Re: Old Dog:New Trick

Evelyn Ruut wrote:

I clean mine about once a year, occasionally twice, if necessary. My oven is a convection oven, and it really puts a nice crackle on a roast. But there will occasionally be some spatter. Especially if baking a fresh ham.

I LOVE a convection oven, which is why I love dual fuel ranges.

This time around however, being on my own, it was obvious I wouldn't
be cooking the large meals of the past when everyone was home -
eating all the time.
Now I only bake when someone request fresh bread or some special
treat that just isn't the same when store bought.


What's nice is that now they are making little toaster ovens with a convection feature. Perfect for one person meals, and you don't need to mess up the big oven.

Got one.
They're not cheap, but surely are handy.

I used to love making home made bread. I used to do about 8 loaves at a time, and the first two got eaten while they were still hot. Yummy. Another was used over the next day or so. The rest got frozen and used as needed. Now I have a bread machine, and it is nice, but seldom used. It is the lovely memories of my kids coming home from school and eating fresh warm loaves right out of the oven, dripping with butter.

When my son was ten, he started baking and selling fresh bread to the
neighbors on Saturdays. Then he started taking orders for it.
Some for white, some for whole wheat and some for seeded rye.
He didn't bake during the summers because it created too much heat
throughout the house, but people were eager to get back to his warm
breads come fall.

We use the oven a lot, even though it is just the two of us. We like roast chicken, and I do a chicken pretty much once a week. Convection is great if only for the way chicken comes out! I think I use the oven as often as the top of the stove. So it is something we get a lot of use out of.

I have one of those glass bowl, convection cookers and use that for
'stand up' chickens and anything I don't want to cook in fat.

Speaking of cooking smaller meals, it is something so hard to get used to no matter how many years have elapsed. I got used to always making a little more than we'd need, because with a family, leftovers were always a good thing, and you never knew who'd bring a friend around unexpectedly for dinner.

Exactly.
I still prepare more than I need for one meal, but freeze the remainder
in single serving portions for those........................extra busy days.

Now that it is just the two of us, I still have larger pots than I will ever need anymore in my closet, and I often find I tend to prepare just a little more than I should. Good thing hubby will eat leftovers!

I have to stop and think what size "batch" I should make of potato salad, or such. I still tend to make too much.

Ah but the kids are always willing to take a half gallon of mom's potato
salad, aren't they ?
Mine will get off the couch and drive over here anytime I advertise
leftovers.


.

Quantcast