Korean Job Discussion Forums

[khyber]

Well actually, I just got an oven.

I'm pretty psyched about the whole deal... Of course, that died down the minute I realized "hey, WTF? I have no idea how to cook anything in an oven.
I due time i'll be whipping up bread, oatmeal cookies, and such...
But i'm kinda interested in casseroles, soufles and such...meal sorta things.
Anyone in korea have some good ideas for possibilities?

or a good website?

[Ya-ta Boy]

May I recommend 'allrecipes.com'?

This site has a search function that works. Two, actually. One is at the top. If you know what you are looking for, just type it in and, voila! The other one is even niftier. It's near the bottom of the page; type in the ingredients you have and it supplies you with all the recipes in its files that fit your description.

Possibly the best feature is the review section. People who have tried a recipe rate it from 1 star to 5 stars. Many of them tell what happened, offer suggestions for improvements, etc. Lots of great ideas.

One of the best cooking sites on the net.

Happy baking

[Maugrim]

An oven is the least expense for the biggest increase in living standard you'll get in this country. (Well... if you have a significant other it's a toss up between that and a Queen-size bed)

It's not even necessarily the oven itself that makes the difference. It's the 4 burners that come on top of it, too. Finally, you can prepare a meal that consists of more than just pasta and sauce. You can even have other people over for dinner! They're cheap as dirt too, if you get them second hand.

Anyway, try epicurious.com, a cook away. One of the first things that I made was lasagna. And then shepherd's pie. And then my girlfriend cooked pizza and baked cookies. Twice baked potatoes, scalloped potatoes, home made fries... We had Thanksgiving dinner and baked squash and had room on top to do stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy. For at least 10 people. The possibilities are endless...

[SirFink]

Buy a whole chicken. Rub butter all over it. Shove a carrot and a celery stalk into its nether regions. Stick it in the over for 1.5-2 hours at 350 F. Who doesn't want their whole apartment smelling like roast chicken?

[PaperTiger]

Now that you have an oven you should get a membership to Costco...provided you also have a big fridge. They have a ton of cookbooks there that have a lot of great baking basics and oven-based recipes. Most western goods (read: raw materials, not actual pans n' stuff) you need for baking can be bought for pretty cheap.

Pie. Hannam Market has frozen pie crusts if you aren't into making your own.

Try home-made pizza. Get a simple recipe off the internet, use spaghetti sauce as pizza sauce and use whatever you can get for toppings (corn!).

Roast chicken or turkey is good from Costco. Korean chickens are obviously not a source of national pride, otherwise they wouldn't be the size of Cornish game hens. Costco has normal-sized fryer parts for a fraction of what you'd pay elsewhere...they also have frozen turkeys, but you might have to ask for those since they might not keep them on display.

Have fun.

[fusionbarnone]

Good score! Pizzas, roasts, etc now belong to you.

[fusionbarnone]

Good score! Pizzas, roasts, etc now belong to you.

[maeil]

Can someone give me an idea as to how much an oven would cost me? Used or otherwise. I don't have a car to pick one up, so I'm not sure the used option is entirely open to me.

Thanks

[Jeonnam Jinx]

I bought a wonderful oven (stove) -- with four stovetop burners -- at Lotte Mart, actually. It cost only about 350,000 won or so. The BEST investment I've made since I've come to Korea. Seriously, I can't imagine life without it now.

If you get it from a department store or "mart," then they will deliver it in about three days. Changing the gas line from your old "gas range" to the new stove will be 10,000 won or so (I seem to think it was 8,000, but I don't really remember).

Seriously, between the pork roasts, cookies, pies, baked vegetables, pastas, casseroles, banana bread, and everything else, it's well worth the investment.

[Ya-ta Boy]

Just a note for anyone with a Preo stove: Your oven looks small, but will roast a 20 lb. turkey to perfection....no room to spare, but it will do it.

[Maugrim]

200,000, installation included at the second hand place near my apt (Itaewon). I had a friend who got one from the same place for the same price.

PM me if you want further info.

[crazykiwi]

indeed, i couldnt live without mine. Roast pork, chicken, lasagna, pizza, pasta bakes, and would you believe my wife and i found it?? sittting outside in the old furniture dumping place in the apartment complex next door. had the security man ring the old owner up to see if he minded we take it and if it worked. lo and behold, he just wanted an upgrade and said go for it. cost 10 bucks to get thermostat fixed and gas line hooked up. best score ever!

[crazykiwi]

double post sorry

[ajuma]

crazykiwi: Where do you find ricotta cheese (or even cottage cheese!) for lasagna??

[crazykiwi]