Health for life

Hi,

I went shopping today at Sams Club with a friend. I decided to go there so I could stock up on meat and salad veggies. I brought the large packages of pork chops and hamburger patties home and talked with my friend as I separated everything into individual zipper lock bags and placed them in the freezer. It only took about 30 minutes to get it all in the freezer. Of course, now I need to stock up on the zipper lock bags that I like to buy from Aldis because they are cheaper there.

I will still need to go to Kroger for the cage free eggs and smaller packages of bleach, etc., but the main protein and veggies are bought.

Im thinking about getting a new table top convection oven. I have a Nuwave Oven which Ive been using for a couple of years and Id like to get a new one. The design of the NWO could be improved upon. For one, I would like to be able to choose the temperature I am using to cook my food. It has a "high, med, low" but Id like to be more precise. I also no longer like the plastic dome because it has become cracked (not yet broken) and discolored -- even a part of the edge at the bottom has "bubbled." The bubbles are extremely small but I dont like them and no matter how long I let the plastic dome soak in the dish water it just does not come out clean looking. My sink is very small so I can only let it stand in the water and turn it after a while to soak it, but It still works so I am using it until I decide which new one to get.

I like the ones that are a glass bowl because they appear to be easier to clean. You just fill the bowl with soapy water and turn the cooker on -- at least that is what is advertized online. Although I read one review that said the glass bowl is very heavy and awkward to handle in the sink which is a consideration for me, but if I use the aforementioned method, perhaps I wont run into too much of that.

I can see only one disadvantage to the deep bowl: you have to reach down into a hot bowl to remove the hot food. I suppose tongs will work fine for that, and some of them come with a pair of tongs, but the NO design is easier to retrieve your food. The only thing that is a small problem is that the cooking rack has four standing metal loops that protrude above the grill and I sometimes brush my hands against them when Im slicing meat on the grill while checking for done-ness. They are, of course, very hot at that point in time and they burn. I guess you just have to adjust to the design youve purchased.

I have not decided whether I want to go with the 10.4 quart or the 12 quart in some other model. I usually cook for only one so dont really need the 12-qt for everyday cooking... but what if I want to make a nice meal for someone? I suppose I could use the big oven for that, so perhaps I should just go for the smaller one for everyday practicality. 

I also like the counter-top height of the appliance. No more bending over a huge hot oven to check, baste, or remove hot dishes. Being able to manage the cooking from the same height I do everything else in the kitchen is very convenient and easier on the back. Since I dont eat starchy vegetables like potatoes and such, the only thing I actually cook is meat. Ive been seasoning nearly everything with lots of garlic and curry powder and loving the robust flavors. I really like the curry powder on hamburger patties -- it gives them a flavor punch.

Ive also been using reduced sugar ketchup (which I learned about at Thrive) along with spicy brown mustard which Ive always used. I may not purchase the ketchup again, because it has sucralose in it, even though a reduced calorie amount. I just dont think I need to get used to using ketchup. So, for now, Ill use it, but when it is gone, Ill not replace it.

About the coconut oil experiment: It has been a little difficult to remember to down the two tablespoons of CO thirty minutes before each one of my meals. It is simply a rather odd thing to do. I cant imagine my great grandmother doing such a thing, except for her health. I know that our ancestors used to take cod liver oil by the spoonful, so maybe it is not as odd as I was thinking. They used to take castor oil, too.

My mother had some ancient bottles of both of these under the sink when I was growing up. I remember being very curious about them. I had never seen her open or use them so I asked Mom what they were for. I dont recall her precise wording but I remember her telling me they were supposed to be good for you but they did not taste very good. I had to, of course, try them. I only tried them once. Whew-eeee! I never did that again. Now that I think about it, they were probably rancid. The bottles were very old even when I was a child.

I have tried a simple dry (unsweetened) coconut recipe that is interesting. I take about a tablespoon of desicated coconut and mix it with a pinch of xylitol, a shake of salt and a teaspoon of baking cocoa along with the tablespoon of coconut oil. It becomes a little like fudge and is pretty tasty, but I cannot eat more than that small batch. It is very filling.

The coconut oil also seems to do something to my throat which makes me cough. It somehow seems to coat the top of the throat and then melt, leaking down the wrong pipe. It is somewhat uncomfortable. It seems to be worse when made into the "fudge" than simply taking it straight. (Im not sure why.) I think I also per to mix the CO into something or cook with it rather than to take it "straight.".

