27
Using the Ovens
Hints for slow cooking
I ALWAYS ensure that frozen foods
- especially meat and poultry - are
thoroughly thawed before cook-
ing.
I Cover all dishes with a close fitting
lid or foil to keep foods moist and
to prevent the transfer of flavours.
I Casseroles and stews - prepare as
usual on the hotplate and bring to
simmering (not boiling) point, then
immediately put into a preheated
oven set for slow cooking.
I For roasting joints of meat and
poultry, and for pot roasts, pre-
heat the oven to 190 conventional
/ 160˚C fanned, and cook for 30
minutes before adjusting the oven
control knob to 120˚C -
Conventional / 110˚C - Fanned
for the remainder of the cooking
time. Always cook for a min-
imum of 3 hours.
I To brown meat and poultry,
uncover and adjust the oven con-
trol knob to 180˚C - Conventional
/ 140˚C - Fanned for the final 20
- 30 minutes of cooking.
I Do not
cook joints of meat or poul-
try weighing more than 2kg (4
1
⁄2lb)
by the slow cooking method.
I Do not
stuff poultry or rolled joints
when slow cooking, always cook
the stuffing separately.
I When slow cooking, cut root veg-
etables into small pieces. Add a
few drops of vinegar or lemon
juice to prevent potatoes blacken-
ing.
I Thickening agents may be added
either at the start or at the end of
the cooking period.
I Full use may be made of the oven
by cooking several dishes at the
same time.
I When slow cooking meringues,
fruit puddings and fruit, they
should be cooked below the cen-
tre of the oven if using the con-
ventional mode.
I Sponge puddings should be cov-
ered with close fitting foil over the
basin and placed in a “bain
marie” (a dish containing suffi-
cient water to come halfway up
the side of the pudding basin).
I Fruits for jams and preserves
should only be softened using the
slow setting. They will then
require boiling on the hotplate.
I Important: Avoid opening the
oven door during slow cooking.
Opening the oven door regularly
can greatly increase the cooking
time, due to heat loss at low tem-
peratures.
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