Did you try making sourdough bread from scratch during the sourdough trend at the start of shelter-in-place last year?
Cooking has become a beloved hobby for many people because of the pandemic, but the oven is often only used for bread or desserts. And there aren’t many guides to help us understand how to use the oven correctly in recipes.
For this reason, I styled a little guide to help you cook with the oven and determine what defines cookware as oven-proof, simplifying the processes and allowing you to get the most out of every recipe.
There are many advantages of using the oven for cooking. One of my favorites is that you don’t need to stay close to the stove while cooking. You can move on and do other things.
Here are some tips to simplify your recipes, including the correct cooking temperatures and timings for different foods.
Fish
Fish fillets are often cooked on the grill.
This method isn’t ideal because the fillet’s side in contact with the pan is likely to overcook while the other side isn’t getting cooked at all, so you’ll have to turn the fillet over.
The result? An ugly and overcooked fish fillet.
To achieve the best results, place the fillet in an oven-proof pan, sprinkle it with 2 teaspoons of olive oil, add a pinch of salt and pepper, and place it into the preheated oven at 351°F for 10 minutes. These cooking directions apply to regular fish fillets that weigh up to 7 ounces each.
It’s as simple as that!
Red Meat
Red meat is delicious. But it has long cooking times, and most of us (myself included) are prone to cooking our steak on the grill, often overcooking it just like fish.
Here’s a simple yet perfect way to cooking steak: reverse searing.
Place a regular pan over high heat, pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil into it, and put the steak into the pan once it’s hot.
Roast for 5 seconds on each side, then place the steak into an oven-proof pan and put it in the oven at 374°F.
For thin steaks, let it cook for 4 minutes, and for thick steaks, let it cook for 8 minutes.
And voila! Your steak is perfectly done. Mess-free and easy.
Vegetables
Grilled vegetables are the best side dish because they complement every meal perfectly. But they aren’t that exciting to prepare.
The cooking process is stressful and time-consuming since you need to stay near the stove to prevent them from burning.
However, using your oven will require less time and work to accomplish the task, making your grilled vegetables fast and easy to prepare.
Start by cutting them into similar-sized slices to cook uniformly and then place them into a non-stick pan lined with baking paper at the bottom.
Season the vegetables with salt and pepper and place the pan in the preheated oven at 390°F.
Cook the vegetables for 7 to 11 minutes.
Oven-Proof Pans
Throughout this article, I’ve mentioned “oven-proof pans.”
A pan is considered oven-proof when it’s safe to place the pan into the oven, and it won’t burn or change the food’s taste.
I recently came across Chef Avenue’s website while browsing for recipe ideas and casually reading about Omnipan.
Omnipan is a newly designed oven-proof pan that can withstand high oven temperatures up to 450°F. That sounds great since I’ll be able to even bake bread in it.
Standard oven-proof pans aren’t suited for this use. Food will stick to the pan, ruining any recipe.
Its modular design will help me store the food in my restaurant, allowing me to save space.
Omnipan will be launched on Kickstarter in April 2021, and I’ll be the first one to support it. You can sign up here to reserve your invite.
About the Author
Salvo Ranno is a professional Chef currently living and working in Italy. He has an extensive background working in 5-star hotels and restaurants. His last experience was in a Michelin-starred restaurant. In his free time, he is a Chef consultant and collaborates with worldwide brands in recipe development.
