Great luck with Foreman Contact Roasting Machine

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Posted by Audrey Harvey, Member, Austin TX:


Great luck with Foreman Contact Roasting Machine
Thanks to some encouragement and helpful suggestions from Suz and a few other fiberglass rv owners, I took the plunge and got me a George Forman Contact Cooker.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00...8067643-2586317

When I received the cooker, I was delighted with the small size.

I have done some "experiments" at home to get the cooker trailer-worthy and to gain some confidence about using it while camping.

The first step was to "get the new out" as Suz put it. After reviewing the manual I decided to try just baking some potatoes. That way I could remove the skin if we felt that there were any "off" flavors - or just throw the potatoes away if something went wrong.

My husband also made me use the cooker outside so in case there was any "out-gassing". I think it's kind of typical when you first use an electric appliance like this that there tends to be some funny smells that eventually go away.

We did two potatoes set at 75 minutes. Washed the potatoes, pricked the skins, and rubbed the skins with a little olive oil, then just placed them in the oven. They came out fabulous. The oven did have a bit of a funny smell for the first 20 minutes or so, so I am glad I used it outside. After that - just yummy baking potato smell. The potatoes came out wonderfully moist inside. I think they baked even better than in our regular oven.

Already a huge positive for the Casita - fresh baked potatoes while camping - now that's really something to look forward to!!

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Audrey Harvey
2003 Casita 17ft LD "Cloud Nine"

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Posted by Audrey Harvey, Member, Austin TX:

The real test - roasting some meat
After great success with the potatoes, I was ready to really test the machine and try roasting some meat.

Now, here was a critical issue for me: I like my meat done just perfectly. I don't like it well done at all, but it also must be cooked to a safe temperature. I accomplish this by use of a remote digital temperature probe - a device that you leave inserted into the meat you are cooking and have a thin cable that comes out of the oven and plugs into a digital readout device. I first got this to use on a grill plus in my regular home oven.

So, would the cooker:
a) roast meat well and,
work properly with my remote temperature probe?

Last night I roasted a single pork tenderloin with a cranberry chutney glaze. Since the tenderloin is quite lean, I roasted it in the pan this time.

The recipe (assuming a regular oven at 350 degrees) called for 30 minutes. I preheated the contact cooker, then set the timer on the contact cooker for 30 minutes, inserted the probe in the tenderloin, put the pan with the tenderloin into the cooker, and closed the top on the temp probe cable. Top seemed to close just fine. After 27-28 minutes the probe reached 160 degrees, so I removed the pan with the roast and turned off the machine.

Well the roast was just awesome. Just barely pink in color inside, tender and moist. Obviously the probe worked really well with the contact oven.

We now deem this little oven Casita-worthy and look forward to several great meals on the road with it, and I haven't even tried to bake cornbread or brownies in it yet!

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Audrey Harvey
2003 Casita 17ft LD "Cloud Nine"

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Posted by Audrey Harvey, Member, Austin TX:

More on the temperature probe
I thought I would add a few words about the temperature probe. This handy gadget has really help us get our meat done just right. We first got it when we got one of those contact (clamshell style) electric grills. We weren't experienced grillers, and were tired of cutting into the meat to see if it was done yet.

We got one that was $25 from Williams-Sonoma. Lots of cooking places sell them - they range around $20 to $30.

<img src=http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/uploads/3f0acb4becd20digitaltherm.jpg/>

We use the temp probe in any meat/poulty/fish that we grill or roast. It has really helped us get things "just right" - properly cooked and still juicy and moist and never overdone or underdone. No need to open or test anything, just wat for the target temp to be reached.

Our temp probe has preprogrammed settings for different kinds of meat and you can dial in your own settings in 1 degree increments. You can set a temp "alarm" that starts to sound off when the meat gets within 10 degrees of target. Hard to go wrong. The only critical thing is to make sure the tip of the probe is properly inserted into the center of the meat and not too close to an edge. Also, put the probe in the meat BEFORE you put into the cooking device so that you can be sure it's inserted properly - it's harder to do right once you put the meat on the grill, etc.

A note about the preset temperatures. We notice that the temp probe is way conservative on temperatures, meaning that if you use the preset temps your meat will always be well done. Probably a CYA thing. The official USDA recommended temps are actually a bit lower than what the probe has as built in settings but are still somewhat conservative. Then there are temps called "Chef's Choice" - I think what you would get in a restaurant - that are just a bit lower than the official USDA temps - but still safe, of course. We just dial down from the preset temp to what we think is correct and tend to use the "Chef's Choice" temps because we like our meat moist.

I use the book "Grill Power" as my reference for proper cooking temps. This is a pretty good book for learning to cook with a contact grill. Some of the recipes have been great. I haven't cared for some others which was just really a matter of personal taste. But I still use it regularly as a reference when I am trying something new. It has an awesome marinade for grilled salmon early in the book. We've only made that recipe 10 times or more since Feb.

Check out Grill Power book.

Well, I hope this info helps someone else eat great and easy while trailering.

