go to walmart....
u reminded me of the nice puffs we get in indian bakeries...what a lovely snack,for just a few rupees....
i am lookin fwd to the pizza...am a pizza lover myself....

love,
sowpar

[Prb]

Hi Supriya:

Thanks for those wonderful recipes . You sound like a pro to me....

Can you gives us some info on you which plate do you place the ingredients for different types of cooking, even more basic stuff like what function do you use for different recipes- there's a grill, broil.

I realised I have an air forced oven and there is a fan. I am so so lost. I'm dying to make some desserts...cakes, chocolate fudge (slurp slurp), but dont even know where to start...

Prb

[Vandhana]

Hello PRb,

Heres a little info on the baking and grilling part.
For cakes, cookies, pies, puffs, etc... The middle rack in the oven is the best. Always make sure that you pre heat your oven to the required temperature and then put the cake, cookies etc to bake. Never bake on the top or bottom racks of the oven.
For pasta dishes like lasagna, casseroles etc, start of in the middle rack and then finish on the top rack.

Broiling: it means to cook something on direct high heat. Usually if you switch on the broiler in your oven, you will notice that the temp setting is 400 F and only the top heating element comes on and its really red . Broiling can be used for dishes where the top needs to be browned quickly. Say you are making a mac and cheese casserole, you could use the broil to get the brown cheese crust on top quickly.
If making the caramel custard, use the broiler to caramelise the sugar on top after baking the custard.
Same goes for any desserts that require caramelisation.
Grilling is again cooking food over direct heat, in this case the heat is from under the food rather than over. Barbeque is a good example of this. Here in the US grilling refers to the specific grill marks that is found on the food stuff after it has been grilled. Grilling cannot be done in the oven, its best done on a grill on a barbeque or on top of your stove.
Hope this clears your doubts as to the different terms . The forced air oven with fan is to distribute the heat more evenly in your oven . Read your manual that came with the range and it will give you tips. Otherwise best is to use the most basic setting in your oven for max results.
Good luck with your baking sessions.

Vandhana

[Prb]

Hi Vandana:

Thanks a million- that was indeed some insight, so much better than when I started.

Will let ya know once I've tried- am sure there are more questions coming your way.

cheers,
Prb