On BBC Two series Nadiya’s Everyday Baking, we see the innovative cook making original bakes that only she could have have dreamt up but she also loves to experiment with different cooking techniques.
“I have baked lovely crisp puff pastry in an air-fryer and also use the hob to make giant cookies.
No-cook desserts? "l make possets, mousses, tiffins and fridge cakes – none of which require actual baking.”
Slow cookers, air fryers or microwaves?
If you're planning not to use the 'big' oven so much but want a gadget that bakes too, consider a mini oven style air-fryer over a basket type, and choose a large, oval slow cooker, rather than the tall, round versions, recommends cookbook author Sarah Cook.
“Then, I’d start with baking recipes specifically written for that device. Once you’re more confident, start adapting your favourite oven bakes.”
Slow cookers
Slow cookers are associated with stews and casseroles, but work for baking too.
“Aim for cakes that are moist and dense rather than light, such as a rich fruit cake, or Steamed puddings” says cook Justine Patterson.
"They also make rice pudding, perfect crème caramel and excellent poached fruits. You can even make a cheesecake in a slow cooker.”
Slow cooker Self-saucing chocolate pudding is one of her favourites. “It means no last-minute assembly while I’m trying to carve meat or finish the gravy," Patterson says.
If you have a large slow cooker, it’s even possible to bake loaves of bread but flashing the bake under the grill is advisable for a good crust. “Just pop a clean tea towel over the cooker before you add the lid to absorb excess steam and prevent any soggy tops."
Microwaves
Justine’s favourite device for baking (bar the oven), is the microwave – especially if it’s a combination one. “The addition of a grill and fan means timings are drastically cut but you still achieve golden brown bakes,” she says.
Even without grill and oven settings, microwaves still provide great cake. “Sponge cakes and steamed puddings don't have the same golden appearance but will be fantastically light and fluffy.” Squidgy brownies are also great cooked in a microwave.
Mug cakes are great for solo dinners – just don’t overfill your cup, and for maximum fluffiness, eat within a few minutes of the microwave pinging.
Air fryers*
They're the kitchen gadget of the moment, but do air-fryers really work for baking?
“The idea of baking in an air-fryer makes more sense when you think of it as just a small, table-top convection oven,” says Sarah. “When choosing recipes, remember they're good at making things go crispy and crunchy on the outside fairly quickly (like chips), so cookies, brownies, granola, small bread rolls and melting-middle puddings all work really well.”
Sarah’s advises going for the “fudgy, American cookies with lots of brown sugar and vanilla. I add plenty of chocolate chunks (of course) and nuts for balance. Reducing the cooking time and the size of the batch is a real win if you’re cooking with the kids.”
That said, Justine notes that you'll need to make some tweaks to your method and ingredients for small batches.
Follow recipes that have been tried and tested specifically for an air fryer, rather than experiment. “The cost of wasted ingredients when something doesn’t work is going to be a lot more expensive than using your oven in the first place,” Justine points out.
*(Note from Blogger: Cakes bake beautifully in an air fryer/grill using 67goingon60's midi-cake recipes for a small household. Invest in a 15cm/6inch pan (on the net) and bake at 160C/320F around 20 mins. With thin cookies like shortbread, line the base of the air fryer with a layer of foil.)
Fridges
“No-bake cheesecakes, tiffins and fridge cakes all make great desserts when you are trying to use your oven less,” Justine says.
Sarah thinks fridge tiffin cakes are great budget-friendly creations. “They’re good for using up old broken biscuits and any old, dried fruit and nuts – plus the fridge is going to be on anyway, so its frugal all round.
“I’m also a fan of a chocolate cereal cake! I make a chocolate-cereal mix and use it as a tart base. Then, to serve, I just mash fruit with yogurt for an instant mousse-like filling and decorate with extra fresh fruit.”
Originally published September 2022
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