Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with cooking and oven

Sprung oven door

goofyfoot — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:25:41 -0800

Our oven door springs are sprung. It's an old O'Keefe and Merritt stove - the kind with lots of space on top; we love it. But the oven door can't stay shut. Help! We've used sponges as shims, but they no longer work well. It's a gas stove. I can't manage a way to whittle a wooden shim down to the perfect wedge. A previous question here yielded this; has anyone tried one for this purpose? What other ways of securing a sprung spring door have you tried?

Our landlords aren't interested in helping us here unless it is to replace this big stove with a rickety tiny one, and we can't really afford to get a repairman out.

Is it worth the trouble to vent our range hood outside?

odinsdream — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 07:55:50 -0800

Is it worth the trouble to vent our range hood outside? We are replacing our old range hood with an above-range convection microwave which can either vent outside or back into the room. Is there a good reason I should go to the trouble to vent it outside?

There is a pathway above the cabinets and it's a short distance to an outside wall, which I'd have to cut a hole in from the outside. I cannot easily reach the exterior wall from inside. I'd have to do most of the cutting work from the outside and fish the vent pipe over to the hole.

What benefits would I gain from venting outside?

Recipe for truly succulent, traditional Jewish brisket?

roxie110 — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 19:01:41 -0800

How do you make truly tender, succulent Jewish-style brisket? I've had a craving for brisket-like-my-grandmother-used-to-make for about a year now. I finally got the meat and my mother's recipe and cooked it today. The taste is great and the thin end of the meat turned out close to what I was hoping for; the thick end is cooked through but not moist and falling apart like brisket in my world should be, and when I stick a fork in it gives a lot of resistance. I don't know if I over- or undercooked it. I should mention that my "dutch oven" (really a stockpot) was too narrow so I used a Calphalon deep covered 13" nonstick skillet instead--maybe a big mistake? I am such a brisket novice.

Below is a quick recap of how I cooked it. I've looked up a ton of recipes but each one is slightly different, and life's too short to try every one. My question is this: who has a foolproof (mostly) recipe for truly tender, traditional Jewish brisket!? And just as important, how do you know how long to cook it and when it's done? (Can you overcook a brisket, as long as there's still liquid in the pan?)

Recipe I used for half a first-cut brisket, about 3 pounds, fat trimmed:
Preheat oven to 350. Place thickly sliced onions, carrots, and a couple chopped garlic cloves in bottom of Dutch oven. Rub ketchup, ground pepper, paprika, and one envelope onion soup mix on all surfaces of brisket. Add liquid to 3/4 inches deep (I used 1.5 cans low-sodium beef broth; most of liquid was absorbed by the end of cooking). Place chunks of potato around meat. Cover tightly and roast for 2.5 hours. Baste two or three times during cooking. Remove from heat, cool meat, and slice across the grain.

Help! And thank you!

Help me to not overthink a plate of beans (and rice)

availablelight — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:44:11 -0800

Rice and beans for the inexperienced and time-pressed cook? I have a 5 pound bag of (non-instant) rice. I have an assortment of bags of dried beans (a pound of kidney beans, a pound of black beans, a pound of navy beans, etc.). Am I imagining this, or is there a way to prepare a one-shot, one-pot/dish batch of rice and beans in the oven? (I do know that the beans will have to be pre-soaked, but that's about all I know-- my experience with dried beans is limited to including them in a long-simmering soup or stew--I've had bad experiences with bags o'beans in other situations)

I have other potential add-ins like spices, tomato sauce, veggies, etc.

Aluminum foil turned brown; should I be worried?

taramosalata — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 14:15:11 -0800

I made (delicious!) mashed sweet potatoes in a conventional stove-top pot, covered the pot with Reynolds aluminum foil, then put it in a still warm but off-position oven (simply to save stove-top and counter space for the moment while wanting it to stay at room-temperature). Retrieving the pot a few hours later, I found that the inner surface of the foil had turned a light brown. It was also moist from the condensation, but had remained clean, unoiled, unburnt. I've cooked quite a bit and never seen this. What could be causing such discoloration, and is it a worrying symptom (of, say, toxins in the foil)? Plus: if -- as FAQs on the subject seem to agree -- kitchen aluminum foil is 'the same' on both sides, even though one side is shiny and the other matte, does this discoloration phenomenon indicate otherwise?

Turning a non-ovenproof skillet into an ovenproof one

imposster — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:00:44 -0800

Can you really ovenproof a non-ovenproof skillet by wrapping the handle in aluminum foil? This suggestion appears in several recipes on the Internet, but I can't find any good source to substantiate it. In my case, it is a heavy stainless steel skillet with a rubberized handle that is supposed safe in oven up to 400 degrees. I'd like to take it up to 450, but wasn't sure if the foil trick really worked.

Best kind of bakeware material?

riffola — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 22:45:48 -0800

For a jack of all trades bakeware, what is the best material? Ceramic, Metal (aluminium), Glass (Pyrex), or Silicone?

Anatomy of a vintage appliance. Help me figure this out and start cooking!

iamkimiam — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 10:49:54 -0800

The vintage oven/range in my new apartment is so obviously awesome. And my landlord says it works. But how? I have taken several pictures of the oven/range...and have many questions.

