...
...
...
...
SSL
All site content, including photos, © Busy-at-Home 2009-2013, All Rights Reserved, Contact Busy-at-Home for permissions
UPDATE: It is with great sadness that I can no longer endorse the company producing and marketing the NuWave PIC. I LOVE, seriously LOVE the product, but the manner in which they charge for shipping is, in my opinion, not ethical. The product is worth far more than the $99 being charged for it; and it would seem more honest to me to simply charge what the product is actually worth, rather than saying it is only $99 and then charging inflated prices for the shipping and handling. Should those practices ever change, Busy-at-Home would be glad, once again, to endorse not only a great product, but the company who produces it. Thank you for understanding.
Okay, tell the truth. You thought I was NEVER posting another recipe, again. Right? Me, TOO! 
No, actually, believe it or not I have still been cooking up a storm, all this time. (My people like to eat.) There have just been so many amazing projects and giveaways to share with you lately, that between completing them and writing about them, and once in awhile homeschooling and doing a load of laundry or going way out on a limb and getting in 2 or 3 hours of sleep, the recipes just haven’t been getting posted. So, get ready. There will probably be a whole slew of them coming at once! -lol- It’s feast or famine around here, Baby. Tonight though, we’re going to feast. And this dish will be a keeper. You may actually want to pull it together for your family dinner on Sunday. They’ll love it!
Fiesta Bake! I created the filling in a skillet in the center of my kitchen counter, using the NuWave Precision Induction Cooktop!
I was wandering through the boards on Pinterest, last week, and I found a pin that looked wonderful and it led me to Let’s Dish and the recipe for Cheesy Enchilada Casserole. Danelle’s site is gorgeous. Her food photography skills are over the top. I could have spent hours just looking at all her pictures, except for the fact that I was now determined to make that recipe — sort of. You already know this story. Some of the ingredients, I didn’t have. Some of them, my family didn’t care for. And I had an idea or two to make this gorgeous dish with our own family flair. So, here is our interpretation with many thanks to Danelle, for inspiring us to add what is a new family favorite to our meal rotation. (On a side note, I think this dish would freeze amazingly well, too.)
As it turns out, the timing to give this a shot was perfect! I had just received a NuWave Precision Induction Cooktop, from Hearthware, to review; and so I was able to prepare the filling for this yummy dish, right in the middle of my kitchen counter! (You’ll see why that’s a big deal, in just a minute.) Those of you who’ve been around Busy-at-Home for awhile, no that I cook on a Samsung Induction Range. I absolutely adore induction cooking and would be hard-pressed to ever go back.
This is NOT your grandma's hot plate! It's a gorgeous 12" extension of your range! It cooks using induction heat and it's fully portable. The digital display and controls are simple to operate and I was cooking in just minutes after unpacking the box. I love that it comes with a nice little recipe book, too. It would be hard to go back to conventional cooking after using induction for the last several years. Adding the NuWave PIC to my kitchen equipment, has me even more convinced of that.
To pare things down to the bare facts for you, induction cooking uses an electromagnet to generate heat in the cooking vessel, not in the cooktop, itself. Under the glass of the cooktop there is a copper coil, that produces a gentle electromagnetic field when electricity passes through it. This starts the molecules of your pan vibrating, which creates heat. The pan is heating up, not the cooktop. Totally cool, right? Your cookware needs to be stainless steel or cast iron (magnetic) in order for the range to work. I can boil a saucepot of water in about 90 seconds on my stovetop. The glass top doesn’t heat up (though it DOES get warm under the pot, where heat from the pot is transferred to the cook top), because all the energy goes directly into the cookware. It’s a much more even and consistent way of cooking and I don’t have any of the issues that come with typical glass top stoves. For instance, spills don’t bake on. Sprinkling sugar onto most hot glass-tops, results in a lifelong, baked on crunch or even small pits burned in. Induction cooktops don’t have enough heat to melt the sugar, mush less burn it on. Love, love, love that! My grandbabies have stood on their tippy-toes and reached over the top edge of the stove and unless they directly touched the pot, I didn’t have to worry about a burn. The moment that truly sold me was a demonstration where a skillet had been cut in half and then placed on the range. The rep cracked an egg, half onto the skillet, and half onto the “burner” of the cooktop. In a mere moment, the side of the egg sitting in the skillet was cooked through, while the half sitting on the burner was as raw as the moment he had placed it there. Amazing! Okay, so enough with my love fest for my induction range. Now that you get how amazing it is and how it works, I want to tell you that there is one thing about it that annoys me profusely. It only has one large burner. The other three are terribly small. In this family, that’s a problem. We don’t cook small. Hmmph! A bothersome raincloud on my kitchen parade.
