Meet Hsiao-Ching Chou, Anova Precision® Oven Recipe Creator!

Updated June 13, 2023 Cole Wagoner

We're kicking off a blog series, featuring #anovafoodnerds from all kinds of varying culinary backgrounds, to highlight how insanely awesome the Anova Precision® Oven is.

First up, we are taking a little inside peek at how Hsiao-Ching Chou has been cooking and using the Anova Precision® Oven at home, and then sharing some of her recipes.

Q&A with Hsiao-Ching Chou

Hsiao-Ching Chou is the author of Chinese Soul Food and Vegetarian Chinese Soul Food. She teaches Chinese home cooking in the Seattle area, and says her 15 minutes of fame was on No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain who came to her house for a dumpling lesson!

"As a cookbook author and cooking instructor, I often think about the diversity of cooks and how I can connect with people who have varying degrees of abilities, culinary perspectives, and access to ingredients and tools. Sometimes, meeting people where they are means sharing alternative ways to cook my recipes. Working with the Anova Precision® Oven has broadened the way I approach some familiar foods. It’s not about reproducing a stir-fry in the Oven. It’s about reimagining the spirit of a dish – such as Vegetarian Chow Fun – in a new cooking environment. I imagine someone who lives in a high-rise apartment and can’t achieve high-heat wok stir-frying might have a multi-functional appliance like the Anova Precision® Oven. There are plenty of recipes that can take advantage of the unique features of a combi oven, and it’s been fun to explore that potential."

How would you describe your style of cooking?

"I cook to sustain my family and our mixed cultures. I prefer recipes that are unfussy but generous. While my specialty is everyday Chinese cooking, I cook across cuisines and try to use whole ingredients when possible."

How does the Anova Precision Oven improve this?

"The Anova Precision Oven makes it easier for me to explore techniques outside of my streamlined habits. For example, I appreciate sous vide but I don’t naturally gravitate toward this technique, because I don’t want to deal with bags and a water bath, followed by a stove-top searing stage. Because the Anova Precision Oven can handle multiple stages, it enables me to enjoy the benefits of sous vide in a more efficient manner."

Any tips and tricks to share with the world about using the Oven?

"Have you ever been frustrated by a stove-top steamer baskets that can’t accommodate enough dumplings? Unless you have a restaurant-sized steamer or several tiers of baskets, it takes too long to steam large batches of dumplings. The Anova Precision® Oven solves that problem, because you can steam multiple trays of dumplings all at once, which makes it easier to keep up with a hungry group. Be sure to line the pan with parchment to prevent sticking!"

How has the Oven changed how you cook at home?

"The Oven has altered how I think about some of my go-to recipes. Having the option to combine moist- and dry-heat cooking in one device changes the game."

Do you think it has made a difference in how you cook?

"I think about humidity in cooking more than I used to! No one likes unintentionally dried-out food."

What recipe in the app (not from you!) are you super interested in trying?

"I can’t wait to try the Tacos al Pastor recipe. It seems like the perfect way to use all the features of the Oven."