Product: NuWave Infrared Cooker
Manufacturer: Hearthware
Cost: $99.00
It seems pricey on the surface, but has saved us time and electricity. it cooks quickly and well. much, much more quickly than a standard stove, and the cooked meat is moist, tender, juicy and is cooked right.
I did find the instructions basically useless-not that there aren't plenty of them, but that the estimated time/heat for cooking didn't work for where I live (1475 feet above sea level) and may not work for where you live. I suggest just trial and error. a knob with numbers 1-10 lets you set the heat level, I find 1-4 is best for defrost, 8-10 for final cooking. another knob lets you set the cooking time. it's that simple.
with a clear cover, it's easy to see how the meal is coming along. The wire grill is as difficult to clean as a barbecue grill, but a minor hassle if you turn it high side down in it's tray and let the tray and grill soak in soapy water.
I really can't complain about anything to do with the NuWave, the few issues I have with it can be circumvented. I did try both models, the manual and the digital. the digital died on us almost immediately. the manual is much sturdier.
I swear by my NuWave. I've successfully cooked steak, roast, chicken and fish, as well as potatoes in it, and they are delicious. I'm a really poor cook, but we eat nice, flavorful meals thanks to the NuWave. because it is infrared, it is much cooler than a stove so summer cooking is lots cooler. it cooks very hot, but doesn't leak heat.
it is simple and easy to use, relatively easy to clean, and rather conservative in power use and heat expenditure.
By Cornelia from Oregon
