Viking DMOR206SS Convection Cookbook - Page 4

Convection Cooking A high speed fan circulates air past the heat source and around the food. Excessively hot air does not collect at the top of the oven, and cool air is moved away from the food and reheated. Some foods are best when cooked using convection heat alone, especially small, crisp items which cook in 20 minutes or less. Among the foods you'll bake with convection heat are appetizers, cream puffs, brownies, biscuits and rolls, cookies, puff pastry, fish sticks, muffins, crusts, pizza and souffles. Cook many foods directly on turntable or on broiling trivet so they are surrounded by hot air. Use baking rack for 2 level cooking of cakes, muffins or cookies. The Convection Microwave Team Both microwave and convection ovens have advantages over conventional cooking; together they produce results neither one can achieve alone. Microwaving brings out the natural flavor of foods and keeps them moist or juicy. Convection cooking browns and crisps food beautifully. In the combination oven, convection heat seals and browns the outside perfectly while microwave energy makes sure the interior is done. Turkey is an excellent example of what this team can do. The combination oven allows you to roast a larger turkey than is possible with microwaving alone. No turning over is needed. You don't have to baste, unless you want to give the bird a special seasoning. Conventionally roasted turkey browns nicely, but white meat becomes dry in the time needed to cook dark meat completely. Combination cooking gives white meat microwave juiciness with the crisp brown skin of hot air roasting. Breads and cakes. The Convection Microwave team bakes breads with a golden brown crisp crust, two cake layers at a time, and fine-textures quick bread loaves. Convection Microwave Utensils A wide variety of utensils may be used in convection and combination cooking. Many of them are also suitable for microwaving alone. Microwave-only paper and plastic products should not be used for combination cooking or placed in the oven while it is still hot from convection cooking. Be sure to use hot pads when handling utensils. They become hot from convection and combination cooking. The metal turntable is a utensil itself: a drip pan under the broiling trivet during roasting and broiling, or a baking sheet for breads and cookies. Baking rack serves as a shelf for two-level cooking, such as layer cakes or cookies. Use it for convection and combination cooking. Oven glass is excellent for convection, combination and microwave cooking. Stoneware and pottery utensils designed for use in ovens may be used if they are also microwave-safe. Glass ceramic (Pyroceram®) casseroles go from oven to table. They are microwave-safe and resist the heat of surface elements as well as ovens. Ovenable paper containers are designed for use in both microwave and conventional ovens up to 400˚F, so it's suitable for convection or combination cooking too. Other paper products used for microwaving alone, such as paper napkins and toweling cannot be used with convection heat. Metal and aluminum foil pans are safe for combination as well as convection cooking. During the convection cycle heat transferred from the pan cooks the bottom and sides of food. During the microwave cycle, energy penetrates from the top. Thermoset-filled polyester plastics are heat resistant to temperatures of 425˚F as well as microwave-safe. They are sold as dual purpose utensils and can be used. Do not use any other plastic for combination and convection cooking. Thermometers should only be used outside the oven, since microwave thermometers are not heat resistant and conventional types are not microwave-safe. 1