First off, what do I call this thing? Is it an oven? Is it a range? An orange? A roven? After we've figured that out, I have some individual questions pertaining to the parts seen below:

Picture of the entire thing can be seen here.
—How does this vent?

Picture of the entire thing, with parts labeled (I think) correctly, can be seen here.

Here is a picture of the mystery dial.
—There is one on each side of the orange roven. Little old school light switch style knobs at the bottom seem to turn, but effect nothing. Very curious.

Here is a picture of the mystery handle.
—Turning the handle makes a light clunking sound.

Here is a picture of the mystery box.
—The dial above this thing makes me question if this is indeed the broiler. I don't know. Somebody clear this up for me please.

Picture of "The Well".
—Neat-o. Now what? What can I make with this? How would I get something hot out of there?

And one of the inside of the broiler.
—This is strange indeed. Lid doesn't stay up (must have hand on handle). Can't figure out where to put the food! Do I cook on top (like bacon or pancakes) or put food inside drain tray (like salmon or steak)? Top doesn't seem right (drippings would run down the side), but inside doesn't seem right either (food would get crushed by metal thing above broiler pan).

And lastly, one of the oven.
—How do I clean this? Can't seem to lift bottom plate—what about drippings and stuff that falls beneath it?

Wow. That's a lot of confusion! If I can get one or two of these things dialed I'll be happy. I love to cook and would like to make the most of this sexy beast.

All other tips, suggestions or recipes related to this are most welcome!

Do convection microwave ovens work?

Nelson — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 14:17:44 -0800

Do convection microwave ovens work? I'm designing a dream kitchen for a house in San Francisco. Part of the plan is two electric wall ovens, with one being a convection microwave. Something like this Thermador. Most of the time we just need a regular oven and the occasional use of a microwave to reheat something. But we'd like a second oven for big meals; Thanksgiving dinner, that kind of thing.

I have no experience with convection microwave ovens. Do they work as practical substitutes for regular ovens? Can you bake a pie in them? Roast a turkey? Slowly cook a casserole? Or are they just glorified microwaves that aren't really good for cooking anything?

(I found two previous Ask Metafilter threads with positive comments on convection ovens: here and here.)

Short Oven?

Hillman Cobs — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 08:34:20 -0800

Is there an appliance that is between a full oven and a convection toaster oven? My wife and I are considering converting my parent's barn into a live/work studio. The only limitation (so far) that we have encountered is that we cannot have a full oven, but we can have burners – I really don't know the details behind the restriction, it's just the way it is. My wife loves to cook and bake, but doesn't want to have to do it in my parent's house whenever she feels the need. I have looked at some convection toaster ovens, but they are took small. Ideally we would want something that was more substantial, about half the height of a normal oven. I seem to recall seeing something like this in Japan (where they really don't have a need to cook a full turkey or anything like that), but I can't seem to find anything like it here. And we would prefer it not be electric. Sugggestions?

Should I buy a toaster oven with a dehydration option?

ontic — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 12:42:18 -0800

Toaster ovens with dehydrator option: any good? If it has it, is it comparable to food dehydrator quality dehydration? Any other positive experiences with particular toaster oven features or brands?

Biscuits burning (with boredom now)

jacobjacobs — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 07:24:32 -0800

My oven burns stuff on the bottom yet is undone on top, despite using prescribed minimum bake temp/time. WTD? For example, biscuits from a tube: I do everything as described on the packaging, correct temperature and using the minimum (if not less) bake time. The bottom is burnt and the top/middle is barely done. This is happened with cookies as well. For biscuits, I resort to taking them out of the oven and flipping them half way through the bake.

Any ideas why this happens? Could the temperature be off? I'm putting things on the top rack, closest to the top of the oven. Could it be the cookie sheet I use?

My merangues are a source of shame.

rongorongo — Sun, 15 Oct 2006 09:26:53 -0800

How do I get my merangues to do the right thing? Well cooked or commercially bought ones are white and powdery and crisp and light and perfectly shaped. Any that I try to make are brownish with a toffee like consistency at the bottom, a tendency to be gooey in the middle and a limpiy-like attraction to the "non stick" baking paper they sit on. What am I doing wrong? (PS I have only a gas oven available that may not be too great at the low temperatures required).

Why does the home stove have to be so cold?

zek — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 09:26:02 -0800

I always hear that restaurants and pizzerias use super-hot ovens to get that extra-good taste. So how come food for home (recipes, TV dinners, frozen pizzas, etc) always uses the paltry 350-425F range? Why not crank the thing up as high as it will go?

Fixing vintage Cookmaster stove/oven

mark7570 — Wed, 17 Aug 2005 11:44:13 -0800

I have a 1940s/50s-era Cookmaster stove and oven. Four burners, white, with stove and warming compartment. It's in great shape, with one problem: whenever I light the pilot light to turn on the oven, a few seconds later there's a "WHOOOMP!" sound - surely some gas build-up lighting - and then the oven is on, and it works fine. How can I fix this? I live in NYC and have tried and failed to find someone who can fix this vintage Cookmaster. I'd like to keep this in the kitchen but, of course, "safety first"...

So, should I...
- continue to try to find a repairperson for the Cookmaster
- eBay the sucker (anyone know anything about old Cookmasters' value?)
- do something else?

Any help appreciated.