I will have to continue the experiment now that I have the proper foods to eat. I was not actually eating "improper" foods, I just had run out of raw veggies and was eating simple meals of protein only. My body gets out of balance when I do that and I have to start taking antacids, but now that I have the right supplies I shall continue the CO experiment and see if I lose weight doing it properly.

Ive got some water seepage in my back bathroom and have asked a local handy man to come and look at it. He will be here at ten in the morning. My idea of the solution to the problem is threefold: 1 Apply a fresh coat of roof seal on the entire roof, 2. Clean the gutters, and 3. fill any gaps in the metal siding with "Great Stuff." I will have to wait and see if he thinks that is the proper route, and if he will do it, and for how much. I will be glad when the job is done and there is no more seepage.  I had to apply many sprayings of Febreze to get rid of the smell of mildew last week and this weekend it rained pretty long and hard so the carpet was wet again. There is still a faint oder of mildew which might be coming from the walls. Dont know what can be done about that, except for more Febreze. (Heres a link to some Febreze coupons if you need them: http://www.febreze.com/SpecialOffers.aspx .)

Thats all for now,

Be back soon,

Marcia

Hi,

Since my last post I purchased and am using a new Secura Halogen Convection oven and so far, I like it very much. Ive packed up my old Nuwave Oven and am giving it to a friend who has told me repeatedly that he wished he had one. Im a little embarrassed about the color of the plastic dome on the NWO but it cant be helped (as far as I know). Ive tried soaking it, and using baking soda on a scrubby sponge but it is simply baked into the plastic and wont come out. My friend wondered if CLR would work on it, but I had to remind him that it is plastic. Anyway, he will get the opportunity to own one and use it and see if he likes it.

I also included the original operating manual and the laminated cooking chart that came with the oven. I scanned the cooking chart so I would still have a copy of it for myself in case I needed it for the new oven.  I really like being able to choose the temperature and time with the two little dials on the Secura. I did not want digital like I had on the NWO. I dont really have a reason for not wanting the digital except for maybe the readout was hard for me to see -- which is why I per the nice little dials: they are easier for my old eyes to read.

Ive only cooked some chicken sausage links and hamburger patties in the new oven so far, but it seems to work very well. Im still getting used to choosing the time and temp settings and have been using the manual as a guide. As I was shopping online I found an oven made by Deni with a design very similar to the Secura that had a downloadable owners manual so I printed out one of those to give to my friend, also. It had a few nice recipes which can be used as guides.

The thing about a convection oven is that it has a fan that forces the hot air to circulate and cook the food on both sides at once. You rarely have to turn anything over because it crisps on both sides at once as long as it is on a rack and not in a pan. It also cuts the cooking time by about twenty-five percent (I think.) That is why restaurant food comes to the table so quickly, they have high powered convection ovens to get the job done fast. So when using your favorite recipe in a convection oven you will need to either lower the temperature or shorten the cooking time or both. It should only take one time to experiment and see how it works on any particular favorite recipe.

The price you pay on the two ovens is nearly identical but you get a lot more "stuff" with the Nuwave, including a carrying case, a DVD to show you how to use it, a drink mixer and a food chopper and a nice recipe book. This makes me think the Nuwave is made more cheaply because how could they provide all that free stuff and make a profit if making the Nuwave took up all the profits? Thats not happening, or else they would not still be in business. But, I must certainly admit that it cooks just like they promise it will. You just have to be caul to follow the cooking instructions -- but that is true of any oven.

So why am I happy with my Secura if I didnt get any free stuff with it? I never used any of the free stuff I got with the Nuwave. The carrying case sat in a corner. The cook book got lost. I viewed the DVD when I got the oven and never needed to view it again. I dont mix drinks and I rarely chop up veggies as small as the chopper makes them, so they ended up not being of true value to me -- not that they might not be of value to someone else. I would just as soon have paid the real price for the oven and skipped the "free stuff." I suggest that the price might have been about a third of what is charged -- or half, at the very least.

And the Secura? You dont need a DVD to show you how to use it. You put your food on the rack. You set the time. You set the temperature. You turn it on. What is difficult about that? This is the same as any other oven youve used in the past. Of course there may be a few who have never used an oven before and need a little more instruction to build up their confidence. There is plenty of information on the internet if you just search for it.

