Why one pan cooking is better for the environment

With all the crisis going on, you might be wondering what you can personally do to help the environment and stop climate change in its tracks. And actually, even making simple changes to the way you live your life can be really powerful over time. For example, you could think about what you eat, and swap out meat for more of a plant-based diet. But you could also think about how you prepare the food you eat. One pan cooking using your FlavorStone Diamond or FlavorCast pan is a great way not just to feed yourself, but also do your bit for the planet.

Using fewer hobs means you burn less energy

Let’s say you’re cooking pasta for dinner. You’ve got the actual pasta to cook, and you’ve got the sauce to go with it, too. So you whack a frying pan on one hob to fry off your onions, garlic, tomatoes and whatever, plus you put another pan on to boil water for your pasta. But do you really need two pans? In fact, you can prep your sauce in your FlavorStone Diamond or FlavorCast pan, tip it into a bowl when it’s done, give your FlavorStone Diamond or FlavorCast pan a wipe out, then boil your pasta in it. When the pasta’s cooked, simply stir your still warm pasta through it and take the pan to the table. You’ve used one less hob, saved on your gas or electric and still created a delicious meal for your family.

Using fewer pans means you need less water for washing up

Cooking is fun until it’s time to do the washing up – especially if you’ve got lots of pans to soak. So perhaps the most obvious advantage of one-pan cooking on your FlavorStone Diamond or FlavorCast pan is that you only have one pan to wash up. Preserving water resources was a hot topic at the Climate Conference in Glasgow and we can all do better at saving water. Getting smarter with the way you cook, using one pan instead of several, is an easy way to cut down on your daily water use. And thanks to their superior non-stick coating, both your FlavorStone Diamond or FlavorCast pans are practically wipe-clean – so you’ll need barely any water to clean them at all.

Batch cooking saves you time during the week

If you work long hours, sometimes the last thing you want to do when you get home is start cooking. And you don’t have to! One-pan cooking in your FlavorStone Diamond or FlavorCast pan is great way of knocking up batches of stews, soups, sauces or curries that you can then freeze into portions. It means that when you get in from work you don’t have to hunt in your store cupboard or ring your go-to takeaway. Instead, you can head to the freezer, dig out something delicious and reheat it in the microwave.

Less oil means less harmful waste going down the drain

Both the FlavorStone Diamond and FlavorCast pans are built with a diamond-strength non-stick coating. This means you can cook with virtually no oil. Not only is that better for your health but it’s better for the environment, too. Cooking oil often gets washed down the sink after it’s been used and ends up in our waterways where it can harm our wildlife. So, switching to oilless cooking in your FlavorStone Diamond or FlavorCast pan is another way you can help protect our planet.

2 one pan cooking recipes you just have to try

Chicken, kale and mushroom pot pie

What you need

• Glug of olive oil
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 1 tsp dry thyme
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
• 350g diced chicken breast
• 250g chestnut mushrooms, chopped
• 400ml chicken stock
• 100g crème fraîche
• 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
• 100g kale
• 2 tsp cornflour, mixed with 1 tbsp cold water
• 375g pack puff pastry, rolled into a circle slightly bigger than your dish
• Beaten egg for glazing

What you do

1. Heat the oil over a low-ish heat in your FlavorStone Diamond or FlavorCast pan
2. Fry the onion for 5 mins until soft, then add the thyme and garlic
3. Crank up the heat and fry the chicken until golden
4. Add the mushrooms, stock, crème fraîche, mustard and kale
5. Add the cornflour and stir until thickened
6. Take off the heat and cover your FlavorStone Diamond or FlavorCast pan with the puff pastry lid
7. Prick a whole in the centre and glaze with the egg
8. Bake for ½ an hour until the pastry has risen and gone golden

 Simple curried cod

 What you need

• Glug of olive oil
• 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• Thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and grated
• 3 crushed garlic cloves
• 2x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
• 400g can chickpeas
• 4 chunky cod fillets
• 1 lemon
• Handful chopped coriander

What you do

1. Heat the oil in your FlavorStone Diamond or FlavorCast pan
2. Fry the onion over a high heat for 3 mins, then stir in the curry powder, ginger and garlic
3. Fry until fragrant, then stir in the tomatoes, chickpeas and season
4. Simmer until thickened slightly, then pop the cod on top
5. Put the lid on and cook until the fish is properly cooked
6. Grate in the zest of the lemon and scatter over the coriander
7. Serve up with lemon wedges on the side