Tour my kitchen: the range and double oven
by Aimee
The very first meal I prepared with my new oven is one I will never forget.
It was Thanksgiving, 2013. We were a small group, and the gas range had yet to be hooked up, yet I was bound and determined to cook us a feast. After all, I had two (electric) ovens at my disposal and I love a good challenge.
I set a pumpkin pie in the top oven of my KitchenAid dual fuel range, and set the lower oven to ‘convection roast’. The manual for my range, which coincidentally had a roast turkey on the cover, stated that the cooking time would be reduced by 15-30 % on convection roast and how right it was.
My bird finished is just under 2 hours, which gave me plenty of time to whip up a few sides and bake them along side the turkey. Thanks to the Even-Heat true convection technology in the oven, the turkey stayed moist while the potatoes crisped up nicely.
I made cranberry sauce and gravy in the microwave, as well as a bowl of steamed corn, and we sat down to our official Thanksgiving meal feeling very thankful indeed. I can’t wait for Christmas to do it all over again, this time with the five gas burners also at my disposal.
We’re totally abusing that cheesy saying “Now you’re cooking with gas!” around here, because, well, it is something that I have wanted for a long time – since my days behind restaurant stoves – and it’s finally happened. Here is a closer look at the beauty you briefly saw in yesterday’s kitchen tour post:
It’s the KitchenAid dual fuel double oven range with Even-Heat technology, featuring five burners, plus an option for a griddle (pictured). This appliance is making my life a heck of a lot easier and it is a huge relief knowing that my recipes, both for the upcoming cookbook and this blog, are tested with the precision that this range offers.
Since we’re not near a natural gas line, we purchased a propane tank and had the line put into the house. It was a hassle-free conversion and one that I won’t regret.
I put that middle burner to the test right away with an enormous pot of chicken stock. It maintained an even simmer the whole time, resulting in a very clear stock. We’ve cooked up homemade flour tortillas on the griddle as well with great success.
I’m so glad I went for the double oven, which came highly recommended to me by friends on Facebook. It’s incredibly handy to heat just one small oven for things like toasting nuts or baking a few cookies for an after school snack.
Cooking pro tip? Keep a tray of basic condiments – cooking oil, olive oil, salt and pepper- near the stove for easy accessibility. An old mustard pot or small jar is handy for tasting spoons, cake tester sticks and a meat thermometer.
One last tip: invest in a pot lid rack if you can. They help you keep the pots and pans organized. This one is from Ikea.
This is only the very beginning of a solid working relationship with my KitchenAid dual fuel range. As you can guess, this appliance will get put through its paces and it is totally up for the task. I look forward to bringing you many more recipes developed with it in the months and years to come.
And so concludes the second instalment of the kitchen tour. See you tomorrow when we step into my mismatched dining room…
Interested in the Thanksgiving recipes from the top of the post? Here they are:
Disclosure:
KitchenAid Canada has compensated me for my services and my posts, but all posts represent my own opinion.
Questions? I’ll be around to chat in the comments. Thanks for reading!
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