Thought this might be useful for people who have limited space, and/or want to cook food in large batches.
Halogen Cooker
I love cooking roast pork - one of the big drawbacks though is cleaning the oven! This is one of the main reasons for trying a halogen cooker.
As you can see from the picture it's mostly glass, as such it doesn't tend to get crusted up like a regular oven. It also has the bonus of collecting all the fat and meat juices at the bottom, which are then easily decanted.
It roast chicken, pork and lamb really well, and can be used to cook a large batch of meat in one go. The only thing to consider is if you are roasting 4kg of pork in one go, it makes more sense to cut it into 1kg sections, which reduces the overall cooking time.
It can have trouble cooking dense meat, and may end up taking longer to cook things than a regular oven if you've not cut it into smaller pieces.
I have a 6 liter version, which easily fits a 2.5kg chicken or 4kg of pork shoulder for roasting. You can place sweet potatoes next to the meat to bake at the same time. The crackling for roast pork always comes out perfect, and leaves me with a bowl of pork fat to use later.
From wikipedia:
_Halogen oven - Wikipedia
Cleaning is a breeze. All you need to do is wipe out any excess fat etc from the bowl (I'd hope you've tipped most of it into a container to use later!), then add an inch of hot water, dish washing liquid, set the temperature to 'clean' and let it run for an hour.
The top part can have the glass wiped down with a damp cloth, however the metal around the heating element may still gain some burned on grease from cooking things like roast pork.
In the UK, you can find used halogen cookers in charity shops for £5-£20.
Counter top electric pressure cooker (Instant Pot)
This has been amazing, and has allowed me to batch cook huge amounts of food. I have the 8 liter version (6 liter inner pot), which produces enough food for breakfast and lunch for ~2 weeks. I also makes stews/broths in it, that when divided up (it sets to a really solid gel in the fridge, that can be sliced into chunks) and frozen provide enough evening meals for a month and a half (just place in a saucepan and re-heat with water, butter and salt for instant broth/stew!).
It has a delayed start timer (upto 24 hours), and will switch to 'keep warm' after cooking. It's so effecient it will hold pressure for about an hour if left on keep warm, and even if fully turned off food left inside (if you did a full pot) will still be reasonably hot 8 hours later. This can actually be slightly annoying if you want to decant things and put them in the fridge/freezer!
I was lucky to pick one up from Amazon on a black Friday sale last year, for about 60% of the normal cost.
From the website:
_Duo 8 Qt - Instant Pot
Cooking takes 20-30 minutes to heat/pressurize, followed by the cooking time.
If you are trying to cook a large amount of frozen meat, it may not reach full temperature/pressurize, so it's best to avoid this or at least make sure it has pressurized.
It can't unfortunately be used for pressure canning, from what I've read.
My favorite meal to cook at the moment (beyond the stew/broth, which I now eat every day) is 3kg of sausages, with the rest filled with some vegetables. Once cooked, let the steam out (this can be a little startling if you are not use to it), once the pressure is gone, open the lid, add some gluten free buckwheat pasta (250g), make sure it's submerged and cook for a further 5 minutes. No need to mess around with additional saucepans of water.
I divide the contents into two/three large glass containers with lids, freeze half and keep the rest in the fridge to take as breakfast/lunch to work.
When originally looking at these types of cookers, the fact that the inner pot was steel is one of the main things I considered (beyond the super efficiency of it).
The lid is also steel, with only one very small piece of aluminium (or so I think) around the steam vent (presumably because of the contraction properties of the metal). That it has any aluminium is a concern, but I figure given it's so small and not in contact with the food it should be relatively ok.
Attached is a picture of the inside of the lid (the aluminium piece is circled in red).
Halogen Cooker
I love cooking roast pork - one of the big drawbacks though is cleaning the oven! This is one of the main reasons for trying a halogen cooker.
As you can see from the picture it's mostly glass, as such it doesn't tend to get crusted up like a regular oven. It also has the bonus of collecting all the fat and meat juices at the bottom, which are then easily decanted.
It roast chicken, pork and lamb really well, and can be used to cook a large batch of meat in one go. The only thing to consider is if you are roasting 4kg of pork in one go, it makes more sense to cut it into 1kg sections, which reduces the overall cooking time.
It can have trouble cooking dense meat, and may end up taking longer to cook things than a regular oven if you've not cut it into smaller pieces.
