Healthy Cooking that Beats Microwave and Oven Hands Down!
Written: Jan 25 '05 (Updated Mar 05 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Faster than an oven and better quality than a microwave. Cooks 12 different ways.
Cons: Only available online or in limited stores.
The Bottom Line: Microwave and oven are obsolete; saves time, space, and energy. Foods cook healthy by cooking method. Indispensable kitchen appliance, cook little or a lot, cook 20-lb turkey in 3 hours.
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| paisleyplace's Full Review: American Harvest Jet Stream Oven with Adjustable T... |
** Cooking Hints at Bottom **
Background History Regarding Durability:
The Nesco American Harvest Jet Stream Oven is durable. How do I know this? Well, this is my second Nesco machine in almost 20 years. My first one bit the dust after about a decade of heavy use. I did purchase a non-Nesco convection-style oven but it broke in a third that time. The quality was not there. The only reason I bought the non-Nesco brand was that I was unable to find another Nesco American Harvest Jet Stream Oven so I compromised with something found locally and paid for it in the long run. If you want quality, be willing to accept no substitute. By the way, my mother-in-law has just recently replaced her Nesco Jet Stream. The motor finally went out on it this past year so she is on her second Nesco machine. Keep in mind that I cook for a family of four and used my Jet Stream Oven every night where she lives alone and does not always cook meals. This is why her machine outlasted mine. I literally wore my machine out. There is no way I could count the hours put into my last one. It cooked breakfast every morning and supper every night. Since I worked close enough to home, I came home most days for lunch and cooked my lunch it in as well. Granted, the Jet Stream doesn't have the life of a traditional oven but it also is not as expensive to purchase or use as an oven either. The durability, in this user's mind, is fantastic.
Reason for Needing a Jet Stream Oven:
Let's face it, everyone in America knows that statistically, Americans tend to overeat. This fact alone is a great reason to purchase a Jet Stream Oven. It cooks healthier foods. In my case, it goes much deeper than simply the desire to watch what we eat. It is a necessity. My husband has juvenile diabetes, borderline high blood pressure, and tachycardia. My teenage daughter has paroxysmal atrial tachycardia with an irregular heartbeat caused by a misfiring node in her heart. My youngest daughter is in the 90 percentile of her height and weight for her age. While she resembles me in appearance, she has her father's genes, which means she will always have to watch her weight and be careful of her diet. Finally yet importantly, I have an autoimmune disease called systemic lupus, which also includes degenerative joint disease. As you can tell, with the multitude of health problems we face, not including heart disease on all sides among other markers, it is extremely important that we eat healthy meals. It is a life or death decision. The menus I make out have to be low fat, low-sodium, low-cholesterol, and heart smart. Sugars have to be controlled. High protein and high vitamin foods are required just to keep my immune system as strong as possible. If this machine makes this kind of difference in my household with the multitude of health issues, just imagine what it can do with yours. Several people in my family and my husband's family have purchased this unit because of what it does for us just based on health alone!
What Can I Cook and How?
Now you are probably thinking, what exactly can I cook in this thing? Well, for starters, it would be easier to ask what you can't cook in this oven. It cooks everything. Best of all, it cooks without the need of heavy oils. The only grease I have ever used in either Jet Stream Ovens was spray Pam and a smidgen of butter. In case you are wondering what a smidgen is, it is a very small minute amount and that amount is limited to a very light brushing on top of canned biscuits for a little flavor, however the Butter-Me-Not brand makes this an unnecessary step.
Steaks, chops, fish, hamburgers, shrimp, eggs, cakes, muffins, vegetables, biscuits, and etc… all cook wonderfully in this machine. You can even cook a full-sized turkey! I personally enjoy Cornish game hens cooked in the Jet Stream. You can cook an entire meal at once in the machine. There is no need for battering meats. Marinades are not necessary to keep any meats tender so you can use them for flavor instead if you like. The Jet Stream even cooks many foods straight from the freezer! How's that for cooking? My kids enjoy quick snack foods that need cooking. The Jet Stream beats the microwave hands down for taste and the oven hands down in time. It also prevents burns.
