Man Up in the Kitchen with the Samsung Smart Oven

Samsung Digital Appliances held its fourth cooking workshop, dubbed as "Man Up in the Kitchen," last June 26, 2015 at the GalaStars Culinary School with recipes by Chef Ernest Gala. Grilling and baking were never this easy when you have the new Samsung Smart Oven to back you up...

Noted Chef Ernest Reynoso Gala was on deck that morning for the cooking demo, and for someone like me who never really cooked at all, I was both apprehensive yet eager to actually cook. Chicken Barbecue and Vegetable Corn Muffins sounded like some real serious cooking, but it was surprisingly easy with the new Samsung Smart Oven.

The new Samsung Smart Oven opens up exciting new possibilities in the kitchen with its microwave, convection and grilling features. From Intelligent Defrost, a unique fermentation function, and even baking, there's nothing you can't do with the new Samsung Smart Oven. And it's as easy as turning the dial and pushing a button...no sweat. 

My very own cooking station was all set, and it was time for some serious cooking and run the new Samsung Smart Oven through its paces. All the ingredients were laid out for the first dish, the GalaStars Chicken Barbecue, with the following ingredients neatly arranged in the proper proportions:

Ingredients:

• 1/4 of 1 Whole Chicken (since I was the only one on my work station, I had a half-chicken all to myself), with deep diagonal incisions on each chicken part to absorb the special marinade.
• 1/4 cup banana catsup
• 1 tbsp each of Kekap Manis (a sweet soy sauce or use local soy sauce with 1 tbsp molasses)
• crushed Garlic
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Procedure:

• Mix the banana ketchup, Kekap Manis, crushed garlic and pepper in a bowl.
• Place the chicken directly on the bowl and mix with your hands.
• After rubbing the marinade ensuring that each part of the chicken is coated, place the bowl in the refrigerator and leave it to cool for around 30 minutes. 
• Skewer the chicken part with a barbecue stick, pre-soaked in water for 30 minutes to prevent the stick from burning
• In a microwave plate, place the skewered chicken skin side down.
• Set Samsung Smart Oven on MICROWAVE+GRILL FUNCTION, timed for 7 minutes and press START. Then, invert chicken and set on MICROWAVE+GRILL FUNCTION for 3 minutes. Press GRILL FUNCTION, timed for 2 minutes to brown the surface. 

Sounds easy enough. And it was. Simply mix all the ingredients for the barbecue marinade in a bowl and place the pre-scored chicken directly in the marinade. Delicately rub the marinade to the chicken with your hands for several minutes until the chicken is thoroughly covered with the marinade. 

After a few minutes, the chicken takes on a vibrant reddish hue, and it's time to skewer the chicken to keep its shape during grilling. Once the skewers are set, leave the skewered and marinated chicken in the ref for about half an hour.


While the marinated chicken is at the ref, it's time to prepare the Vegetable Corn Muffins. Below my work station, all the ingredients were neatly arranged and prepared:

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup corn meal
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 whole egg, beaten lightly with a fork
• 1 cup frozen Mixed Vegetables, thawed and drained (for pure corn muffins, use 1 cup whole kernel corn, drained)
• 1/2 cup Fresh or Full Cream Milk 

And just like the GalaStars Chicken Barbecue, the Vegetable Corn Muffins were surprisingly easy to prepare. Simply mix all the ingredients in the bowl with a wooden spoon, add the egg, and blend thoroughly until the mixture has a fine consistency. 

Then, add in the thawed and drained mixed vegetables, and mix until the vegetables are evenly distributed in the mixture. With a scoop or spoon, add the mixture to the paper-lined ramekins until half-full. Once done, it's time for the Samsung Smart Oven...

And just after three minutes, my very own made-from-scratch Vegetable Corn Muffins were ready...

...with an appetizing freshly baked aroma to match the personal satisfaction that you prepared this batch yourself. Perfectly baked with layers of subtle sweetness from the mixed vegetables, this one paired well with the GalaStars Chicken Barbecue...

...grilled to perfection and fresh off the new Samsung Smart Oven. The deep and rich color of the Chicken Barbecue is a visual cue to the equally rich flavors of the dish.

Tender, juicy, and moist, packed with sweet, smoky and bold flavors, I'll have to admit, this one's a pretty good chicken dish.  And I did this myself. And you can too, with the new Samsung Smart Oven. Quick, easy, all with just a push of a button with the new Samsung Smart Oven.

GalaStars Culinary School is located at 179 Shaw Boulveard, Pasig City or call 671-4489 for inquiries and more information.

For more on the new Samsung Smart Oven and their innovative line of home appliaces, check out the website here at http://www.samsung.com/ph/consumer/home-appliances/microwave-oven.

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