Kitchen

[Tigriss]

I will also be doing roasted sweet potatoes.

[momtochloe]

Thank you so much for the feedback @Tigriss.  The Curtis Stone cooker was so shallow there was no way to make a chicken in it and I was very unhappy with the temperature controls (the temperature dial spun all the way around instead of stopping at the highest or lowest heat setting which caused me to overcook a small ham because I realized too late what had happened).

It sounds like this one is much more along the lines of what I would be interested in.  Thank you so much again for letting me/us know how you like your cooker.  It's on my "watch" list . . .

[Sherbear1]

Can you bake a chicken in this and have the skin brown without searing first?

[Tigriss]

I don't know yet, but I'll see if I have a whole chicken in the freezer and do it in the coming weeks.

[Tigriss]

The chickpeas are roasting away.  It sure did heat up much faster than my Ninja does.  I put them on at 350 for 30 minutes with some grape seed oil and rosemary garlic herb mix.

[Tigriss]

I will say that the sticker on the side that warned of the outside being hot. The side was warm but not hot baking at 350, but I am an experienced baker, so hot water at 140 degrees isn't hot to my hands. The timer went off, and I did hear it unlike my Ninja. I stirred them and put them back on. The house smells wonderful.

Also, the pot is a slightly sparkly black. It is very pretty like little gemstones were used in it. I really like the ceramic pot and the ease of use so far. I didn't open the manual just so I could see if I could use it without direction. It is very easy to use, but again, this isn't my first appliance, but totally new people would find it easy too!

[Sherbear1]

Tigriss I noticed the 11 in1 is on 6 value pays. I am trying to decide between it and the ninja. Which do you like best?

[Tigriss]

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@Sherbear1 wrote:

Tigriss I noticed the 11 in1 is on 6 value pays. I am trying to decide between it and the ninja. Which do you like best?

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I would get the Cook's Companion because of the ceramic pot and the other functions, a clear beeping when it is finished, easy to read screen, clear lid, extra wattage, and heats up super fast compared to the Ninja.

I grilled up a bunch of chicken breasts, let them cool, and sliced them, then froze them in batches for quick meals or salads.  It was so much quicker than on my Ninja because of the extra wattage and heat up time.  It just went so much faster and less heat in the kitchen for me is a good thing!

The chicken was moist and delicious, but my Ninja did that too because I know how to use it and not burn my meals.

[Sherbear1]

Tigriss thank you so much.  You seem like a great cook. I would have liked the plum but it's sold out so I am going for the blue. Thank you Sherbear1

[Tigriss]

I thought the same thing, that if I didn't get the plum, I would get the blue.

I have been cooking since I was about 5. We have a clear division of labor down here in the south, so women were in the kitchen at a young age if it was only to do the dishes standing on a chair at the sink. We drug our chairs all over the kitchen to put things up in the upper cabinets, but we knew where everything was and could get it when we were helping out or just cooking for ourselves. I alway made the cakes for birthdays because my mother would forget to add something or add something twice, plus baking was not to her patience level. She cooked a roast for us last Friday and burnt it up while she was searing it. The whole house was reeking and the alarms wouldn't stop going off. She then used the same pot to cook the rest of the meal, so the taters soaked up most of the burnt taste, but you couldn't eat them. She should have changed pots, but has sensitive ears and just couldn't stop the alarm and got confused with it all and the grandkids. The pot is scorched, but it is stainless so it will survive. I told her to do the roast in the crock pot instead of the oven next time and no sear is needed, plus you can walk away from it and not heat up the house. No you know why I was very eager to learn how to cook, that and she added port to gravy for fried cube steak. All she had to say was that chefs add wine. She got a quick lesson in wines from a teenager!