The Jet Stream Oven cooks 12 different ways and replaces 10 different appliances. It bakes, broils, toasters, woks, barbeque's, steams, fries, boils, rotisseries, grills, and warms.
How does it Work?
How does it do all this? The answer is simple, well sort of. I'm not an engineer but am married to one. The Jet Stream Oven uses heated air to cook foods. Not only does it cook foods, it browns them and seals in the food's own moisture to keep the food tender and juicy. When has a microwave done that? The machine has two fans that push heated air in a circular motion. It uses 1500 watts. It cooks food 3 to 4 times faster than a traditional oven and about twice as fast as the new convection ovens. The cook quality is better than a microwave because it cooks with heated air instead of microwaves. Plus, it is safer than a traditional oven and a microwave. My 8-year-old can cook with it, still supervised however.
How Do I Learn to Cook with this Unit:
Every appliance you purchase requires one to learn to use it properly. The Jet Stream is no different. It takes time but not as much time as one might believe. It took me about a month to learn what fan speed to use, what temperature to set, and how long to cook each meal. Make notes in the beginning. After a short while, it will become second nature.
The fans have three settings that include warm, low, and high. Warm is for reheating, low is used for more liquid-type foods, and high is mainly for more solid foods though either low or high can be used with almost any meal. It may take a little longer to cook using low on foods that can take high settings but it is still faster than using the oven. The fan speed settings are control using a turn-style dial. The temperature settings are controlled by a push button with a maximum temperature of 400 degrees.
The rings and other accessories enhance the cooking experience. The rings snap into place but do not require a heavy seal such as that used on refrigerator doors. There are no harmful microwaves escaping so it is quite safe. The heat from the unit doesn't compare to that of a traditional oven. Each ring adds more internal space within the machine. For example, a steak is small so one ring would do the trick but if you wanted to cook a roast, turkey, or other larger item, add rings and also consider raising the adjustable lower rack to allow more room beneath the food for air movement. This unit cooks on the basis of heated air. The more evenly the movement of air, the better your food will cook.
The best thing about the air-cooking method is that poultry, for instance, comes out juicy, tender, and the skin is very flaky and crispy. No oils are required so what moisture is there is natural food moisture. Spray Pam, spray Wesson, or any type of herbal/spiced oil spray is all that is required. Herbal and spiced sprays are for taste only. If you like say olive oil instead, use the spray. It is possible, though I don't do this, to rub meats lightly in oil before cooking but I prefer the sprays because it reduces any salt or cholesterol additions. We eat as naturally as possible using only spices and herbs. I sprinkle herbs on foods after spraying with spray Pam. Feel free to experiment. Put that spice rack you received as a housewarming or wedding present to use. You won't regret it.
Savings:
It is no secret the cost of living is becoming more expensive by the day. It costs money to keep a home going. Now, think about what your time is worth. Everyday rushing to and from work, picking up kids, dropping off kids, helping with homework, vacuuming, doing laundry, and trying to find time to spend with your spouse is difficult. Think about the massive amount of time you spend each day in the kitchen cooking. Now consider the time you could spend with your family instead of cooking if there was a way to decrease cooking times and still get healthy meals. You can. The Jet Stream makes it possible to cook foods in half, if not one-third, the time it takes to cook in a traditional oven and the foods are healthier.
Money; we all need it. It makes the world go around. When I think about the electric consumption of my stove with built-in oven when it is used I cringe. The currently running commercial runs through my head when the man says he wishes the hard drive on his computer to make the sound of a Yeti. I compare that to the spin of the power meter wheel attached to the side of my house. Each time I preheat my oven to cook any meal not only do I have to think about the cost of running that oven, I also have to think about the cost of keeping my home cooler because of the heat dispersed by the oven itself. The Jet Stream Oven does away with those worries. It doesn't heat up the house and it doesn't require preheating. Faster cooking reduces energy consumption. The money saved from using a more economical unit is free for other things like the dress our teenager needs for her upcoming prom or traveling money to the next HOSA State Finals (HOSA - Health Occupation Student Association). Our little ones love of books and tee-ball no longer breaks us financially. There is more money around for their college funds.
