My New OTG:
In my last post, I had mentioned that I would be telling you about my OTG model in the next post. So, here it is. I got an Usha OTG 3635RC 35L Oven Toaster Grill (Wine & Matte Black). Image as below:
(This image has been sourced from Google)
I really liked the size and look of this OTG. And after using, I am very satisfied with its performance as well. I bought this OTG from a Spencer's retail outlet and it cost me 8999 INR. However, you can look up various online options, where you can probably get it for an even lesser cost.
PFB details about the OTG:
i. The accessories that you get with this OTG are - Skewers , Rotisserie, Baking Tray, Wire Rack, Crumb Tray, Rotisserie Tongs, Grill & Bake Tray Tong.
ii. The oven comes with 5 cooking modes,
a. Toast/ Fry - Both top and bottom heating elements along with convection fan are ON.
b. Grill/ Broil with Convection - Only the top heating element along with the convection fan is ON.
c. Bake - Both top and bottom heating elements are ON.
d. Rotisserie - Only the top heating element and the rotisserie motor are ON.
e. Roast - Both top and bottom heating elements, convection fan and rotisserie motor are ON.
iii. The three knobs in the picture are controls for temperature, cooking mode and time.
That's about it. Now, baking, unlike cooking, requires you to be very specific about the measurements - be it ingredient or temperature or time. Therefore, please keep that in mind. Even more importantly, use your common sense. Please DO NOT blindly follow steps given in the recipe book. Think about it and do what your common sense urges you on. Of course, trial and error is the only fool-proof way of getting to perfection.
Simple Sugar Cookie Recipe:
This recipe is so simple and yet so yum, that they are going vanish from your plates faster than you can say cookies!
Ingredients:
i. 2 3/4 cups Maida
ii. 1 teaspoon baking soda
iii. 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
iv. 1 cup ghee
v. 1 1/2 cups powdered white sugar
vi. 1 egg
vii. 3 tablespoonful of dried coconut powder (optional)
viii. 3 teaspoonful of Fennel seeds or saunf
ix. Crushed cardamom seeds from 15-20 pods of cardamom/ elaichi
Method:
i. Preheat the oven to 180℃ (for my oven the preheat time was 15 minutes)
ii. In a mixing bowl, beat together the ghee and sugar. Add the egg and the flavouring ingredients (coconut powder, fennel seeds and cardamom) and mix well.
iii. Gradually add in the dry ingredients, a little at a time and mix using a balloon whisk. This will form a very soft dough.
iv. Next, line your baking tray with parchment paper and apply little oil on your hands so that the dough does not stick.
v. Take a teaspoonful of the dough in your palm, roll it into a ball and place it on the lined baking tray. Repeat the process.
vi. Please remember to keep atleast 1.5 - 2 inches gap between the balls on the tray. This is because the cookie will flatten during cooking and we don't want them to stick together.
vii. Bake these cookies for 8-10 minutes. Once done, keep them in the oven for another 2 minutes and then you can take them out to put on a cooling rack.
Tips for Beginners:
i. The baking tray was placed on the lowest rack of the oven.
ii. I used the 'Bake' mode for the first 5 minutes of baking and then switched the knob to the 'Grill/Broil' mode for the rest of the cooking time. This avoided over-browning of cookies at the bottom while giving it a nice light brown colour to the crust.
iii. I modified the ingredients giving it an Indian touch. You can always use butter instead of ghee and vanilla instead of coconut, fennel and cardamom.
This is what the finished product looked like 😊
Do let me know if you liked this!
In my next post - Read about my first attempt at baking a plain vanilla sponge cake.
Till then, Happy Baking!
