Fall Convection Steam Meals – Chicken and Dumplings
By Larissa Taboryski on Dec 01th,2016Seventeen years ago when the Gaggenau Combi Steam Oven was introduced in the United Sates it heralded a revolution in modern cooking appliances. Having never cooked in a Combi Steam Oven before I was of course a little uncertain where to begin but I quickly found that approaching my cooking in the oven, based on the functions of the oven was a good way to get started. So instead of searching for “special” recipes I continued to cook the same foods I always cooked using the functions of the Steam Oven instead of the traditional recipe method.
As with everything it was very much trial and error in the beginning but I was very much encouraged by the response of clients who attended our classes, they always commented on the superior flavor and texture of foods we cooked in the Steam Oven and it didn’t take long for the Steam Oven to become the star of the kitchen. Certainly we steamed grains, vegetables, seafood and chicken but we also roasted meats and vegetables, cooked succulent braises and ribs, baked bread and of course re-heated foods to perfection and, we learned a great deal about Low Temperature Cooking for lean tender cuts of meat. I honestly feel learning to work with the tools of the Steam Oven has made us better cooks !
This warming comfort food recipe for Chicken with Steamed Vegetables and Dumplings featured in the video is a perfect example of how easy it is to adapt recipes to take advantage of the tools of the Steam Oven. When you read a recipe think through the cooking plan, if the recipe says to boil any vegetables turn on the Steam Oven and, I believe you will find it easier to focus on the cooktop cooking portion if you don’t have to deal with too many pots at one time. Once the food is in the Steam Oven and you have set the timer that food is under control.
When the recipe is assembled the instructions say to cover the dish and to bake it in the oven, by covering a dish we are creating Steam but of course you have the option of selecting the Combination Convection Steam Mode and baking it in the Steam Oven, that’s how easy it is to use your Steam Oven and remember popping those cooking inserts in the Dishwasher is a lot easier than cleaning a lot of pots!