Today’s post is the third installment of my Cuisinart blogger series. I partnered with Cuisinart to test their appliances and provide recipes for each. You can learn more about Cuisinart’s many products on their website.

As a renter, there is only so much I can do to change the space I live in. My refrigerator and oven have been in this home for I don’t know how long, but long enough that if this were my home, I would get new ones – our oven especially. It rarely holds a temperature evenly, it is often way hotter than the temperature I set it at, and it does not cook food evenly.

Thankfully I no longer have to worry about my oven as I will forever and always choose the Cuisinart Combo Steam + Convection Oven whenever possible.

What makes this appliance so special?

• It’s a countertop device and is incredibly light for the size, allowing me to store it in the basement and bring it to my kitchen when I need to use it.
• If you are a renter and need a new oven but cannot purchase one for your home, this device is half the cost of a regular oven and can be transferred to your next rental home.
• The incredible list of baking functions: toast, convection bake, bake steam, broil, broil steam, steam, super steam, bread, and warm.
• It is as easy as “set it and forget it.”

The Cuisinart Combo Steam + Convection Oven comes pre-assembled with an oven rack, baking pan, broiling/steaming rack and a crumb tray, so all you need to do is provide the food to cook and a hot hand or pot holder to grab the racks once the cooking is complete.

Here are a few photos I took of the appliance:

A blue-backlit LCD digital display, dial button, and start/cancel button are the only things you’ll need to press to use the appliance.

Below you will see the removable plastic piece that you fill with water when you want to use the steam option.

Inside the oven, you will see the oven rack, baking pan, broiling/steaming rack and the crumb tray. The smaller size makes them easier to clean and lightweight for storing.

A stuffed pork loin sounded like the perfect recipe to make with this appliance. The baking racks were very appealing because, in our standard sized oven, we’ve had difficulty cooking large items like stuffed pork loins for a long period of time. Stuffed loins drip cheese and juices, and even though we would catch them with a baking sheet, the drippings would burn due to the loin needing to cook for an hour or more in the oven. When they burned, the smell would emit through the house and Brandy, our 6-year-old boxer pit mix, would sit in the living room and shake for fear of the smell. It caused us to not use the oven as often due to this problem.

Thanks to the recipe booklet included with the appliance, I was able to reference our stuffed pork loin with a beef tenderloin recipe in the book. The directions asked you to cook the beef tenderloin with the convection bake method at 450 degrees for 30 minutes. That is drastically shorter than the time it would take to cook the pork loin in the standard oven.

The conclusion? Due to the short cooking time and the well-sealed door of the appliance, we were able to cook a juicy, tender stuffed pork loin and Brandy did not even know we were cooking! What a success!

Our pork loin was stuffed with spinach and a creamy fromage cheese from Tulip Tree Creamery in Indianapolis, a simple stuffing that adds color and texture to the juicy pork loin.

In addition to the stuffed pork loin, I made an orange mustard sauce with three ingredients: whole grain mustard, dijon mustard, and orange juice. Since I did not create an elaborate rub for the outside of the pork loin, I wanted to create a sauce that would compliment the pork loin without overtaking the flavors like a gravy might do.

Thanks to the Cuisinart Combo Steam + Convection Oven, the stuffed pork loin achieved a nice browned crust all over the outside without ever having to turn the loin in the middle of the cooking process. For more information about the Cuisinart Combo Steam + Convection Oven, visit their product website. 

 

STUFFED PORK LOIN

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 to 1.5 pound pork loin
• 1 cup spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup of a creamy, spreadable, mild cheese
• Salt and black pepper
• Butcher’s twine
• 1/4 cup whole grain mustard
• 1/4 cup dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup orange juice

1. Begin my laying the pork loin on a cutting board. Butterfly the loin my cutting into it lenghtwise until you cut almost all the way through. Fold the now doubled in size loin flat on the cutting board.

2. Spread the creamy cheese evenly across the pork loin. Layer the spinach leaves on top.

3. Roll up the pork loin as tightly as you can. Grab the butchers twine and tie the loin at 2 inch intervals, about 4-5 ties total. Season the loin with salt and black pepper.

4. Place the loin on the broiling/steaming rack inside the Cuisinart Combo Steam + Convection Oven. Make sure the baking pan is underneath to catch the liquid drippings from the pork.

5. Close the door and set the convection bake to 450 degrees for 30 minutes.

6. While the loin cooks, stir together the whole grain mustard, dijon mustard and orange juice in a small saucepan. Heat until a low boil, then allow to sit on warm heat until the pork loin is finished.

After the timer is up, take the temperature of the pork loin and if it is above 160 degrees, allow the loin to rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Spoon the orange mustard sauce on top of the sliced loin and enjoy!