Chalk Up Another Success

The ingredients for baked chicken and rice with cream of
mushroom soup. Induction heating used for browning.

One advantage of cooking for charity is that I can experiment---nothing radical, mind, because these are fellow human beings!---making crowd-sized dishes. In the past I’ve tinkered around the edges by modifying spice and herb marinades, browned meats (or didn’t), and added various vegetables and cheeses to salads. No one’s yet complained.

This morning I tested whether induction heating could adequately brown the chicken for Sandwiches on Sunday.

The drumsticks were marinated overnight, then browned.

Digression: our old coiled cooktop is dying, so we’ve been looking at radiant-heat and induction smoothtops. I’m intrigued by the latter’s safety and heating features but am convinced that manufacturers are charging a premium—none cost under $1,000—because induction sounds like advanced technology though it really isn’t. Costco is selling a portable unit, including a steel pot, for $70, and I leapt at the chance to try out the technology before making a large financial commitment.

Clara, Marge, and Susan serve their regular customers

Because nonstick cookware won’t work on an induction plate, one does have to sauté with a generous dollop of oil. The pan heated quickly, and both chopped onions and chicken browned nicely at only a medium setting. I laid the drumsticks on top of a mixture of rice, onion, water, and cream-of-mushroom soup, covered it with foil, and baked for two hours at 325 degrees. The dish had to stay in a warm oven for another two hours, but one advantage of dark meat is that it doesn’t dry out when overcooked

They finished it all, and no one complained, so chalk up another success.