This year, there is one more holiday in my personal calendar — in the fall, we finished repairs in the kitchen. And now the kitchen has become a place where I spend time with pleasure. The reason for this is the new oven from Miele. It is unlike any other that I have had to deal with before.
All thanks to the “Convection with steam” technology. The increased humidity level works wonders. For example, in an ordinary oven, the chicken breast on duty was always dry and harsh. Now it just melts in your mouth and exudes delicious smells. Homemade cakes are just a sight to behold. I have never made such lush, rosy and delicious pies. Among other things, I began to bake homemade bread with pleasure. Now not a week passes that the family does not ask to treat them with their favorite bread with dried fruits and pumpkin seeds.
The oven from Miele is the embodiment of unique technologies. So, it is equipped with a wireless thermal probe. You no longer need to constantly look into the oven to find out if the heat is enough and how evenly the dish is fried. The thermal probe controls the exact temperature inside the product. This allows you to observe the smallest nuances of the recipe and cook delicious meat, fish and poultry.
An incredibly useful thing in the oven is the FlexiClip telescopic guides. They are securely fixed at any level and allow you to fully extend the baking trays and grates from the working chamber. Now you can safely pour the sauce over the roast without fear of getting burned on the hot surface.
All kinds of modes in the oven allow you to cook dozens of different dishes that were previously beyond my power. With the help of the large and small grill modes, I learned how to bake first-class sausages and sausages as if on a picnic. In the “Grill with blowing” mode, you can cook excellent meat rolls, knuckle or whole baked duck, which is served with berry sauce. Now these are my signature dishes, which guests do not get tired of praising at family holidays.
Even ordinary dishes have become much tastier. In a special automatic program, my signature pizza turns out to be extremely crispy and tender. And thanks to the “Intensive baking” mode, I brought an open pie with apricot jam according to my grandmother’s recipe to perfection. There are a couple of my favorite tricks. If you need to get a ruddy golden crust at the final stage of cooking, I turn on the “Upper heat” mode. If you need to cook something in a water bath and at the same time brown the dish from below, the “Lower heat”mode helps.
In addition to the standard options, a special program for drying fruits is provided in the oven menu. It maintains not only a suitable temperature in the chamber, but also creates an optimal microclimate in order to get perfectly cooked dried fruits. More than once, the oven helped me out when there was little time left, and the family needed to be fed here and now. So, the defrosting mode significantly reduces the defrosting period of minced meat or vegetables, while they thaw evenly, as at room temperature.
I was particularly pleased with the fact that the oven does not require special care. Thanks to the CleanSteel coating, fingerprints and streaks are not left on the front panels. And the working chamber with PerfectClean coating is easily cleaned of grease and other contaminants. In case of heavy contamination, you can use the pyrolytic cleaning function. So I didn’t have to spend money on expensive detergents. Any dirt can be easily removed with a conventional dishwashing detergent.
A few words about the appearance. The way I chose the design of the kitchen is a separate epic. But the Miele oven fits perfectly into the interior of the kitchen. A stylish design solution, concise, elegant and thought out to the last detail, is beyond praise. I still can’t get enough of my new kitchen. And all thanks to the Miele oven. I love to experiment with my favorite assistant. I feel like a real chef with him, and my cookbook continues to be updated with new dishes. But most importantly, now I know exactly what it is to cook for fun.
Finally, I want to share a couple of branded recipes.
Winter charlotte with apples and persimmons
I beat the sponge dough for charlotte from 4 eggs, 180 g of sugar and a pinch of vanilla. Previously, I separated the whites from the yolks and beat them with a mixer for a long time into strong peaks so that the dough was more lush. Now, thanks to steam convection, there is no need for this. I gradually add 160 g of flour to the beaten eggs and gently knead it with a silicone spatula so that the dough does not fall off. At the end, I put a pinch of cinnamon. I cut dense large persimmons and peeled apples into thin slices. That’s all. Now you need to cover the round shape with parchment paper, grease with oil, lay out the apple slices, pour out the batter and spread the persimmon slices beautifully on top. I bake the charlotte at a temperature of 180°C for about 30-35 minutes. In the Miele oven, it increases almost twice, it turns out very tender and ruddy. And the fragrance is just a fairy tale!
Quince pastille
But I learned to cook this amazing delicacy in the fall. You need to choose a completely mature quince-only about 1 kg. I cut it into large slices, remove the core, pour water directly with the peel and cook for 15-20 minutes. As a result, the peel is removed very easily. With a blender, I thoroughly knead the pulp to the state of puree, I fall asleep with sugar, about 700-800 g. I also add lemon juice. I put the fruit puree on a low heat and cook, stirring often, until it becomes thick. I cover the baking sheet with parchment paper, spread the puree in an even dense layer, put it in the Miele oven and turn on a special program “Drying”. What is the convenience? The fact that it creates an ideal microclimate in the working chamber, and you can go about your business while the pastille is being prepared. With a conventional oven, there is a lot of hassle — you need to keep the door ajar, constantly make sure that the pastille does not burn, turn the baking tray, etc.With Miele, everything is much easier, faster and tastier.