Just got a new Halogen Oven or want to improve your cooking experience while using them? We got you covered!
We have enlisted some of the best halogen oven cooking tips, maintenance guide and general instructions that you could follow to get the best out of them and level up your cooking game!
Halogen ovens are fully-featured, compact units, primarily renowned around the UK for their faster cooking speeds and less energy consumption.
They usually come with digital controls, which makes them ideal for beginners who don’t have experience or technical knowledge of operating them. Still, if you are confused between the cooking times or temperature settings we will help you out in this brief guide.
We’re optimistic that you won’t face any difficulties after considering these tips while operating your oven.
Halogen Oven Cooking - Getting Started
Using a halogen oven is simple and straightforward.
Follow these steps to get started with cooking your favourite meals!
- Place the right rack inside the oven depending upon what you’re cooking.
- Secondly, you need to season your meal and place it accurately inside the rack of the oven.
- Select the required temperature and time from the control panel.
- Some halogen ovens offer dedicated buttons for pizzas, cakes, rice, toasts, etc., so you won’t have to set by yourself.
- Press the confirm button to get the cooking started.
- Remove the food with caution once it’s done cooking.
Halogen Oven Operating, Maintenance and Cooking Tips
- Using the Right Racks
A halogen oven comes with two racks; a lower one and a higher one. Both are used for different purposes. For example, if you want to relish a grilled meal, you should use a high rack. In comparison, it would be best to use the lower shelf for roasting, baking, or preheating your food.
- Make Sure the Required Meal Fits in the Oven
Yes, this is simple yet important. As you already know, these halogen ovens are compact; therefore, you don’t have a lot of room to accommodate huge meals. That’s why it’d be wise to examine the size of your meal beforehand.
- Circulation of Hot Air Around Food
When dealing with larger meals, always remember to utilize the racks sensibly. Hot air must reach all around the food, even beneath it. Therefore, we recommend placing your food on the lowest rack so that there can be some spare space for a good circulation of heat, resulting in even cooking.
- Keep Space to Remove the Lid
As we know that these ovens are compact and can fit even minimal spaces, but still, it would be best to leave some space for the lid to come off conveniently. When cooking at high temperatures, you should be able to remove it easily. Also, use caution to remove the lid as it can still be hot after the cooking session.
- Take Extreme Care while Using Aluminum foil
Halogen ovens excel at spreading even heat throughout the entire range. Hence, if you’re using foil for cooking your meals, ensure that it’s perfectly wrapped around the food. If the foil is not wrapped properly it could result in under or over-cooked meals.
- Clean and Maintain your Oven Unit
Your oven needs proper cleaning and maintenance after each use to ensure durability and longevity. Cleaning the halogen oven is simple, use a wet cloth to wipe off the surface. Or, just half fill the bowl with warm, soapy or water (for the glass bowl use cold water), and the self-cleaning feature would automatically clean your bowl perfectly.
- Utilize the Extender Ring
An extender ring comes with your halogen oven, which increases its overall capacity. You can also use this extender ring to reduce the amount of heat reaching the top of the food. It helps prevent excessive heat from getting to your food which can overcook it.
- Stay Alert while Cooking your Meal
There’s a massive difference between preparing your meal in a conventional oven and a halogen one. A halogen cooker cooks food 60% faster than the regular ones. Keep a sharp eye on your food while it’s cooking, so the oven doesn’t overcook or burn it.
- Adjusting the Temperature and Cooking Times
You get manual instructions from the manufacturers with your halogen oven, which makes adjusting the temperature and cooking times incredibly effortless. However, when you’re cooking a regular dish, it would be best to lower the temperature by about 20 ̊F and the cooking time.
Frequently Asked Questions - FAQs
You can cook whatever you desire in your halogen oven from roasted chicken to baked cakes. Here’s a brief list on what foods you can cook in your halogen oven:
- Meat- Chicken breast, pork joints, brisket, beef joint, roasted chicken, pork chops, lamb joints, etc.
- Potatoes- Potato wedges, jacket potatoes, oven chips, roasted potatoes, skin-on fries, etc.
- Vegetables- Steamed or roasted carrots, peas, broccoli, peppers, potatoes, etc.
- Bread and puddings- Tarts, cupcakes, fruit cakes, crumble, popcorn, coffee cakes, etc.
- Pizzas- You can bake any kind of pizza.
You don’t necessarily need aluminium foil in your halogen oven, but if you still prefer it, it’s entirely safe to use inside it. When you use a foil, the results can differ due to the cooking times being different from a regular oven. It can either aid or delay the cooking process regarding which type of food you’re cooking.
Of course, you can cook crispy potato chips in a halogen oven. But you need to make sure to use a proper method, so they aren’t under-cooked from the inside. Here’s what to do:
- Cut the potatoes in an even shape.
- Coat them with some seasoning (optional).
- Pour a small amount of oil and mix them thoroughly.
- Put the chips inside the rack of the halogen oven.
- Set the temperature to 302°F and allow them to cook until they’re about to get soft.
- Increase the temperature a bit and leave it till they are golden brown. It will help them get crispier and perfectly cooked.
- Remove them carefully as the lid can still be hot.
As you can cook almost anything in a halogen oven, you can most definitely cook chicken in it. You can cook either piece of chicken or even the whole chicken at once. In the case of whole chicken, the oven will make it moist and induce it with the perfect amount of juices while leaving the chicken’s skin crispy and ready to be devoured.
Final Thoughts
By the end of our guide, you have probably realized how easy it is to use a halogen oven even if you don’t have any experience using it. You can cook almost anything in lesser time and less consumption of energy.
It would be best to clean your unit after each use so that the materials won’t wear out because of the stuck debris. Also, never forget to clean the lid as it’s one of the essential parts of your halogen oven. After maintaining it perfectly and using it effectively, your machine will surely stay with you for years!
