Cuisinart Toaster Oven

The Cuisinart TOB-195 costs a little more than most toaster ovens but it has loads of features

1. All the controls are right in front.
2. Oven has a great convection feature.
3. Non-stick walls for easy clean-up.
4. Fits the pampered chef circular baking pan.
5. easy to clean surfaces.

The two main complaints is that the door gets really hot and does not pull the tray out when you open it. The door was hot enough to burn my daughter’s finger which occurred only after a really brief touch when opening to pull out some toast. The other issue is that the crumb tray needs to be removed from the back of the oven. That makes it difficult to clean since you have to pull the oven away from the wall to remove the tray.

The really nice feature of this oven is the quick start up, coming up to temp in a few minutes. It’s been great for my family and excellent for dorm style living where a small oven makes short work of those late night hunger pangs. The oven is so versatile that it cooks pizza to a delicious crispness one moment and then is ready to toast of your favorite bagel the next. My family likes it because it’s also an energy saver vs using the larger wall oven.

I like the overall look and versatility of using the larger oven for bigger items and then using this oven for cooking breads, smaller vegetable dishes and fresh baked muffins and pastries for the family.

You will not be disappointed if you purchase this oven but I do recommend making sure that your little ones are warned about the hot oven door and the possibility of getting burned. If purchasing for a dorm room make sure you have ample space for the rear tray removal and keep in mind it will get hot across the entire surface area so don’t store items on top or place it into an enclosed space.

WHAG-25, Tribute to Nikki Burdine

We will be creating some special recipes for Nikki Burdine’s last day at WHAG-25. She is leaving for a weekend Anchor job in KY. So stay tuned for her special recipe, that will be made on air, and later published in the Herald-Mail.

WHAG-25 Live at Noon, Salads for your health

I will be on WHAG-25 at noon making two healthy fresh salads today. The first will be a steak and potato salad atop mixed baby greens, with sliced red onion, Wisconsin Smokey Blue cheese and a light Balsamic Honey Vinaigrette dressing. The second salad is a variation of a Greek salad with Wisconsin feta, kalamata olives, red onions, banana peppers, and the same balsamic Honey Vinaigrette dressing.

The dressing is very light and refreshing and even though there is steak and potato on the first salad it’s not a lot, just enough for some great flavor and to give you the feeling of eating a steak and potato dinner with a nice salad. Think of it as a deconstructed Steak dinner at Outback without all the fat of blooming onion but with loads of fresh flavor mirrored with crisp fresh greens.

Grill Charms

Once in a while certain items come along and you think, WOW, why didn’t I think of that. These Grill Charms are one of those thoughts. Take a simple concept, flesh it out make it out of high grade metal and you have a quality product. Now instead of cutting into every steak to see which is rare and which is medium you can insert these charms into the meat and keep track of temps and flavors from grill to table.

Not only are they great for steaks, but chicken, pork chops, turkey cutlets and even hamburgers. The charms do not slide out out thanks to the simple cut edges on the sides of the charm. No they are not tie tacks, nor are they small branding irons for the meat; simply insert into the meat, season as you do normally and then grill to your desired doneness. Then have no fear of stacking together on one plate because each piece of meat has a marker that will clearly state the cook’s intentions. I thought for sure the burgers done up with the charms would loose one or two when flipped but they stayed securely in place and made it to the table without any problems. Each guest was happy to see that the meat did not have to be cut or pulled apart to test doneness, nor were the charms hard to pull out before eating.

Another nice feature is the ability to change up seasonings without worry. I love my grilled proteins highly seasoned and my guests not so much, so I push these little charms into the low heat seasoned meats and now when I’m done grilling I can simply point out the charm that the guest selected without them worrying about burning off their tongue. This also helps many guests with allergic reactions to gluten or nuts. Now, by placing a charm into their cut of meat you can know let them know that you followed it from grill to table without any possible marinades or seasoning that wold cause an allergic outbreak. You simply keep those cuts away from the others and offer your guests a piece of mind with an excellently cooked piece of meat.

Grill Charms are an inexpensive and fun way to stay safe and have fun when grilling! They are easy to clean up in the dishwasher or by hand and ready to go at the next outing. I highly recommend these to anyone needing to mark their grilling territory!

When you need need to know, and don't want to cut!

Ah, a new day and a cold nip in the air

I was wondering if anyone has a really cool grilling story they could share. I’m looking for a fire and ice sort of moment using an outdoor grill and some creativity.