Auxiliary Cooking Devices, Is The Stove Dead?

[Bribie G]

Going back a few years ago the stove and oven were king, apart from the gradual take-up of microwave ovens and George Foreman Grills.

However it struck me just this week that I very rarely turn on the stove and wall oven any more as I have gathered a heap of auxiliary cooking devices which use less energy and are far easier to clean up than the traditional monobloc cooker / oven.

My latest hobby is restaurant style Indian cooking - I've been doing courses - and I do it all on a couple of gas cookers. These little things rock, you can cook all week on about a dollar , and now if I want to just do an omelette or stir fry, or an English Breakfast I go out to the patio and do it in half the time of the old school electric cooktop.



For example this evening:

roast rolled loin of pork with pumpkin, peas and cheesy potato bake.

Pork has been cooked in the bench top convection oven (from ALDI) seen resting in the foil
Crackling and pumpkin finishing off.



Potato Bake is leftovers from a dish cooked in the bench top oven a couple of days ago and will be reheated in El Microwavo





Peas in the veg steamer.



There's a lot of lovely drippings in the bottom of the oven unit - I'll make a gravy but do this quickly on a wee gas cooker outside, instead of waiting for the electric element to heat up on the stove.


What strikes me is that the stove unit is usually wired up on its own circuit at high amperage so clearly intended to burn heaps of energy, but these new auxiliary units, if electric, just run on the normal plugs and clearly reduce cooking costs and save the lesbian whales as well

discuss

 

[manticle]

I use my stove for most things, including decoctions.

God help me if a microwave ever appears in a kitchen I use regularly. Horrible things, shouldn't be allowed near food (reheating leftovers at work is excepted and accepted).

The only other thing I really use is a rice steamer and even then I still fry my raw rice in oil for a couple of minutes on the stovetop next to the stock I'm heating.

 

[seamad]

Depends a bit on your cookrop i think. I have gas top and electric oven, top used a lot, has 5 burners and allsee use, not at once. Oven used for bread and pizza and baked sweets. Have a charcoal weber and the weber 300 Q gas bbq which is the best bbq ive ever had. Most meat cooked on these.
Recent trip to my partners grandparents, i do all the cooking when we visit, and its a old electric cooktop farkin hell, electric is hopeless. Have used induction and it is similiar to gas, provided a magnet will stick to your cookware. Can even get portable ones of those cheap now.
Bought my dad one of those small ovens like yours bribie years ago and he uses it all the time ( pre aldi)
Most gadgets you dont need, junk mail had a hot chocolate maker...ffs
Cheers
Sean

 

[BobtheBrewer]

George Foreman Grills.

Can't figure out how to post a link, but google Anthony Mundine Grill. Should be available up your way.

 

[Bribie G]

I won't rest in peace until I have acquired a Muhammed Ali grill :lol:

My waffle maker is on the blink :angry:

 

[pk.sax]

My cooktop is ceramic glass top, so all the good things of induction without the limits.

Pancake pan, sauce pan and skillet are my most used tools, if I have to really steam something it goes in a Chinese bamboo steamer in the sauce pan, else, into skillet with something else that's wet and lid on. Adjust the heat.

Used to have an old school hot plate cooktop at one house, god awful ****.

Gas cooktops are awesome but they generate way too much heat. Wastage, mostly.