Flower - The Everyday Halogen Family Cookbook: Another 200 delicious meals and treats from the author of The Everyday Halogen Oven Cookbook

Also by Sarah Flower The Everyday Halogen Oven Cookbook Quick, easy and nutritious recipes for all the family Halogen Cooking for TwoPerfect Baking with your Halogen Oven How to create tasty bread, cupcakes, bakes, biscuits and savouries Slow Cook, Fast Food 200 Healthy, wholesome slow cooker and one pot meals for all the family Eat Well, Spend Less 200 quick, economical and healthy recipes for busy home cooks Live More, Spend Less A savvy guide to saving money for all the family Constable & Robinson Ltd. 5556 Russell Square London WC1B 4HP www.constablerobinson.com First published 2011 How To Books greatly reduce the carbon footprint of their books by sourcing their typesetting and printing in the UK. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or stored in an information retrieval system (other than for purposes of review) without the express permission of the publisher in writing. The right of Sarah Flower to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Text 2011 Sarah Flower British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN: 978 1 905862 70 2
eISBN: 978 1 845285 87 6 Produced for How To Books by Deer Park Productions, Tavistock, Devon Designed and typeset by Mousemat Design Ltd Printed and bound in Great Britain by Bell & Bain Ltd, Glasgow NOTE: The material contained in this book is set out in good faith for general guidance and no liability can be accepted for loss or expense incurred as a result of relying in particular circumstances on statements made in the book. Laws and regulations are complex and liable to change, and readers should check the current position with relevant authorities before making personal arrangements. Cover design: Ian Hughes, Mousemat Design

I am thrilled that my first halogen cookbook, The Everyday Halogen Oven Cookbook, has been such a success and I sincerely hope this sequel will continue to inspire you. It has been incredibly rewarding to read some of the positive reviews and comments posted on the internet. I have also received so many lovely emails from readers, some with food queries, others just to let me know how they are getting on with the book. I am especially proud to be getting more emails from readers overseas the US, Australia and New Zealand in particular.

I would like to start a forum for readers to share their experiences and recipes, so watch this space and keep an eye on my website: www.sarahflower.co.uk As you may already know, I am a big fan of the halogen oven and I genuinely use it every day. My son, who is currently at university, also has a halogen it is perfect for students! This little machine boasts a huge variety of skills baking, roasting, steaming, defrosting, grilling and it can even wash itself! For those watching their weight, the halogen also drains the fat from meat, leaving you lean, mean joints that taste delicious and cook up to 40% faster than in a conventional oven. Although, for me, the benefits of the halogen are not to do with speed. It is convenient, easy to use, and totally energy efficient and I love the fact that you have a perfect view of your creations while they cook. It has become part of my life and I would be lost without it. Sarah x

As in my other halogen cookbooks, this first chapter shows newbie halogen oven users how to get the most from their machine. Sarah x As in my other halogen cookbooks, this first chapter shows newbie halogen oven users how to get the most from their machine.

If you have bought another one of my books, you may want to skip this chapter as it contains duplicate information, or you might like to quickly scan it just to remind yourself of the joys of the halogen. Choosing the right machine for you There are many different halogen ovens on the market, but they are basically all the same machine. The two main variations are the bowl size and whether the lid is on a hinge. My first machine was from JML when they first started to become popular. I was not really sure what to expect and, over time, it has gained more and more use in our home. Personally I would opt for the largest bowl as this increases the ovens usability.

You can also purchase extenders, which can help maximise use. Extenders are metal rings that fit over the top of the halogen bowl, literally extending the height of the bowl and enabling you to fit more into your oven. The lid then fits on top of the extender. They are also useful if you want to keep the food away from the heating elements to prevent burning. After using the JML, I progressed to the Flavorwave Turbo Platinum Oven. Some of the advantages of this particular oven are that it has a hinged lid, digital settings, three-speed fan and a preheat setting.

Looking at online forums I have noticed that the lids do cause a bit of a bugbear. I used a lid stand positioned beside my JML machine, though annoyingly these are optional extras that you have to purchase and are quite flimsy to look at. Personally, I think it is better to buy the halogen cooker with the hinged lid if you can afford it this is definitely a safer and easier option. How do they work? The halogen oven is basically a large glass bowl with an electric halogen lid. The lid is heavy as it contains the halogen element, timer and temperature settings. It can be fiddly to clean but I will come to that later.

The halogen bulbs heat up the bowl and the fan moves the air around the bowl to create an even temperature. As it is smaller than a conventional oven, it heats up faster, reducing the need for long preheating and in some cases reducing the overall cooking time. This makes it a very popular choice for those watching their pennies, living on their own or, like me, cooking for a busy family. It has even become a popular choice for students and caravanners. I read on a forum that some caravanners use the self-clean facility just like a mini dishwasher ingenious! It is also popular as a second oven and really becomes invaluable at busy times like Christmas. For safety, the lids handle has to be in place (placed securely down) for the machine to turn on.

This means that when you lift the lid, the oven is automatically turned off. If you are using the Flavorwave machine with the hinged lid, you have to press the start button and remember to turn the machine off when you lift the lid. The halogen does cook slightly differently to a conventional oven, so first beginning to use it often involves a process of trial and error, but it is not vastly different. If you have favourite recipes that you cook in the conventional oven, try them in the halogen. I find cooking at a slightly lower temperature or cooking for less time normally gives the same results, but hopefully this book will help give you more confidence. The halogen oven is not a microwave and does not work in the same way as a microwave, so if you are thinking you can cook food in minutes you are wrong.

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