As in my other halogen cookbooks, this first chapter shows newbie halogen oven users how to get the most from their machine. If you have bought another one of my books, you may want to skip this chapter as it contains duplicate information, or you might like to quickly scan it just to remind yourself of the joys of the halogen.
Choosing the right machine for you
There are many different halogen ovens on the market, but they are basically all the same machine. The two main variations are the bowl size and whether the lid is on a hinge. My first machine was from JML when they first started to become popular. I was not really sure what to expect and, over time, it has gained more and more use in our home. Personally I would opt for the largest bowl as this increases the oven’s usability. You can also purchase extenders, which can help maximise use. Extenders are metal rings that fit over the top of the halogen bowl, literally extending the height of the bowl and enabling you to fit more into your oven. The lid then fits on top of the extender. They are also useful if you want to keep the food away from the heating elements to prevent burning.
After using the JML, I progressed to the Flavorwave Turbo Platinum Oven. Some of the advantages of this particular oven are that it has a hinged lid, digital settings, three-speed fan and a preheat setting.
Looking at online forums I have noticed that the lids do cause a bit of a bugbear. I used a lid stand positioned beside my JML machine, though annoyingly these are optional extras that you have to purchase and are quite flimsy to look at. Personally, I think it is better to buy the halogen cooker with the hinged lid if you can afford it – this is definitely a safer and easier option.
How do they work?
The halogen oven is basically a large glass bowl with an electric halogen lid. The lid is heavy as it contains the halogen element, timer and temperature settings. It can be fiddly to clean but I will come to that later. The halogen bulbs heat up the bowl and the fan moves the air around the bowl to create an even temperature. As it is smaller than a conventional oven, it heats up faster, reducing the need for long preheating and in some cases reducing the overall cooking time.
This makes it a very popular choice for those watching their pennies, living on their own or, like me, cooking for a busy family. It has even become a popular choice for students and caravanners. I read on a forum that some caravanners use the self-clean facility just like a mini dishwasher – ingenious! It is also popular as a second oven and really becomes invaluable at busy times like Christmas.
For safety, the lid’s handle has to be in place (placed securely down) for the machine to turn on. This means that when you lift the lid, the oven is automatically turned off. If you are using the Flavorwave machine with the hinged lid, you have to press the start button and remember to turn the machine off when you lift the lid.
The halogen does cook slightly differently to a conventional oven, so first beginning to use it often involves a process of trial and error, but it is not vastly different. If you have favourite recipes that you cook in the conventional oven, try them in the halogen. I find cooking at a slightly lower temperature or cooking for less time normally gives the same results, but hopefully this book will help give you more confidence.
The halogen oven is not a microwave and does not work in the same way as a microwave, so if you are thinking you can cook food in minutes you are wrong. It does, however, have a multitude of functions – defrosting, baking, grilling, roasting and steaming are all perfect for the halogen. Remember that to get the optimum benefit, air needs to circulate around the bowl, so ideally place dishes and trays on racks and avoid the temptation to over fill.
Getting the right equipment
This sounds obvious but … make sure you have oven trays, baking sheets and casserole dishes that will fit inside your halogen oven. There is nothing more frustrating than planning a meal and just at the last minute realising that your dish does not fit in the machine! You can use any ovenproof dish or tray – metal, silicon and Pyrex are all fine. The halogen oven is round so it makes sense to look at trays and stands of the same shape, just smaller so you can remove them without burning yourself!
This is probably the only disadvantage of the halogen. When I first started using one, it was frustrating to find that 80% of my bakeware did not fit in the machine but a quick revamp and purchase of the accessories have proved invaluable. If money is tight, you will often find great casserole dishes at boot sales or charity shops – you don’t have to spend a fortune on new cookware.
You can also buy an accessories pack, which contains steamer pans, grilling pans, toasting racks and even an extension ring. These are highly recommended if you use your oven regularly and certainly enhance what you can do with the machine. There are many websites selling or advertising these accessories, so a general internet search will point you in the right direction. Amazon is also a great place to look.
As experienced halogen users will know, the halogen light turns on and off during cooking. This is not a fault of the thermostat as some people have mentioned on forums. It literally turns off when the programmed temperature is reached, then on again when it drops. Set the temperature and marvel at how quickly the oven reaches the required temperature – literally in minutes. I love the light – along with being able to watch your food cook, there is something quite cosy about walking into your kitchen on a winter or autumn evening and seeing the glow of the halogen cooker.
Timings
The halogen oven comes with a 60-minute timer and temperature setting dials. The Flavorwave Turbo also comes with three fan settings and a digital timer. All halogens turn off when the timer settings have been reached. This means that you can be reassured that if the phone rings or you are called away from the kitchen, your food won’t spoil.
