Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe HelloFresh suggests using the oven for things that can be more easily, quickly and cheaply done in a pan on the stove top.
I understand that large joints or very thick items need to be done in an oven because they take long, or need cooking from more than 2 sides and are too large to be flipped in a pan. But a handful of green beans? Chicken breasts? Broccoli?
A few times this has happened and we have ignored it and cooked items in a pan. I mean, bringing an oven to temp for a few small items is wasteful IMHO.
by JulesCT
22 Comments
This is usually done so multiple things can be cooking at once. But I agree often things taste better sautéed in a pan vs baked but it can throw off the timing of their recipe cards
I guess it depends on how you like to cook – I sometimes roast stuff that they want me to cook in a pan, like broccoli.
I cook 98.5% of all oven stuff in a toaster oven. Throwing green beans on a silicone lined pan is 1m preheat (so 0, I do not preheat), doesn’t heat up the house, and is set and forget, unlike the stop top. It’s also going to be done at the same time as I do something else on the stove top like brown meat or cook starch or sauces.
If you think you know better than the recipe card, feel free to not follow it exactly – I do all the time!
I prefer broccoli in the oven but I’ll use my air fryer for green beans sometimes.
I use my air fryer for a lot of oven instructions. Sometimes, I’ll even use it instead of stove for chicken.
I think you are right and also I think, inadvertently, they are teaching you to cook. That you are thinking , nah I can do that it 10 mins in the airfryer or 10 minutes in that pan that is still hot makes you better,
No credit to them, all credit to you 😉
Roasted vegetables are my favorite. Green beans, broccoli, anything they want me to make in a pan I’ll make in the oven. And this amount of green beans is perfect in the toaster oven. Tastes so good!
Have you had a roasted green bean though??
I do this all the time, except reverse. Sometimes recipe calls for cooking chicken in a pan on the stove but I set off the smoke detector every damn time so i usually throw it in the oven to avoid any alarms being set off 😬
You are free to cook things different ways. A lot of the time my family likes the potatoes roasted in the oven in the small squares, not as wedges. If you prefer it a different way, go for it.
HF is designed to still be doable if you have no clue how to cook. If using the oven achieves similar results to using a pan, HF will choose the oven when forming the recipe.
Since most of what you do is set a temperature and timer, it’s less to go wrong, less to burn, and feels more accessible/easier to beginners who find pan cooking daunting. It’s also literally more accessible since you can physically walk away from the oven or sit down.
Basically, HF is a company and the company must make the recipes idiot-proof as possible. Oven is closer to that than pan-cooking.
I use the air fryer for almost everything that would otherwise go in the oven. It’s faster, uses less energy, is easier to clean, and keeps timing more accurate.
Maybe Google ‘roasted’ and get back to us. 🥴 Also, invest in a countertop air fryer and some 1/8 sheet pans and you’ll probably sleep better.
I steam a lot of the veggies as I prefer the texture and taste. It’s usually quicker, too.
What’s bugging me about HF is that their recipes don’t include airfryer options. Like, oven xx degrees for this long, airfryer xx degrees for that long.
I don’t like them green beans in the over !! I use them microwave steamers and they are so gooooooddddddd
Yeah I often times throw the broccoli or green beans into a pan that I’m already using to cook the protein. Why dirty up a sheet tray? That said, sometimes I do use the oven because after the protein is done I wanna be hands free to let the dog out etc
I like that… throw down a yellow penalty flag on them. Unnecessary use of oven… 10 demerits for the test cook. Back to test kitchen!!
I NEVER use the oven for this sort of stuff. Ever. Always sauté my veggies. Or air fry.
Cheaply? What kind of oven do you have?
Yea, I’m using the oven every time