I’ve also told you, many times, that I am amazed at the way that God provides; and how I never cease to be delighted at the way He takes interest in and cares about even the small, everyday things in our lives. In a strange twist of events, He provided me with a “big burner” through my association with Hearthware, the company that brought us that fabulous NuWave oven! The NuWave PIC (Precision Induction Cooktop) is one of their new products and what a blessing! I was fortunate enough to be asked to test it out and share my thoughts with you. A girl never gets tired of “having her dreams come true”. This was over-the-top perfect! I am officially in “big burner” heaven! – lol
So, here’s how my first cooking session with this excellent
Ingredients Instructions
Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Pluginhttp://busy-at-home.com/blog/fiesta-bake-this-recipes-a-keeper-plus-my-nuwave-precision-induction-cooktop-review/
Needless to say, I’m as thrilled with the NuWave Precision Induction Cooktop as I was with the NuWave Oven. You can bank on the fact that I am officially a hardcore Hearthware products fan and baby this is a TWO big-burner kitchen, now!
The NuWave PIC is a perfect option for potlucks, big dinners where you need an extra burner, a way to keep your delish fondue warm and beautiful or a myriad of other uses. If there is an electrical outlet, you can use it there! There's no open flame, not hot burner ring, and when you remove the pan, the burner shuts off! This eliminates the worry of fire hazards associated with other portable cooktops. Go check it out and invest in your own little "kitchen expansion"! You'll be glad you did!
What’s your family’s favorite winter-time comfort food — the one that’s so delish and they get excited about when they hear that’s what’s for dinner? Did you change up a tried and true recipe and make it all your own? I hope you’ll share it in a comment, below!
…
I received a NuWave PIC in order to test it in my own kitchen and conduct this review. No monetary compensation was received and a positive review was not required. As with all Busy-at-Home reviews, the views and opinions expressed are wholly my own and based on my own personal experience with the product.
 |
Oh Glenda, this recipe looks and sounds delicious! I really think my hubby would love it! Great review of the burner – it seems like it would be a great addition to my home! (So sorry you had the sink troubles too!)
Thanks, Carrie! I know right? Sinks happen. -lol- It was the perfect test for my Induction Cooktop, so it’s all good! I hope you husband enjoys the recipe and hanks so much for stopping by!
Oh my, that looks delicious!! I would love to have that burner for fondue, or my sister in college has an oven that doesn’t really work…this would be the perfect solution! Thanks for sharing.
Chelsea, thanks so much! That’s a great idea about college students. I hadn’t thought of that, but it would actually be perfect!
I’m wondering if this would be a candidate for the freezer…
Sandie, I’m definitely going to try it. It looks like it would freeze very easily to me and would be perfect when I need to take a meal to someone.
Whoa. I now know what I want to make for dinner. Although I don’t have a cool induction cooker to make it on… I’ll just have to wing it!
Enjoy, Naomi! And Valentine’s Day IS just around the corner. Maybe Cupid will whisper a request for that PIC to someone special, for you!
It is lunch time here in AZ and boy are you making me hungry!!! I am pinning this to save for later!!
Thanks, so much, Samantha! Hope you had a tasty lunch!
I am thinking about purchasing this–are you still happy with it? Any cons?
