I’ve been straying a bit from technology a bit lately on the blog, but really that’s a mirror of real life. I love being a programmer and a computer security guy, but the reality of the matter is that it doesn’t define me as it once did. I’ve gotten back into my love of cooking lately, along with photography and music, and I must say that it’s done me a world of good (especially since my time not working in technology shrinks by the day).
One of the tools that brought me back was the NuWave Oven (Pro). This was a wedding gift to/from a couple that I know and love, but I guess that’s a long story. The short story is that the oven is quite nice. While I’ve only used it for two things so far, both turned out quite nice.
The first was traditionally more complex: herb encrusted chicken breast. To do this I tried the basic approach with some frozen chicken breasts. I don’t have a lot of time or space so this was going to be quick and dirty. I tried to thaw the breasts a little, but didn’t get too far and just went right in to the spices. The base was basil, thyme, and rosemary with a little lemon pepper and crushed red pepper for warmth. All of these were just patted into the breast surface and the breasts were just tossed on the rack. Then I seasoned the other side and started the oven up.
Within a minute I could see the chicken sweating off all memory of the freezer and loosing a lot of fat. The wonderful thing about this oven is that you can clearly watch the progress and get a great estimate for how it’s doing. I noticed that the bottom side wasn’t cooking well so after the first 8 minutes I flipped the three pieces over and started again. After 10 more minutes the entire cycle was complete.
The seasonings seemed to be sucked rightinto the chicken and the flavor was fantastic. I did notice that the breast was tough (especially as it sat), but I think that was a combination of faults on my part. First, I didn’t use directions (please, no guy jokes). Second, the chicken was pretty close to the coil on the top, I should have dropped it to a lower level. Third, frozen chicken breasts shouldn’t ever be used…especially if your freezer has been struggling to reach 32 degrees for a week. That said, I think the only pull back from the chicken could be righted almost immediately and I could start adding vegetables to lower trays.
My other experiment was a simple lesson in toasting. I took a huge, day-old-sale sourdough loaf and sliced it up into pieces. Then, using extra virgin olive oil I coated each of the slice sides. Then I seasoned with basil, oregano, and garlic salt, and I threw the slices on one rack in the oven. It took longer than I thought, but the results were fantastic. Perfect restaurante quality toast to mix with some tasty tomato-basil penne from the night before (quick saute with extra sauce makes a great way to reheat).
If you have extra money to spend, or marrying benefactors, I recommend trying out this product. If you don’t have either of the aforementioned items stop by, and I’ll make dinner for you.
Posted on September 20th, 2008 | filed under Uncategorized | Trackback |
I purchased the Nu-Wave oven about 3 months ago. I hated it from the time I recieved it. It takes MUCH longer to cook food in it then what they say it does. I cooked a steak for close to two hours. When I went to return it they would not refund my shipping which i understood. HOWEVER make sure you keep your tracking # from UPS or FEDEX!!!! After 2 months with no funds returned to me I called them AGAIN and told them I was turning them into the BBB unless I recieved my return! They told me the ONLY way they would refund me my money was to prove to them that they had recieved it. Thank GOD I kept the tracking #’s. They said they NEVER recieved it but since i had the tracking # proving that they had recieved it they refunded me my money. HORRIBLE PRODUCT!!!! Wonder how much they pay the people in the infomercials????
I couldn’t disagree more. I absolutely love my nuwave. I use it several times a week. It was a gift from my Grandmother this Christmas and had never heard of it prior to receiving it. I read the instructions and tried it being that it was capable of cooking frozen meats. Having 7 people to feed on a daily basis, you’d think I would plan ahead and defrost, but no. I regularly pull out frozen meat, season and cook. It is quick and delicious. I think it’s brilliant. My husband is a food snob and is very hard to please, but this has surprised even him. We make BBQ, last minute steaks (not as good as a charcoal grill), pork loins, baked potatoes, asparagus, etc., etc. Cook everything at the same time, one pan to clean. Love the convenience.