Cooking for One? Whip Up a Day’s Worth of Meals (and Dessert!) in This Single Pan

Cooking for one may be difficult. Between the stress of grocery procuring, meal prep, and cleanup, it’s straightforward to get caught in a rut of repetitive meals or fall into the comfort lure of takeout. As a registered dietitian and somebody who cooks for herself typically, I’m right here to inform you that solo cooking does not must be a headache. No extreme supply charges, zero hidden substances, and a meditative act of self-care? Signal me up.

And whereas cooking devices like air fryers and toaster ovens can definitely velocity up your meal prep, I’ve discovered the very best kitchen instrument for the job is a small easy pan. My favourite? The 360 Cookware Stainless Metal 2-Quart Sauté Pan ($189), which has every part it’s good to cook dinner for one, and extra.

360 Cookware Stainless Metal 2-Quart Sauté Pan With Cowl — $189.00

Dimension: 17″ x 2.75″ x 7″

Supplies: surgical-grade chrome steel

 

 

• Sturdy, sturdy development to permit for even warmth distribution on a wide range of surfaces
• Oven-safe as much as 500 levels Fahrenheit
• Vapor seal lid locks in moisture and prevents splatter
• Versatile
• Eco-friendly and made with Licensed Inexperienced manufacturing with none dangerous chemical compounds

First impressions

Once I first unboxed this petite pan, I used to be delighted. Sure, I’m a cookware nerd and polished chrome steel brings me an embarrassing quantity of pleasure, however this sauté pan exudes high quality instantly—it’s actually obtained some weight to it.

What stands out is its sturdy, ergonomic deal with that is good for simple simmering and never too heavy to choose up and provides my meals the occasional shake. It additionally comes with an equally sturdy chrome steel cowl that nestles completely into the pan. Better of all, it is dishwasher and oven-safe, so cleanup is straightforward peasy.

I at all times desire to cook dinner with chrome steel to keep away from “perpetually chemical compounds”, or per- and polyfluoralkyl substances (PFAS), generally present in nonstick cookware. These chemical compounds are recognized to negatively impression our well being, with preliminary analysis displaying that they’ll impair endocrine, reproductive, metabolic, and immune operate (simply to call a couple of).

However not all chrome steel merchandise are created equal. Many don’t cook dinner evenly, others aren’t oven-safe, and lots extra warp and bend beneath stress. I’ve skilled none of those points with the 360 Cookware Stainless Metal 2-Quart Sauté Pan.

My overview of the 360 Cookware chrome steel sauté pan

As a solo diner, there’s no scarcity of how to organize scrumptious meals with this piece of cookware. Its modest dimension completely suits a filet of fish or meat, burger, brat, tofu steak, or rooster breast or thigh. The even, heat-distributing floor helps you obtain an ideal sear in your protein to then be completed within the oven to your required temperature. I additionally love that you could skip the splatter display because of its snug-fitting lid.

This high-sided pan can be perfect for making a single serving of fried rice, curry, sauteed greens, eggs nevertheless you want them, or crispy grilled cheese. The perimeters on this pan are so excessive, in truth, that I really use it as a sauce pot typically. I’ve whipped up a fast pasta for one on this pan in addition to boxed mac and cheese and even mashed potatoes. The vapor seal created by the lid helps boil water shortly, reheat meals in a snap, or steam veggies with out dropping too many vitamins.

You possibly can even deal with your self to dessert with this singular pan. Whisk up a fast pudding, use it as the bottom of a double boiler to soften chocolate for dipping fruit, or make a selfmade fruit jam for shortbread cookies. Actually, there are few duties this pan can’t accomplish when solo cooking.

I truthfully couldn’t love this pan extra, which is nice on condition that I’ll have this high-quality cookware for a really very long time (thanks, guarantee!). And whereas the value ($189) could offer you pause, I can guarantee you that this surgical-grade chrome steel product handcrafted within the U.S. is properly well worth the funding given its versatility within the kitchen—notably for these cooking for one.