One Pot Cooking - under a tenner

[Zak33]

Hello lovely people

Our mates at http://www.cranble.com/ have put together some of the Under a Tenner 1 pot films

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...W3roLZvVMrwD4H

Favourites?

My boy LOVES the Cod Harissa

[Ttaskmaster]

Paella could be good.
Much of my cooking is as one-pot as possible, to the point where people have bought me potjie pots on several occasions.

So remind me, who are Cranble, exactly? Are they selling something, or just sharing info?
That Yorkshire Burrito could be worth a try...

[Hoonigan]

The only one I've tried so far is the blue cheese burger with the Cranble burger sauce.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[Zak33]

Paella could be good.
Much of my cooking is as one-pot as possible, to the point where people have bought me potjie pots on several occasions.

So remind me, who are Cranble, exactly? Are they selling something, or just sharing info?
That Yorkshire Burrito could be worth a try...

Cranble is owned by The Media Team, who also own HEXUS. With multiple foodies in this company, we decided to set up a kitchen studio and make food , publish it online, via a website made internally and also the obvious routes- YouTube and social media, and see where it leads us which so far has been towards better food, showing people how to cook, what to use, how to save time while feeding the family better

[Ttaskmaster]

In that case, I shall look further through the website and see what I fancy having a go at!!

[Hoonigan]

In that case, I shall look further through the website and see what I fancy having a go at!!

http://www.cranble.com/recipes/the-c...n-blue-burger/

Give this one a go mate. Was gorgeous!

[Saracen]

I've lost count of how many "one pot" mealscI do, and for WELL under a tenner. A lot, but by no means all, are "slow cooker", which as far as I'm concerned is essential kit for anyone cooking on a tight budget, or for a large family (though very small slow cookers cope for one or two people), or where time is tight.

Reason 1 - somecof the besttasting cuts of meat arecamont the cheapest, but you MUST give them plenty of time.

Reason 2 - you can easily and very cheaply vary recipes, use leftovers, etc.

Reason 3 - For kitchen equipment they're dead cheap. Hot the mum-in-law a small one (does her two days meals at a time) for under £10, and I mean the cooker, not the ingredients.


The ONLY drawback is to plan ahead a bit. I often prepare ingredients (i.e. chop veg, dice meat, etc) the night before, plug into timer and set going. Next day, about 10AM it turns itself on, cooks for 8 hours, delish dinner at 6-7PM.

Reason 4 - getting veg into kids. Start out with lots of meat, minimal veg, and get them used to stews. Then over time, reduce meat and increase veg. We find 350-400g of meat is plenty for 4 people, or 2 people for 2 days.

A common trick is to buy a slightly larger Sundsy roast, then some of the leftovers (350-400g) go into the slow cooker, top up with suitable and/or seasonal veg, and you have Monday dinner for 4. Or, leave it a couple of days, and use midweek.

Of course, there's a bit more to it than that. Dense veg (turnip, parsnip, carrots) etc need to be cut a bit smaller than less dense veg, and cooked, frozen stuff (like peas) goes in half hour from serving.

But yoy can kick that same basic principle around in so many ways, with so many main ingredients, so many seasonings and flavourings, from a good 'old-fashioned' stew to a curry.

I woouidn't be without my one. Well, 3 actually. A 1.5litre for 2 people, one day, and a 3.5 litre (4 people, or 2 people, 2 days) of the 8 litre whopper. This is for large groups, and doubles as a spare room. Okay, kidding about that, but it's BIG.

And ALL THREE cost a total of about £45.

[peterb]

I'd add that slow cookers go well with freezers - batch cook a meat sauce (mince, onions tomatos etc) and freeze it in one or two people portions. It can form the basis of Chilli con carne, cottage pie, beef risotto, spag bol. You can do the same with a curry.

They can be used for pot roasts (using cheaper cuts of meat cooked long and slow) and the running costs are very low - meals take a little more forethought and planning.

[Saracen]

Agreed on freezers. Do that all the time.

Hint -self-control is important. It's easy to batch-cook and freeze. Just remember to use whwt you froze!

Freezer use is about discipline -note what goes in and out, and organise, label and date everything.

[Ttaskmaster]

I don't have that kind of time to plan, batch-cook, organise and run half a restaurant... not that it's my job anyway, since I have a wife for that.
I'm more into listening to what my body wants on any given day and obliging it, although rice and noodles do shout quite loudly. I'm also at the stage of my culinary learning where I start with a basic idea, throw all recpies and measures out the window, and just improvise on the spot... usually through having limited components available anyway. Bit of a challenge, bit of a cop-out, but so often with rather impressive results, even if I do say so myself!

