WASHINGTON 鈥� There鈥檚 no shortage of kitchen gadgets that help get dinner on the table with minimal cleanup 鈥� you have the slow cooker, the pressure cooker, the Instant Pot.
But food writer says forget the high-tech toys. For a delicious one-dish dinner, all you need is a basic sheet pan.
In her new cookbook, 鈥�,鈥� Pelzel makes everything from quiche, to no-boil mac and cheese, to chili in a sheet pan.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like a $20 investment and you can do everything 鈥� from breakfast to dessert,鈥� she said.
Pelzel began experimenting with the versatility of the sheet pan during her career at Cook鈥檚 Illustrated magazine. That鈥檚 when she discovered the basic metal pan was the key to making the fluffiest quinoa and the creamiest risotto.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 really cool about it is that you don鈥檛 have the direct heat from the stove, so it鈥檚 easier because you鈥檙e not in danger of scorching or overcooking. You know how annoying it is when you overcook rice and it all sticks to your pot and then you have to soak it and all that? That doesn鈥檛 really happen in a sheet pan. It鈥檚 very, very forgiving,鈥� Pelzel said.
Even oatmeal does better in the oven than it does on the stove. Simply soak steel cut oats overnight and bake them in the morning.
鈥淚t鈥檚 healthy and delicious and something you can do the night before,鈥� said Pelzel, who likes to stir in bananas, dates and tahini.
Before you dig out your pan and plan a week鈥檚 worth of meals, Pelzel has a few tips. For starters, invest in a sheet pan with a three-quarter- to 1-inch rim. This will enable you to make everything from dips, to stews, to pasta in the pan.
Also, opt for a sheet pan with a smooth surface. Pelzel says those with ridges and bumps make for a tougher cleanup. And while a nonstick pan may sound enticing, Pelzel says stick with the traditional. Nonstick coatings make it difficult for food to caramelize.
For restaurant-worthy roasted vegetables, preheat the pan with the oven.
鈥淵ou toss your vegetables with oil and when you turn them on to the sheet pan, they sizzle, just like they would if you used a skillet. So immediately, the vegetables are starting to cook and brown and caramelize, and you鈥檙e cooking the vegetables that much faster and you鈥檙e building flavor right off the bat. It also shaves time off your cook time,鈥� Pelzel said.
And to achieve an extra crispy crust on a slab pie or cookie bar, cook on a lower rack where the heat is more intense. 聽
Forget wiping down grease splatters and scrubbing pots. When dinner is done, all you need to do is wash one pan.
鈥淥ne and done 鈥� that鈥檚 it,鈥� Pelzel said.