The glass oven bowl in the Secura is solid, heavy and, so far, has no stains or discoloration. I am especially liking the halogen cooking device. The Nuwave has a conventional heating coil, but the Secura has a halogen light that does the cooking and it is hot almost immediately. There does not seem to be a noticeable warm up time that I can tell. As soon as it comes on, I can feel the heat through the glass bowl with my hand. And the thing that really delights me is that I can see what is cooking inside because it is completely bathed in a spot light!! Its like having a little camp fire on my counter top that glows!!  I just like it. The light cycles off and on as it adjusts the temperature inside the glass oven bowl and it has a nice loud "ding" when it is done.

I did read one or two reviews of halogen convection ovens that caught on fire or broke more easily than the Nuwave, but I would imagine you should be able to get a replacement bulb from the manufacturer. So for dependability the Nuwave cooking coil seems like it will probably last longer. But I still like that little campfire on my counter top so much better!

The only thing that I dont like about the Secura, so far, is that the little rack upon which the hot lid is placed seems a little flimsy and coated with plastic, so I wonder how long that will last. I have to pay close attention to getting it properly settled in the rack because if I miss it by a little it warps out of shape, becoming nearly impossible to correct, so I have to lift it up and start again. Did I mention the lid is heavy and hot? I may need to adjust the angle to make it easier for me to see. I never had to do that with the Nuwave. Their little rack is anchored under the bottom platform and I could even be a little careless and it would end up sitting in the right place. I could almost do it blindfolded, but that could simply be a result of experience with the appliance.

The Secura has a slightly smaller cooking area inside but I per it. I like to line the bottom with aluminum foil for fast cleanup but the foil that you can buy is not wide enough for the Nuwave so I always had to use two pieces and criss cross them to line the bottom. Fat and oil would often seep under the layers and I would still have a mess to clean up, but it was not a baked on mess, just an oily mess. With the Secura one piece of foil covers the whole bottom with no seeping space. When I lifted out the rack the foil came with it and there was absolutely nothing underneath that needed to be cleaned up.The bowl was as clean afterwards as it was when I started. That is a real plus!

I did like the racks on the Nuwave a little better than the ones on the Secura. The wires on the Secura racks are much farther apart and when I first looked at them as I was opening the package I wondered if food would slip down between the wide open spaces. So far, no problem. I suppose if you were cooking vegetables if you just cut them a little larger that would solve this minor problem. One advantage that I can see would be that you have fewer of those little wires to clean when youre done and you can get your sponge around them more easily, so, two checks for easier clean up on the Secura.

Here is a third check for easier clean up on the Secura. I have not tried it yet, but am looking forward to trying out the self cleaning feature. The instructions say to put about 1.5 inches of hot water in the bottom of the bowl, spritz in some dish washing detergent, put the lid on it, and turn it to "wash."  I imagine the fan creating a small tornado inside which does the cleaning for you. You just empty the bowl and rinse it out and wipe it dry. Sounds easy enough. I dont have a dishwasher so I really like this feature. If you have a dishwasher you can always place the bowl and racks in there for cleaning, too.

Clean up was always a chore for me on the Nuwave. I live in a mobile home so my sinks are extra small and the Nuwave racks and lower drip pan just barely fit in the sink. I had to use the lower drip pan to rinse the racks in, too. It seemed to save on water. Anyway, I never really enjoyed the clean up on the Nuwave, but the Secura seems to be much easier to keep clean -- and the racks now fit in my sinks. Of course the glass bowl is much heavier than the drip pan in the Nuwave, but with the aluminum foil that fits, plus the self clean feature, I dont imagine that I will be lifting it all that often.

If someone has the idea of cooking pizza in either one of these ovens they will have a problem that I learned to solve in a novel way. Most any pizza you can buy is too large for either of the racks. I learned that when I occasionally bought frozen pizza, I could cut it before I baked it (still frozen) and cook only the number of pieces that I needed, one or two at a time depending upon the size. I dont eat pizza very often because of the healthier diet that I am eating, but for those who do indulge in pizza from time to time, this suggestion may be helpful. Of course if you have a large family and need to cook the whole thing at once, then your regular oven is the place to do that.

I will make another post to talk about the coconut oil experiment in the not too distant future.

Be back soon

Marcia

P.S. You can get either one of these ovens at Amazon.com for cheaper than at the manufacturers web sites. How do they do that?  Glad they do!