To help make dinnertime less stressful, try these one-pot recipes. One-pot meals done right are packed with flavour in a nice low calorie package.
Between the 9 to 5 grind, rushing to the gym, and googling your own name, there seem to be a bazillion reasons why we don’t have time to delve into the pile of cookbooks gathering dust behind the bread machine. To help make dinnertime less stressful, try one-pot cooking.
One-pot meals done right are packed with a tsunami of flavour in a nice low calorie package to keep us on good terms with the scale. Plus one-pot cooking seriously cuts down on the time we spend hunched over a sink of sudsy water.
Perfect pots
A high quality pot is just as important as the ingredients tossed into it when it comes to one-pot success. alive asked Chef Maribel Linfield, aka the Food Diva, a cooking instructor in Waterloo, Ontario, for her expert advice on what to look for in a pot.
She advised that the best pots have thick bottoms, which distribute heat more evenly. Make sure they don’t have plastic handles, so they’re suitable for both the stovetop and the oven.
Cast iron
These pots are some of the most efficient because of their excellent heat retention and diffusion properties. Seasoned right, they are also wonderfully non-stick. But beware of cooking with acidic ingredients such as tomatoes and wine as these can degrade the seasoning of the cast iron pot and alter the colour of the food. Enamelled cast iron pots are easier to clean and don’t interact negatively with acidic ingredients.
Copper
Though they can be pricey, copper pots are heavy duty and have superior heat conductivity, making them the cookware of choice for many professionals. Keep in mind copper pots are not non-stick and probably require polishing.
Glass
Glass pots don’t conduct heat well, but retain it efficiently, making them good for long-cooking dishes at medium to low heat such as braises.
Stainless steel
Well-made, reasonably priced stainless steel pots don’t react with foods; are corrosion-resistant; tend to be strong and easy to clean; and resist scratching, pitting, or denting. Avoid cheap aluminum pots.
| One-pot superfoods These ingredients from our one-pot recipes have a myriad of health benefits. | ||
| Ingredient | Nutrients | Benefits |
| carrots | vitamin A | -improves eye health and immune defence |
| lentils | folate | -is needed to make DNA and RNA |
| tofu | phytochemical isoflavones | -protects against type 2 diabetes, lung, and premenopausal breast cancers |
| ancho chilies | capsaicin (a phytochemical) | -curbs appetite |
| tomatillos | lutein and zeaxanthin (antioxidants) | -boosts eye health |
Recipes
Matthew Kadey, MSc, RD, is a dietitian, nutrition writer, and recipe developer. He is also the author of Rocket Fuel (VeloPress, 2016) and Muffin Tin Chef (Ulysses Press, 2012).
Alexa Everett
Laura Bolt
Gail Johnson
Carime Lane