Picture the scene. You’ve just arrived at the most beautiful cottage you’ve ever seen. There’s a stream near by and you’re totally isolated. You’re self-catering and have all your food to last the week. You open the cupboard and see, horror of horrors - one pan.

Fear not, here are a few tips on how to cook all your food in one pan.

If you’re greeted with just this - don’t panic!

Roasting is a great way to prepare meals without a lot of mess. If you combine all of your ingredients into one pan, the juices can concentrate together and produce some of the most delicious meals. To get started with one pan roasting, you will want to invest in a high quality roasting pan. Picking one that has a non-stick coating will make cleaning this single pan much easier. If you intend to do a lot of roasting in this pan, consider spending a bit more money to get a heavy duty pan that is stainless steel. You will find that the investment pays off as this is one pan that you will have for years to come.

To roast a meal in a single pan, all you have to do is add in the meat and vegetables. If you want to use any seasonings, go ahead and place them in the pan with the rest of the ingredients. When your ingredients are prepared, simply place the pan into the oven and cook until the meat is done. This style of cooking not only cuts down on the mess but saves a lot of time during the preparation phase of the meal as well.

There are a few things that you will want to keep in mind when roasting your meals in a single pan. Some meats like chicken and fish cook rather quickly. It will be important to pick vegetables that also cook quickly to produce the best possible meal. Adding a bunch of potatoes with your chicken is going to produce either half cooked potatoes or dry chicken. Instead, choose a vegetable like squash or mushrooms to pair with chicken and faster cooking meats. If you want to prepare carrots and potatoes with your meal, pick a roast to cook with them or even pork chops.

Catch the Duck, cook it and eat it - all from one pan?

Aside from roasting your meals in one pan, you can also cook a number of meals in one pan as well. Take the classic spaghetti and meatballs dinner for example. This meal traditionally requires a minimum of two pans. You will need one to cook the pasta and another for the sauce. If you get a bit creative you can cook both items in a single pan.

Use a large pot to heat up your sauce. Add your uncooked pasta directly into the sauce and let it cook for a while. This not only produces delicious pasta, but you greatly limit the mess that you need to make which saves a lot of time. You will not have to wait for water to boil and you do not need a strainer to remove the water from the pasta when it is finished. This is a great way to make spaghetti without the hassle that typically comes with this meal.

We have explored options for pots and pans so it only makes sense to take a look at a skillet. This is a very versatile piece of cooking equipment that can be found in just about every kitchen. So long as you have a skillet that is large enough, you can easily prepare entire meals in one.

If you had a skillet, your chances are greatly improved!!

One meal that typically uses a number of pans is chicken fajitas. With the help of a large skillet, you can prepare this delicious meal without having to dirty every pot and pan in the house. All you need to do is add a few chicken breasts to the skillet for a bit so that it can cook through. When they are done, remove the chicken breasts and place them on a clean plate. In the same skillet, you will want to add your vegetables such as onions and bell peppers and let them cook. You can even heat your tortilla shells in the skillet. If you want to use this method, just make sure to place them one at a time in the skillet before you cook the chicken and vegetables. If you don’t do this first, your tortilla shells will be quite messy.

I really like Chicken Fajitas…

In many cases, you will find that the meal that you are making requires a sauce. This sauce probably requires multiple pans to create. Consider making a large batch of the sauce and then break it down into smaller portions that can be frozen for later use. When you need one, simply pull it out of the freezer and defrost. You can then add the sauce to the meal and avoid having to use several pots. This is a great way to cook during the week when you have a limited amount of time available after work as well.

You can see how easy it is to make a number of delicious meals without having to use anything more than a single pan. Take some of your favourite recipes and see if you can’t identify a few steps that you can condense so that there is no need for multiple pans. If there is a part of the meal that you can make in advance, consider doing this in bulk which will save valuable time and mess in the long run.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, May 7th, 2009 at 9:19 am and is filed under Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.