Kristen, I love mine and use them frequently. I have yet to find something I don’t like. I have one that never leaves the space on my counter beside the range and one I use to take for potlucks or other places or to loan out. I can’t think of a thing you’d be disappointed with about it.
I just received my Nuwave PIC and am using it to make chicken and rice soup. The unit quickly brought my broth to a boil. But I must say the fan is very loud. You don’t notice this in the commercial due to the loud music they are playing. I would not use this to keep food warm during family dinner or gatherings. It’s very distracting. Also, the unit has a ticking sound once it heats up. Not sure I want to put up with these annoying extras.
Hi Donna! I have been cooking on an induction range for several years, now, so I guess I am accustomed to the fan. I never even notice it, but the clicking doesn’t sound right to me. I can’t be sure, of course, but I own 2 PICS and don’t experience that with either one. If it were me, I would contact customer service. Hope you get it figured out. ~Glenda
Hi!!! I became a cook out of need as much as love raising two healthy, hungy Boys by myself. I live in a trailer with a small RV stove & oven with only one burner that works well. With all their friends over frequebtly, my place is a permanent roach coach!! When I cook it makes a mess as big as the house. Therefore, I don`t like to cook unless I`m cooking large amounts……. Extra lge. pots of beans, brown hamburger 3 pounds at a time……… I`m thinking about buying a couple of NuWave cooktops but won`t pull the trigger unless someone tells me what happens when you try to use a 12″ or larger skillet or pot on one. Using toy size pots & pans won`t cut it here!!
Hi Roy,
If you read through many of my recipes, you will find that I use a 12″ cast iron skillet for almost all my stove-top cooking — that and a large 12 qt stainless steel stock pot have both been used with great success on my NuWave PIC.
My PIC will barely boil water, it is more of a simmer. It is certainly not a rolling boil. I am still waiting on my “free” unit after more than a month after receiving the first one. Hearthware does not answer phone calls or emails in my experience.
Jeff, I’m so sorry to hear that. It’s obviously a defective unit, as I have two and use them for boiling all the time. Try contacting anurag@hearthware.com or posting something on their Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/PrecisionCooktop or emailing chef.jennifer.5@facebook.com. Those are the only contacts I have for them, since discontinuing our dealings with them because of their shipping practices. I hope that maybe one of them can help you get things straightened out. ~Glenda
On the commercial they show rice and oatmeal being cooked, but the recipe book doesn’t have recipes. Do you have any? Thanks!
Hi Barb! I don’t have any specific recipes for them, but any stove top recipe you have will work. I’d check food.com, if you’re looking for some really tasty and creative alternatives.
Regarding the PIC, their practices regarding S&H. have nothing to do with ethics. The reason they don’t just make the price higher is because if you ask for a refund you will only be given back the smaller amount that is the price. The ridiculous shipping and handling charges will not be refunded. In some offers this adds up to almost $ 300.00. Read some reviews first
Again, for me, that is DEFINITELY an ethical matter. It is dishonest to expect to profit from the sale of a returned/defective product. Besides which, the likelihood of anyone returning the product, after using it, is slim. A rare lemon is always possible in any manufacturing endeavor, but it isn’t as though there would be a mass wave of returns. I’ve tested the PIC and own two. They are everything they claim to be and more. It’s a fabulous product, being so overshadowed by the dishonest sales tactics with adding outrageously inflated shipping & handling for each individual “free” item included in the “package”, that it is impractical to do business with the company. To me, that is dishonest gain and very much a matter of ethics. Therefore, I cannot endorse them, regardless of how I feel about the product.
Perhaps I did not make my position about this co. clear. I am sorry. I agree with you !! I believe their policies. are the complete opposite of any thing that has anything to do with ethics. That is what I meant to convey . : )
Thanks for clarifying, Angel. It’s so sad for me to have to take this stand, because I would love all my readers to be able to have this great product, but cannot in good conscience continue to recommend doing business with the company. It is my hope that others who are already advancing in induction cooking technology will create similar products and we will see affordable models from companies like Electrolux, Samsung and others.