[Saracen]

You can slow-cook without needing to freeze, but it does lend itself to batch cooking as well.

As for time, one of the primary benefits of slow-cooking (the other being cost) is that the time it takes (typically 5 to 8 hours) is while you aren't there. E.g., while you're at work.

I can come in from being out all day, and have a delicious and hot mean on the table in anything from 5 to 30 minutes. The variance depends on what I do with it. If everything is in the SC, it's 5 mins. If I do rice, it's 15 mins. If I do mash, about 3 minutes.

The prep time? Typically 10 mins, before I go out or even the night before. And for the two of us, that prep time covers two days.

Even the batch cooking is about getting cook quality, good value, and minimal effort.

Of course, if you want to come in from aa long day, and THEN decide what your body wants, abd settle doen to an hour, or more, cooking it, then maybe slow-cooking isn't for you. It isn't for me every day either. Sometimes I do something quick, sometimes I settle in about 2pm to do a Bolognase sauce for dinner about 6:30. But I don't always have several hours to keep an eye on a good Ragu.

And then sometimes, we'll just have a sausage sandwich.

Slow cooking is an extrenely useful culinary tool to have in your toolbelt. But it's up to you.

[Ttaskmaster]

As for time, one of the primary benefits of slow-cooking (the other being cost) is that the time it takes (typically 5 to 8 hours) is while you aren't there. E.g., while you're at work.

I know... The aforementioned wife that I have for that does actually do all that.
Sadly I do a much better 'stew' type concoction in about an hour (incl prep time) with just a pot on the cooker, than she can manage with a whole day and the slow-cooker... but happily I'm not stupid enough to say this to her face, and even-happilyer she has already admitted as much anyway!!

Nah, my usual sort of cooking usually starts with a frying pan or a wok if I'm improvising, maybe a saucepan or a baking/oven tray for a decent joint-type thing. If I get the mixing bowl or the braai out, you know you're in for a treat!

Mostly it depends on what food is in the house. She's on a diet, so I'm kinda restricted and even my stews cannot make use of the usual things like barley.

[Saracen]

Well, (IMHO) stews are one of the best meals ever, provided quality ingredients go in. By which, primarily, I mean lots of fresh veg. But for my taste, the difference between a one-hour and slow-cooked stew is about the cuts of meat you can use. Some of the tastiest cuts are among the cheapest, because they require low and slow to break down. After an hour, it'd be alike eating the soles of your boots.

I don't disagree with any of what you said (except the bit about wives - not touching that subject with a 10 foot pole) BUT ..... if we get in at 6pm, with an SC stew bubbling away, dinner can be on the table by 6.15. If you do that with a one-hour stew, by the time you add prep time, it's probably 7.15-7.30.

The SC certainly isn't a replacement for a frying pan, saute oan or casserole dish, but it does add an extra set of options, and in addition to taste and cheap cuts, it is extremely convenient.

But horses for courses. If it doesn't suit your lifestyle, fair enough. But we don't want to wait the extra time for dinner.

[Ttaskmaster]

But horses for courses. If it doesn't suit your lifestyle, fair enough. But we don't want to wait the extra time for dinner.

It suits hers, but not mine... which is weird, as she's the more likely to change her mind on what she wants for dinner!

[Saracen]

The "your" was inclusive, the Ttaskmaster household. Here, I do most of but by no means all the cooking. But that's because that suits us. Also, fortunately, I'm more of a ... can't think of the right word, but ... oh, "instinctive" cook. I look at a recipe and immediately start thinking of variations. MrsS follows it like it was a chemistry experiment that might blow up in your face at the tiniest variation.

So, when I want quick (effort time, not elapsed) out comes the slow cooker.

[Ttaskmaster]

The "your" was inclusive, the Ttaskmaster household.

Ahh, you mean the Workhouse? The one run by the Ttaskmistress, yeh?
Full of little Ttaskmasters going up to her, bowl in hand, asking for 'more'?

MrsS follows it like it was a chemistry experiment that might blow up in your face at the tiniest variation.

Which one has the greater successes?

So, when I want quick (effort time, not elapsed) out comes the slow cooker.

Most of what I do is because she hasn't done what she does and I'm stepping up now, to start cooking now, so that dinner will be ready 25 minutes ago... that sort of thing. I also work long, odd hours, so my version of planning food is phoning up a friend and asking if they fancy a braai!!