Oven

Item: Green Giant Create a Meal! Oven Roasted Meal Starter, Garlic Herb FlavorWhat you get: 1 pound, 10 ounces (4 servings)Cost: $3.09Time to prepare: About 30 minutesReview: Green Giant bills this as "walk-away cooking," reminiscent of the days when home cooks shoved a pot roast into the oven for an easy meal. The giant has cut the potatoes, carrots, red pepper and sugar snap peas. All you do is toss them with chicken breast strips, vegetable oil and the seasoning packet, then wait for the oven-roasted aroma to fill your kitchen.

* Item: Ore Ida Oven Chips* What you get: 9 servings* Cost: About $2* Preparation time: 4 to 7 minutes broiled, 5 to 10 minutes fried, 12 to 22 minutes baked* Review: Just when you thought Ore Ida had run out of ways to cook potatoes, here come oven chips. Thicker than the average potato chip, but thinner than a steak fry, these potato rounds are coated with a light and crispy batter. You can bake, broil or fry them. I didn't bother to deep-fry, but I did toss a handful in a frying pan with some fish, and the fries cooked up relatively grease-free.

Wings are football food. There's no denying it. But they're certainly not health food. This recipe gives your arteries a bit of a break because the chicken is roasted instead of fried. There's no loss in flavor, though, thanks to a sweet and tangy glaze made with soy sauce, sugar and balsamic vinegar. They're sticky, for sure, but it's worth it. Just bring napkins (and maybe wet wipes) along with the wings for the game-day festivities. Balsamic soy-glazed chicken wings 4-5 pounds chicken wingettes 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar 1/4 cup soy sauce 2 teaspoons sugar 1 tablespoon unsalted butter Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven.

* Item: Pillsbury OneStep Brownie * What you get: 12 brownies * Cost: About $2.80 * Preparation time: 35 to 38 minutes in conventional oven * Review: What could be easier than brownie dough in its own pan ready for the oven? The hard part is waiting the time it takes for these rich chocolate treats to bake. These are crumbly, gooey, practically fudge brownies that almost melt in your mouth. Follow the alternative directions if you prefer a cake-style brownie. Pillsbury also offers a OneStep Cookie.

Happy days are here again. The new slots facility on the highway will provide jobs for all, money for the children, and a chicken in every oven. Don't worry; be happy. And pay no attention to that man behind the curtain. Jim Tabeling, Baltimore

Don't worry if the rain washes away your grilling plans. This pork tenderloin recipe easily transfers to cooking indoors. Sear the meat in a hot skillet, then roast quickly in a hot oven to cook the meat through. Pork tenderloins are small enough for fast cooking. Of course, this recipe works very well on the grill. Bill Daley writes for the Chicago Tribune, which provided the recipe analysis. Curried Pork Tenderloins Makes 6 servings -- Total time: 36 minutes 2 pork tenderloins, about 1 pound each 3 tablespoons curry powder or a spice rub 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 lime wedge Heat oven to 375 degrees.

A tagine (pronounced "tah-zheen") is a hallmark of Moroccan cooking. The slow-simmered stew mingles meats and vegetables with spices, such as cumin and cinnamon. This Moroccan Stew With Roasted Vegetables pairs chicken and prunes, an ancient combination that continues to offer good nutrition. Sometimes marketed as "dried plums," prunes are a quick source of energy and aid in the absorption of iron. A quarter cup of the fruit contains 317 milligrams of potassium, which promotes heart health.

Bake Until Bubbly By Clifford A. Wright The Ski House Cookbook By Tina Anderson and Sarah Pinneo Clarkson Potter / 2007 / $30 If you spend weekends on the slopes and crave something quick yet home-cooked at the end of the day, these 125 recipes are for you. Many involve slow-cookers or minimal prep work, so you can spend the day on your skis instead of behind the stove. Though I hardly ever cook red meat, the photo for Chunky Beef Stew caught my attention. The braised meat heats in the oven for six hours as the vegetables roast in a separate pan, to be combined at the end so they don't get mushy.

COOKING CAN BE a high-risk, thrilling experience. Take, for instance, what happened to me on a recent Saturday night. Instead of dealing with a homemade pizza baked in the oven, I ended up struggling with a pizza that was on the oven floor. The trouble began when I thought the pizza dough was stuck to the pizza stone. A pizza stone is a rectangular device, sold in kitchen stores, that is placed on an oven rack when you are baking bread or pizza. The stone holds the heat and gives the dough a crisp crust.

Q: We're going to remove a wall in order to combine the kitchen with the adjoining family room. I think, however, that it may still be necessary to have some sort of visual barrier to the more messy food preparation area. A two-way fireplace seems an intriguing possibility, but it's not very functional. Do you have some suggestions?A: What you really need is a partial division between the two rooms. A good solution might be a sturdy, self-supporting structure that doesn't go all the way up to the ceiling.