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Audrey Harvey
2003 Casita 17ft LD "Cloud Nine"

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Posted by Suz, Moderator, North Texas:

Contact Roaster
Thanks, Audrey, for a great report.

After exchanging a couple of e-mails with you, I tried the baked potatoes. Yes, they turned out just as well as you said they would. Thanks!

I am also going to get a probe. I think that is a grand idea!


Would you believe that the only time it didn't turn out for me was when I cooked for several fellow campers? Go figure. Never fails. I think that I finally concluded that it must have been the quality of the meat. Oh, well.

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Suz
1989 Casita
16 ft Spirit Deluxe

[Legacy Posts]

Posted by Al V, Member, Hampton, Va:

Fork thermometers
Do they work ok ?
I have been thinking about trying one right now i use an old fashion chefs thermometer.

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Al and Mac The Kat

Last edited by: Al V on 07-08-03 16:16:40

[Legacy Posts]

Posted by Barbara Gardin, Member, West Grey, Ontario, Canada:

Fork Thermometer
Hi Al,
I recently bought one and I don't like it at all. It maybe just the brand I bought but I find it very hard to read. It has to be at exactly the right angle and exactly the right light to see the type of meat and temp. I went back to my old type.

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Barbara
Devil or Angel
13 FT Boler
Pulled by 55 Chevy

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Posted by Al V, Member, Hampton, Va:

Thanks Barbara


saved me 20 thankyou

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Al and Mac The Kat

[Legacy Posts]

Posted by Carol and Jim Upton, Moderator, Canyon Country, Calif.:

George Forman Contact Cooker at K-Mart
If anyone is interested and if your K-Mart is running the same special.... We just came from K-Mart and the George Forman Contact Cooker is on close-out for $36.00..

We use a toaster-broiler-oven and don't need it - but it sure is a good deal.

You might want to hurry to beat the crowd.


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Carol
17' Casita Liberty Deluxe
"Snuggy Buggy"

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Posted by Audrey Harvey, Member, Austin TX:

Thanks Carol and Jim
Wow - that is a good deal! How come I always find out about these great deals after I have already bought something?

Well, today I discovered that my little Foreman grill, which I did manage to buy on clearance, will work great as a toaster. It does a great job of grilling sandwiches and toasting the outside nicely. Haven't had the space to add a toaster to the Casita collection of gadgets, but how I can have my toast anyway!!

Boy these appliances are fun and handy. Glad they come in small packages.

Audrey


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Audrey Harvey
2003 Casita 17ft LD "Cloud Nine"

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Posted by Joan Hanlon, Member, Denver CO:

Can it bake bread & cakes?
Just curious if anyone has tried bread or cakes in the cooker? Sounds like a great thing to get. I love to bake and was trying to figure out how to do it on the road.

p.s. Where do you guys put all this stuff in these small trailers? I'm afraid to load up my little Burro...There are wires and copper tubing in all the storage areas and I didn't know if I could still store stuff in there?

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Posted by Mary F, Moderator, Central TX:

Storing cooking (and other) utensils, appliances, etc.
Hi again, Joan.

You're right to be cautious about storage, but it's amazing how much stuff you can carry in small spaces. This old discussion on storage in small fiberglass travel trailers might have some useful ideas. It includes a reference to the ''Watt box'' which is a contraption for the tow vehicle to help organize all of the many things some people can't do without.

Personally, I like to use dishpans (when they'll fit the space) to hold things and act as a baffle to protect plumbing and wiring...

I'll let Suz and Audrey and the others answer your question about the baking.



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Mary F
1999 Casita (17ft Liberty Deluxe)

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Posted by Suz, Moderator, North Texas:

Baking, by George
Simple baking, yes.

What I found is that you can bake about anything that is small and can be baked at 350*.

The small single layer cake mixes work really well in there. My biscuits bake at a little bit higher temp so I haven't tried them yet. Besides, I like mine done over a campfire. Yummy and crispy.

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Suz
1989 Casita
16 ft Spirit Deluxe

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Posted by Jana J., Moderator, Northeast Oklahoma:


As I was one of those who got to taste Suz disaster , I feel compelled to say. I bought the oven anyway. and the disaster was tasty, just a little dry. (I still think it was all that plugging and replugging myself)
so far I've done;
1st. a cake. mixed up a regular size did half in the toaster oven, and half in the forman. took same amount of time in both, and tasted just alike. the forman is smaller. (I didn't think to take it outside the first time, but with a spice cake, I didn't notice any smell.)
2nd. did a meat loaf. and it was fabulous even if I do say so myself. used a regular meat thermometer and ended up cooking it the same amount of time I would in the big oven. and I didn't have that stupid electronic fan noise to put up with.
3rd try was just a minute ago. apple pie. need 400 degrees. so took 10 minutes longer then the big oven. but did brown nicely. I love this little thing.
I've started cooking half in the forman and half in something else. no disappointments so far. and I'm having FUN doing the experiment.

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Jana Journeycake
PullsButtercupwithYellaEscape
1975 Surfside TM-14 (ft)