Cleaning:
It does little good to have a great machine to save us money and help us eat healthier if it means a longer time cleaning up. A dirty machine is not a sanitary machine. The machine is a breeze to clean. The way I cleaned the inside of my first Jet Stream Oven was to put a small amount of water in the bottom and let it run for a few minutes before taking it apart and hand washing each piece. Now, the removable pieces are dishwasher safe. How much easier can it get?
Features:
The new Jet Stream has many new features along with many of the previous ones. A back light makes it easy to find in the dark. The timer helps keep up with cooking times. The space-saving size is a major plus. Once my microwave quits, the Jet Stream will take its place on the counter freeing up more counter space. The expander rings are an added bonus. The oven will accommodate up to four extension expander rings. These rings allow for larger sized foods such as roasts and turkeys. I can say from personal experience it is amazing when you can cook up to a 20 pound turkey in under to just at 3 hours’ time. This oven keeps the heated air flowing evenly around every piece of the meat to keep it moist, tender, evenly heated, and juicy. Baked potatoes no longer take hours to cook in the oven. Gone are the days of overcooked sections on one side with undercooked sections on the other.
Overall Opinion and Recommendation:
The Jet Stream Oven by Nesco and American Harvest is a great innovative cooking tool that offers so much. Healthy foods, time savings, and money savings are only the tip of the iceberg. I was impressed with the earlier models and am even more impressed with the current one. Durability is fantastic. Purchase cost is minimal. Savings is unbelievable until you see it with your own eyes. It is cost effective, time efficient, and cooks some of the best meals I have ever eaten. I am a southern married woman with two children and I despise cooking but this machine makes it tolerable. It is a great housewarming gift, birthday present, or a just-because I need a break purchase. I have and still do recommend this machine to everyone. Several members of my family and closest friends have bought this oven after hearing and seeing what it does. Try it. Almost every appliance comes with a money-back guarantee. Anyone that buys this machine and uses it will come to think like I have, it is irreplaceable. If you have family members with health problems that require special diets such as my family requires, you will find it does the job it promises. You will be eating healthier, cooking smarter, saving money, and saving time for your family or enjoying life instead of in a hot kitchen for hours on end every night. The freezer to cooked meal option alone is worth its weight in gold. This is the second Jet Stream Oven I have owned and I can assure you it will not be the last. As long as Nesco American Harvest will make this oven, I will continue replacing my worn out Jet Stream. Three meals a day plus snacks every day is a lot of work for a machine but this one can and has done it for me.
** Cooking Hints **
Steaks:
2 (1-1/2 inch) Ribeyes or New York Strip
A1 Steak sauce
Spray Pam
Pepper
Marinate steaks in A1 sauce with pepper for 30 minutes to 1 hour in refrigerator. When ready, preheat Jet Stream at 400 degrees, high fan speed, four minutes. Place lower rack in raised position. Spray lightly with Pam.
Place steaks on lower rack. Place top rack over steaks. Close lid. Set timer for 10 to 12 minutes. Set fan at low. Let cook. When timer goes off, remove steaks.
Cook longer if not done enough for your taste. Also, for browning, you can spray Pam on steaks before cooking.
Add salad and texas toast.
Cornish Hen, stuffed.
Clean hen thoroughly. Stuff with homemade or store-bought stuffing. Spray lightly with Pam spray. Place in preheated Jet Stream (400 degrees, 4 minutes, high fan). Cook hen for one hour (apprx. 5 pound hen). No top rack is necessary.
Remove to check for doneness. (depends on hen size).
Add salad w/ low-fat dressing, fresh-cut fruit, steamed rice, and Texas toast.
Full-size Turkey (18 pounds)
Use 3 rings and turkey stand.
Wash turkey thoroughly. Season with herbs to taste. Secure onion rings with toothpicks. Place in preheated Jet Stream (400 degrees, low fan, 5 minutes). Place turkey on stand. Brush or spray favorite oil of choice. (Spray makes skin crispy).
Set timer for 3 hours. Check occasionally for safety reasons. (general precaution used in cooking with any appliance).
Remove when done. Check for doneness.
Add to rest of meal.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
paisleyplace
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Member: Samantha Thomas
Location: NC, US
Reviews written: 46
Trusted by: 7 members
About Me:
Mother of two, freelance writer who enjoys movies, computing, and spending time with good friends.
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