I have to admit I was very impressed with the tv advertisement of the NuwavePIC. The after breaking out the credit card and calling the 1-800 number I was shocked at the shipping charges. I was a little prepared as I had gone online and found a BOGO ad with 3 payments vice 4 and SH listed as $29.99 ($30). Now the tv ad I was calling in about also was throwing in 2 cookware packages as well free of charge.
.
So now we get them on the phone and low and behold it was going to be $100 plus $30 plus $40 (no explanation as to why the second unit was higher in SH costs), plus $70 SH. At this point we came to all stop and I got rather huffy. What I expected for $160 had grown to $240, or was it $310. I told them deals off shyster. We are done, and hung up.
.
I would like a countertop induction burner at a good price, but this was just too darn much.
I totally understand, Roger. It’s the reason we can no longer endore them, even though I absolutely LOVE the product.
Go on E-BaY, they have a ton of these cook tops for sale alot cheaper and some even have no shipping but you do not get the so-called free products they offer for tremendous shipping charges.
I usually don’t leave many comments but this is worth it. I thought the 2-for1 deal was a little too good to be true and it turned out I was correct (as were you). I was in the ordering process for this product when the order-taker told me the shipping cost. I immediately cancelled. As much as I wanted this cooktop, I refused to buy in to this unehtical practice. So I’m with you on this. I finally saw one in a department store while holiday shopping so I’ll get it there. The product outshines the marketing here. Thanks for your honesty and comittment to fair sales practices. Also thanks for your website recipes. Am bookmarking you now.
Butch – Los Angeles
I soooooo agree with you on all points! I love the cooktop but felt totally burned (pun intended) by the cost of shipping… “free” shipping on the 1st unit then pay “separate” shipping for the 2nd unit which was nearly $60 … funny that both units were shipped/received in the same box!
I would love if you devoted a space just for induction cooking. I’m still experimenting with “slow cooking” with this cooktop and haven’t quite mastered it yet… can you help? Thanks!
I need to play around with that some more, too. Since you can actually set the exact temperature, cooking low and slow is very doable with this unit. I love that it holds a constant temp, so I can successfully make yogurt, at home. I’ll see what other recipes I can come up with.
I put off buying one of these for many months, because of the shipping. Then I was standing in Shopko and there it was! $89.00. I absolutely love it.
Mary, that’s great to know! Thanks for sharing!
Glenda, I’m sure the recipe is great, haven’t made it yet. The reason I’m contacting you is your comment about the company that sells it. I had a really bad experience ordering from them. The add says you will get the NuwavePIC and all this cookware “but wait! Order now and you’ll get 2 of each, just pay the additional shipping. The website was so confusing I opted to just get one. When my cooktop arrived, no cookware. I called them this past Mon. and told them how deceitful their site was and from the response I got, I wasn’t the only person who called. Their offer to me was to agree to send me the “promised” cookware but I had to pay $70 in shipping costs above the advertised shipping in the ad! Since none of my cookware works w/ the product, I agreed, but I’m with you – this is an outrageous ripoff. I know when I get to use the appliance, I’ll love it, but I’ll never order anything from them again.
Sincerely, Lyn in Tucson
PS I’m a total newby, any tips would be great, oh, like grilled cheese?
Lyn, I am so sorry you had to have that awful experience, but you are right; once you use it, you will LOVE your PIC. I honestly don’t cook any differently with induction, than I did with convection. The beauty is just that the pots get up to temperature more quickly and the cooktop itself isn’t hot (though it does absorb heat from the pan and get warm). Butter up that bread and toast it in your new cookware with your favorite cheese and you’ll be in heaven!
Hope to see you around the blog, again. So glad you stopped by!
Just ordered my induction cooktop a few days ago. Can’t wait to try it AND your recipe. Looks super yummy, all the tex-mex flavors are right up our alley!