Size
The oven is small enough to sit on a worktop, but do allow space for removal of the lid if it is not hinged. The lid can get very hot and is quite large and heavy, being the brains of the machine, so it can be a good idea to buy the lid stand. However, be careful when using this stand as it can seem quite flimsy until you get used to it. You could opt to place the lid on a heatproof surface but, again, be careful not to burn yourself or your worktop!
Careful does it
Your oven should come with some tong type of gadget to help you lift out the racks. They are quite useful, but I also use a more substantial set of tongs. As with any oven or cooker, do be careful as the bowl and contents get very hot. I find using proper oven gloves a necessity as they cover your whole hand and wrist and can prevent accidents.
As with all electrical and hot appliances, do not let your children near the halogen – the glass bowl gets very hot.
Foil and coverings
Some people like to use foil when cooking. This can be a good idea as it prevents food from browning too quickly or it can be used to parcel foods, but make sure the foil is secure. The fan is very strong and if the foil is not secure it could float around the oven and might damage the element. Another option for preventing burning is obviously to turn the temperature down or place the food further away from the element (use the low rack or add an extension ring).
Cleaning your oven
Your oven is promoted as being self-cleaning. This basically means that you fill it with a little water and a squirt of washing-up liquid and then turn it on to the wash setting. The combination of the fan and the heat allows the water to swish around the bowl giving it a quick clean. This normally takes about 10 minutes. Personally I find it just as simple to remove the bowl and place it in the dishwasher – it always comes out gleaming.
The lid is a little more difficult to clean and I would refer to the manufacturer’s guidelines as each product differs a little. Do not get the element or electrical parts wet!
High and low racks
There are two standard racks which come with every halogen oven – a high and a low rack. The high rack is placed nearer the element so use this if you want to brown something. The low rack is used more for longer cooking times.
You can cook directly on the bottom of the bowl. I do this quite often, particularly if I am being lazy and just want to chuck in some oven chips or if I am roasting something. It does cook well but takes a little longer than using the racks, as air is not able to circulate all around the food.
Grilling
If you want to grill something you really need to place the rack as high as possible. The two racks (low and high) that come with the halogen oven may not be suitable for quick grilling – though if this is all you have it will work, but just take longer. I purchased an accessory pack and in this you get a toasting rack (with egg holes), which can be used as a grilling rack, either on its own or with a baking tray on top.
As you are cooking close to the element, grilling times are much quicker, for example you can grill cheese on toast in approximately 3–4 minutes.
Baking
Some people worry about using the halogen to bake cakes but I think this is because they are setting the oven temperature too high, resulting in a crusty brown cake top with a soggy middle. Setting the oven to a lower temperature can solve this problem. Muffins and cupcakes take between 12 and 18 minutes. You only really encounter problems with cakes if you are cooking for too long at too high a temperature. Try some of my cake recipes and you will see how simple it can be.
Preheat or not to preheat
Most recipes I have found on forums don’t mention preheating the oven. This is probably due to how quickly the oven reaches its temperature setting. However, I think it is worth turning the oven on a few minutes before use just to bring it up to the right temperature.
I found this to be the case when attempting to cook soft-boiled eggs. According to the Flavorwave recipe book, I should be able to cook a soft egg in 6 minutes just by placing it on the high rack. It didn’t work, but when I tried again in a heated oven it was much more successful. As the halogen only takes a few minutes to reach the set temperature, I believe it is best to preheat and therefore most of my recipes advise this.
Some machines (such as the Flavorwave) have a preheat button which preheats at 260°C for 6 minutes, but others, such as the JML, require you to set the oven to the required temperature and then turn it on.
I hope this chapter has not confused you. Move on to try some recipes and then come back to this chapter at a later date – it will probably make more sense then!
Enjoy!
WEIGHT
Metric (approx.) |
Imperial |
25–30g |
1oz |
50–55g |
2oz |
85g |
3oz |
100g |
3.5oz |
125g |
4oz |
150g |
5oz |
175g |
6oz |
200g |
7oz |
225g |
8oz |
250g |
9oz |
280g |
10oz |
350g |
12oz |
400g |
14oz |
450g |
16oz/1lb |
900kg |
2lb |
LIQUID MEASURE
Metric (approx.) |
Imperial |
5ml |
1 teaspoon (tsp) |
15ml |
1 tablespoon (tbsp) |
25–30ml |
1 fl oz |
50ml |
2 fl oz |
75ml |
3 fl oz |
100–125ml |
4 fl oz |
150ml |
5 fl oz |
175ml |
6 fl oz |
200ml |
7 fl oz |
225ml |
8 fl oz |
250ml |
9 fl oz |
300ml |
10 fl oz (½ pint) |
600ml |
20 fl oz (1 pint) |
1 litre |
1¾ pints |