Holidays are the ideal time for quick and easy meals: those meals that don't use every pot in the cupboard; whole and healthy meals that can be cooked in an electric frypan, casserole or saucepan.
In the 1950s, the electric frypan revolutionised small home kitchens. They saved power and were often used for roasting thus leaving the oven clean for baking. Electric frypans have gone out of fashion a little which is disappointing because they are the ideal one-pan cooker.
As the name suggests, the first saucepans were made — yes— for making sauces. This was in the 17th century when metal cooking utensils became the preferred option. (Metal pans were slow to be developed due to their high cost.) Before that, earthenware pots coated with a waterproof glaze were used suspended over low-heat fires or in ovens.
Stainless steel saucepans are a popular choice because they are hygienic and they don’t rust or stain. However, because stainless steel alone is a poor conductor of heat it is combined with other metals which are good conductors of heat.
These saucepans are available in many grades, the price and weight usually reflecting the quality. Beware — lightweight stainless saucepans tend to develop hot spots. If the handles are manufactured from heat-resistant plastic, saucepans can also act as a casserole in an oven up to 200°C.
Pear and kumara green curry
Spinach shakshuka with avocado
One pot mac n' veg
Fab frypan-roasted chicken
