A couple of weeks ago, we had a new member join our family…GE Profile™ Advantium® oven. I have to admit, once it was installed, it was a little intimidating. It promised to be a microwave, European convection oven, warming oven and Speedcook oven all in one. Not even the other members of my family can deliver all those promises in one. I was wondering if the Advantium would be a good fit.
We started testing her out by simply heating up food in the microwave. That’s a language our family of 7 fully understands. My kids immediately fell in love with the preset options. “Mom, look, you can pick how many slices of pizza you want to reheat!” The Advantium passed the microwave test with flying colors.
We spent a couple of weeks heating oatmeal, leftovers, defrosting bagels and popping popcorn. It was more efficient than our last microwave. Meanwhile, I began to read through the GE Profile™ Advantium® oven user book as well as it’s cookbook. The Speedbake option was a little like learning a new language. I couldn’t help but think of what it must have been like when the microwave was first introduced in the market. Consumers had to learn new rules, like, “Don’t use metal of any kind,” and “not all dishes are microwave safe.” I’m sure our parents were a bit intimidated and didn’t fully realize just how the microwave would embed itself into our cooking culture. But, today, there are very few kitchens without a microwave.
Interacting with the Advantium, I have moments where I think to myself, “Will this appliance change the way we cook?”
The Speedcook option, promises to cook 4 times faster than a conventional oven. Now, if we had ordered the 240-volt model, it would have upped the ante by cooking 8 times faster. The “new language” part that I had to learn (and am still learning) is how to set the “temperature” of the oven. You see, the Speedcook technology uses an upper lamp, lower lamp and the microwave to cook. So, when making a meal, you have to set all three and depending on what you’re cooking, change those settings. Now, GE makes super smart appliances, so there are plenty of pre-set options like, cheese sticks, boneless chicken breast, casserole dish, filet…this helps. But, since we like to create our own recipes, I knew we had to be well versed in this new language.
Valentine’s evening, I had a one hour window after picking up kids and before we went roller skating with the family to whip up dinner. We kind of have a yearly tradition of making a heart shaped meatloaf but, I tweaked the recipe using what I had in our pantry. It usually takes 1 hour to bake, but in the GE Profile™ Advantium® oven it only took 1/2 an hour.
I looked at my husband and said, “Now, that’s Speedcook in action…delivering what it promised.”
Taco Meatloaf Recipe
Created by Kristin Potler
1 1/2 lb. of lean ground beef
2 eggs
1 Tbls. taco seasoning
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
2 C. crushed tortilla chips
1 C. yellow onion, chopped
1 C. orange bell pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves
1 10 oz. can enchilada sauce
1/4 C. shredded Mexican cheese
Directions:
1. Mix ground beef, eggs, tortilla chips, seasonings, onion, pepper and garlic together.
2. Shape meatloaf into a heart and put in a glass or ceramic dish. (One thing I discovered was that Pampered Chef Stoneware is perfect for the Advantium Oven’s Speedcook option. I was thrilled to discover this!)
3. Pour half the can of enchilada sauce on top and around the meatloaf.
4. Set GE Profile™ Advantium® oven to U=4 L=4 M=6 and cook for 30 minutes. One benefit of the Advantium is, there is no need to preheat. (If you are using a conventional oven, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and bake for 1 hour.)
5. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake for 3 more minutes.
6. Lightly heat the rest of the enchilada sauce and serve on the side of the Taco Meatloaf, along with sour cream, guacamole and salsa.
As part of our partnership with GE, Kristin received an Advantium Oven. The experiences and opinions expressed here, are our own.