I have a 6 liter version, which easily fits a 2.5kg chicken or 4kg of pork shoulder for roasting. You can place sweet potatoes next to the meat to bake at the same time. The crackling for roast pork always comes out perfect, and leaves me with a bowl of pork fat to use later.
From wikipedia:
_Halogen oven - Wikipedia
Design[edit]
A basic halogen oven features a heating chamber consisting of a clear glass bowl with a removable glass lid to which the heating assembly is secured.[2][4] Inside the heating chamber, multi-level metal racks are used to elevate the contents during the cooking process.[2] Within the heating assembly are the circular halogen lamp, a fan,[4] and the controls for the oven which frequently include an automatic shut-off timer and a temperature control interface.[2][5] On a basic model, the heating assembly has a handle to allow users to safely lift the lid off the unit. More elaborate models have a hinged lid mounted on an adjustable rear support which can be raised to accommodate an extension ring. This raises the heating assembly to reduce the grilling effect as well as increasing the volume of the oven. Hinged models are safer and easier to use.[6] A safety shut-off switch turns off the lamp when the lid is raised during operation. The glass bowl is positioned in a stand which raises the bowl off the table-top and decreases the transfer of heat to the surrounding surfaces. Handles are often incorporated into the stand to allow for users to move the unit, providing safety especially during or after operation.[2]
Operation[edit]
The halogen lamp is turned on and off[6] by a simple thermostat or electronic control and generates waves of infrared light to heat the air within the heating chamber.[2] The fan then circulates this heated air throughout the chamber to evenly cook the contents of the bowl through convective heat transfer, or convection.[1][4] Self-cleaning can be performed by adding some hot water and detergent to the empty bowl. The fan swirls the hot water and usually takes about ten minutes to remove any grease and some food deposits.[6]
Efficiency[edit]
Reports often claim halogen ovens have shorter cooking times than conventional ovens, with one report stating a figure of up to 40% faster,[2] but 20% faster on average.[7] Another report claims a halogen oven cooks food up to 60% faster than a conventional oven.[1] In terms of energy use, one source claims that a halogen oven uses about "half the electricity of a conventional oven and about the same as a microwave oven".[3]
Cleaning is a breeze. All you need to do is wipe out any excess fat etc from the bowl (I'd hope you've tipped most of it into a container to use later!), then add an inch of hot water, dish washing liquid, set the temperature to 'clean' and let it run for an hour.
The top part can have the glass wiped down with a damp cloth, however the metal around the heating element may still gain some burned on grease from cooking things like roast pork.
In the UK, you can find used halogen cookers in charity shops for £5-£20.
Counter top electric pressure cooker (Instant Pot)
This has been amazing, and has allowed me to batch cook huge amounts of food. I have the 8 liter version (6 liter inner pot), which produces enough food for breakfast and lunch for ~2 weeks. I also makes stews/broths in it, that when divided up (it sets to a really solid gel in the fridge, that can be sliced into chunks) and frozen provide enough evening meals for a month and a half (just place in a saucepan and re-heat with water, butter and salt for instant broth/stew!).
It has a delayed start timer (upto 24 hours), and will switch to 'keep warm' after cooking. It's so effecient it will hold pressure for about an hour if left on keep warm, and even if fully turned off food left inside (if you did a full pot) will still be reasonably hot 8 hours later. This can actually be slightly annoying if you want to decant things and put them in the fridge/freezer!
I was lucky to pick one up from Amazon on a black Friday sale last year, for about 60% of the normal cost.
From the website:
_Duo 8 Qt - Instant Pot
Instant Pot® Duo is a smart Electric Pressure Cooker designed to be Safe, Convenient and Dependable.
It speeds up cooking by 2~6 times using up to 70% less energy and, above all, produces nutritious healthy food in a convenient and consistent fashion.
Instant Pot® Duo 7-In-1 Multi-Use Programmable Cooker replaces 7 kitchen appliances – Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steam, Sauté/Searing, Yogurt Maker & Warmer.
14 smart built-in programs – Soup/Broth, Meat/Stew, Bean/Chili, Poultry, Sauté/Searing, Steam, Rice, Porridge, Multigrain, Slow Cook, Keep-Warm, Yogurt, Pasteurize & Pressure Cook, now, you can cook your favorite dishes with the press of a button.
