When the oven is already on
5 ways to get more bang for your buck from the oven
Now that the weather has turned, all I really want to cook and eat is warming, hearty food. Like these mushroom baked eggs, or roasted carrots with feta and pistachio, or breakfast baked oats, or rainy day chilli, or sweet potato wedges with herby confit garlic yoghurt. All of these recipes tick the “autumn comfort food” boxes for me, but they also all require turning the oven on. Especially now as energy costs are climbing, I’m looking to get as much bang for my buck as possible when it comes to using the oven. So here are 5 ways to get more from your oven when it’s on.
Roast a big tray of veggies - Not only is this a good way of saving any veg that is beginning to look a bit sad, it’s also a great foundation for future meals. Toss through cooked grains or pasta for a speedy lunch, use as a topping on a stew or blitz with broth to make a soup.
Roast a tin or two of beans - Again, perfect for tossing through a salad or topping a soup. Just make sure you drain, rinse and pat the beans dry with a clean tea towel. This is an essential step for achieving crispiness! Here’s a little how-to.
Make granola - The best way to clear out all the odds and ends of packets of seeds and nuts. Sprinkle over cinnamon and a little ginger or nutmeg for that autumnal feel. Or make savoury granola by adding cumin, paprika and sea salt - perfect for sprinkling over warm winter salads and soups.
Bake potatoes - You really can’t go wrong with a trusty baked potato or sweet potato. Throw a few in the oven and reap the rewards for days to come. Load them up with hummus, avocado and pickled onions. Or fill with a spicy bean chilli. Scoop out the flesh for fishcakes or bubble and squeak, then crisp up the skins in a hot pan and sprinkle with flaky salt - a great snack.
Make croutons - If you’ve got any stale bread, pitta or wraps, roughly tear or chop, drizzle with olive oil and salt and bake into croutons for topping silky smooth soups like this one.
I’d love to know your top tips for being oven efficient - please share in the comments below!
For bread - make buns instead of a loaf.
Make sweet enriched bread as well as the usual loaf. It cooks in the same time or less and great post school snack for family when they come in and it’s dark and cold. Easy and delicious toast.
I never pre-heat the oven (except for baking cakes) and I switch it off 5-10 minutes before food is ‘done’ to use residual heat. Bought a cheap 2nd hand crockpot for those things that take hours in the oven.