Oven conundrums

[FusionChefGeoff]

Moved in on Fri. Hadn’t paid much attention to oven - looked like normal double oven and was a Miele so I was chuffed with that.

But - the main oven is TINY - kind of a reverse tarsus, looks big on the outside, no space inside, and the top section is a bloody steam oven. A steam oven I tell you. I mean, what the bloody use is that?!?

I’ve got over excited as we finally have room to host and are expecting 9 for Xmas dinner and no bloody room to cook

So, would you:

A) Rip out whole lot and replace with bigger but much more ‘normal’ brand. Budget up to £500
B) Try to buy 2nd hand Miele combination oven to replace steam oven - can’t afford a new one
C) seriously pair down Xmas expectations (basically to Turkey, spuds, carrots, broccoli, mashed suede/carrots, red cabbage and pigs in blankets)

My brain is fried after move and I keep getting stuck in analysis paralysis!!

[PunjanaTea]

I would do some research on steam ovens and work out how I could use it. I know people who rave about them.

[PunjanaTea]

Oh and for Christmas cook turkey in steam oven and everything else in the main oven.

What else were you planning to have for Christmas dinner?

[GrockleBocs]

C and then A in the sales.

[whiskyowl]

Oh no!! How frustrating.

However good steam ovens are, it's not going to help if you can't fit all the trimmings for a roast in there!

I would:

• do 3 courses instead of a roast, and then reduce the main roast a bit. To be honest, your 'pared down' version sounds lovely and really huge anyway!!
  
• consider doing anything you can in pans/slow cookers/microwave - Waitrose do excellent braised cabbage that is microwavable, for instance!
  
• If you can beg or borrow a Remoska for a bit, it can cook roast potatoes.
  
• buy the oven you really want in the new year sales!

[Cammymyle]

You haven't said that the steam oven's too small, or have I misunderstood?
If it's the right size, find out how the steam function works.

What on earth were you planning to cook if that's the pared down main course?!

[whiskyowl]

cammy - it says really clearly the main oven is tiny (in capitals) in the opening post! Sounds like the steam oven is the top oven, which tends to be the smaller of the two in most doubles I've seen.

[Cammymyle]

Right enough! I didn't realise that steam ovens are small.

[whiskyowl]

I don't think they all are, necessarily - Ikea have one that's the same size as their standard one. It's just in the OP's case she has a tiny main oven and an even smaller steam oven on top. Some of the "doubles" are more like two singles these days - dunno why!

[whiskyowl]

(Sorry, that wasn't clear - I meant some "double" ovens are more like two small top ovens than one large and one smaller space).

[FusionChefGeoff]

Yes that it’s - 2 really small ovens and 1 is a steam oven. It’s also got an internal water tank which makes it even smaller.

I could steam the turkey but still wouldn’t get all my sides in the normal oven and they’re the sort of thing that need to be roasted I think.

I would normally add cauliflower cheese, yorkies and roast parsnips just because I absolutely LOVE the trimmings - personally I’d rather have no turkey and more sides but not sure that FIL would cope with that!

[FusionChefGeoff]

I feel a TAAT coming on in Food / Recipes about using my steam oven!

But definitely going to wait for Sales before replacing, I was Christmas blind for a bit there - thanks for the virtual slap round the chops to bring me round