A 24-hour delay start allows for delayed cooking. Automatic Keep-Warm holds the temperature of the food until ready to serve.
Instant Pot® generates almost no noise and leaks no steam. It traps all the aroma in the food without heating up the kitchen. The 3-ply stainless steel bottom inner pot is extremely durable and leaves no health concerns associated with non-stick coatings. The slim body design has lid holders for both left and right-handed users. The brushed stainless steel exterior is finger print resistant.
Instant Pot® Duo uses the latest 3rd generation technology with an embedded microprocessor, which monitors the pressure and temperature, keeps time and adjusts heating intensity. 3 temperatures in ‘Sauté’ for searing, simmering or thickening and 3 temperatures in ‘Slow Cook’ to provide greater flexibility.
The cooking programs have been lab-tested for optimal effect. These greatly improve cooking result and maintain consistence. Instant Pot is carefully designed to eliminate many common errors that may cause harm or spoil food. It passed the stringent UL certification giving you uncompromised safety and peace of mind and protects you with 10 proven safety mechanisms and patented technologies.
- Duo, the number 1 selling multi-cooker, combines 7 kitchen appliances in 1, Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Sauté, Yogurt Maker and Warmer, prepares dishes up to 70% faster to support your busy lifestyle
- 14 Smart Programs – Soup/Broth, Meat/Stew, Bean/Chili, Poultry, Sauté/Simmer, Rice, Multigrain, Porridge, Steam, Slow Cook, Keep Warm, Yogurt, Manual, and Pressure Cook. Now, your favorite dishes are as easy as pressing a button!
- Healthy, stainless steel (18/8) inner cooking pot made from food grade 304, no chemical coating, 3-ply bottom for even heat distribution, fully sealed environment traps the flavours, nutrients and aromas within the food
- Easy To Handle – Exterior, brushed stainless steel, finger print resistant, with lid holder for left and right handed users.
- Built with the latest 3rd generation technology, the microprocessor monitors pressure, temperature, keeps time, and adjusts heating intensity and duration to achieve your desired results every time
- The Smart Cooker, remembers the way you cook, each program remembers your last customization.
- Dual Pressure Settings for fast and flexible cooking. Cooking with high pressure reduces cooking time by up to 70% and cooking with low pressure avoids overcooking delicate foods.
- Accessories Include – stainless steel steam rack with handles, rice paddle, soup spoon, measuring cup, condensation collector and recipe booklet. The cooking pot, lid and steam rack are dishwasher safe.
- UL and ULC certified with 10 safety mechanisms to provide you with added assurance, designed to eliminate many common errors
- Dimensions: 14.8 x 13.18 x 14.01 inches
- Weight: 15.80 pounds
- Power supply: 120V – 60Hz
- Power: 1200 watts
- Power Supply Cord: 35 inches, non-detachable, 3 prong plug
- Duo series comes in three models:
- Duo Mini: 3qt cooking pot and 700W heating element
- Duo 60: 6qt cooking pot and 1000W heating element
- Duo 80: 8qt cooking pot and 1200W heating element
Cooking takes 20-30 minutes to heat/pressurize, followed by the cooking time.
If you are trying to cook a large amount of frozen meat, it may not reach full temperature/pressurize, so it's best to avoid this or at least make sure it has pressurized.
It can't unfortunately be used for pressure canning, from what I've read.
My favorite meal to cook at the moment (beyond the stew/broth, which I now eat every day) is 3kg of sausages, with the rest filled with some vegetables. Once cooked, let the steam out (this can be a little startling if you are not use to it), once the pressure is gone, open the lid, add some gluten free buckwheat pasta (250g), make sure it's submerged and cook for a further 5 minutes. No need to mess around with additional saucepans of water.
I divide the contents into two/three large glass containers with lids, freeze half and keep the rest in the fridge to take as breakfast/lunch to work.
When originally looking at these types of cookers, the fact that the inner pot was steel is one of the main things I considered (beyond the super efficiency of it).
The lid is also steel, with only one very small piece of aluminium (or so I think) around the steam vent (presumably because of the contraction properties of the metal). That it has any aluminium is a concern, but I figure given it's so small and not in contact with the food it should be relatively ok.
Attached is a picture of the inside of the lid (the aluminium piece is circled in red).