John Lewis JLRC101 Cooking suggestions, Suggestions for using the oven correctly, Baking

Cooking suggestions

Suggestions for using the oven correctly

The multifunction oven allows you to cook different foods in the best way; using the fan, conventional cooking or with the grill, for example. The oven door should be closed for all types of cooking.

Conventional cooking

When using this setting, the heat comes from the top and the bottom elements. This allows you to cook on a single middle level. If the dish requires extra base browning or top browning, use the lower or upper shelf supports. Conventional cooking is recommended for all foods that require high cooking temperatures, or long brazing times. This system is also recommended when cooking with recipients made of terracotta, porcelain and similar materials.

Fan cooking

With this type of cooking, the air inside the oven is heated by the element around the fan situated behind the back panel. The fan circulates hot air to maintain an even temperature inside the oven. The benefits of cooking with this function are:

As the fan oven quickly reaches temperature, it is not usually necessary to preheat the oven, however for certain foods e.g. bread, scones, soufles, etc. the best results are achieved if you preheat the oven first.

Fan oven cooking generally requires lower temperatures than Conventional cooking. Follow the recommended chart on page 21.

The fan oven has uniform heating on all shelf positions. This means that batches of the same foods can be cooked in the oven at the same time.

There is no mixing of flavors between dishes so sweet and savoury foods can be cooked at the same time.

Grilling

With this type of cooking the heat comes from the top grill element. Preheat the grill for a few minutes before cooking and sealing meats. Lightly brush meat and fish with a

little oil and place on the grid in the grill. Adjust the heat during grilling by moving closer to or further away from the grill element. This avoids burning the surface and cooking too little inside. The food should be turned over during cooking as required. Suitable for: fairly thin meat

Pour 1 or 2 glasses of water into the drip tray to avoid smoke forming due to drops of juice or fat. While cooking with the grill, the drip tray should always be positioned in

the 1st guide from the bottom.

Fan grilling

A combination of the grill and fan oven .

This type of cooking allows the heat to penetrate gradually into the food, even though the surface is directly exposed to the grill. Cooking is more gentle and can take a little longer. Suitable for: thicker meat; poultry.

Cooking meat and fish

Meat to be cooked in the oven should weigh at least 1kg. Tender meat that you want cooked rare (roast beef, fillet, etc.), or which should be well cooked on the outside and retain all the juices on the inside, should be cooked on high temperatures for a short time (200-250°C). White meat, poultry and fish should be cooked on lower temperatures for a longer time (150-175°C).

The ingredients for any sauce should only be placed in the baking tray, at the beginning, if the cooking time is short. Oherwise, they should be added in, in the last half hour. Meat can be placed in an ovenproof dish or directly onto the shelf, below which a drip tray should be placed to collect the juice. Press the meat with a spoon to check if it is done. If it is firm, it is cooked.

At the end of the cooking, wait at least 15 minutes before carving the meat, so as not to lose the juices. Before serving, plates can be warmed in the oven at minimum temperature.

Baking

Beaten mixtures should stick to the spoon because excess liquid will prolong the cooking time. Sweets require moderate temperatures (generally between 150-200°C) and you should preheat the oven (about 10 minutes). The oven door must not be opened until at least ¾ of the way through the cooking time.

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