Help me break in my new oven(s), before Thanksgiving!

Cafe Society
1

Well, this thread is a long time coming. I mentioned in another thread back in March (!!) that I bought a new oven, but it wasn’t installed yet. Happily, kitchen was finally finished about a week and a half ago. New cabinets, granite counters and backsplash, instant hot, deep single bowl sink…the works. And, of course, new appliances.

My oven has a removable heat shield, and I can either have two or one oven. There are two convection fans, so I have lots of options. And my microwave also acts as a convection oven.

I’m hosting Thanksgiving for the family. I’ve done this before, but it’s going to be a whole different experience this year. I need to figure out what to use convection for, and what not to. And how to time things.

I’m going to have 6ish people over. Menu will be fairly traditional: turkey, stuffing (not cooked in the bird), sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, and a homemade apple pie.

I assume I should use the convection for the turkey. Historically, I’d do the pie the night before, the the casserole earlier in the day. But I should be able to do the casserole in the microwave-in-oven-mode while the turkey is finishing.
The oven does have a nice warming drawer (and warming center on the stove top) so I don’t need to time everything perfectly.

Thinking about it a bit…I bet I could make a fresh corn bread in the microwave-in-oven-mode too. I’m so used to thinking in terms of the oven being off limit for half the day because a turkey is in it.

So…any advice? I don’t want to make a whole turkey to test this out, but I certainly need to do some playing. Maybe I should do a test casserole in the microwave - I think there’s a pot luck at the office I could deliver it to.

Thanks,

-D/a

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What time do you start serving?

(I’ll be the “ish” part of your “sixish” people…)
~VOW

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VOW, you’d be welcome. Serving at…well, sixish. :slight_smile:

I have a friend who just moved back into town. He mentioned in passing that he and his wife are on their own this year for Thanksgiving. I invited them over. Not sure if they are coming. She’s a nurse and may have to work, but I told him he’s still welcome to come. So I’ll have Mom, Dad, Sister, and maybe one or two more.

Do we have an SDMB thread for Thanksgiving recipes? I’m sure we do…I think I may have even participated in one last year… I should do a search.

-D/a

4

are you looking for oven recipes? trycrash hot potatoes from The Pioneer Woman. I made them tonight for a church dinner and they were a great hit. I used rosemary.

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No mashed potatoes and gravy?

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How about practicing this weekend with a full sized chicken, bake an apple pie and try your hand at bread/biscuits?

This should give you ample practice to see how the oven temperatures work (even all throughout?) and the time to cook per pound, etc.

7

There will be gravy with the turkey…and the sweet potato casserole is instead of the mashed potatoes. Do people serve both? I’ve never thought about it.

That’s not a bad idea. I can have a few friends over to help get rid of the evidence…people who would be just as happy with a last minute pizza.
I think I’ll send a few e-mails…
-D/a

8

My mother usually did the sweet potato/yam with marshmallow dish, and always mashed regular potatoes. :slight_smile: