One Pot Meals in the Cook Expert

For busy days the Cook Expert is perfect for creating healthy one pot dishes. Whether you fancy a warming casserole, family curry night or veggie stew, one pot meals mean minimal time spent in the kitchen. With only one cooking pot, automatic programmes plus a rinse function to help with the washing up, your Cook Expert makes the evening meal hassle free. 

One pot meals are very flexible and forgiving - once you’ve added your ingredients, the Cook Expert will do all the hard work. Here are a few cooking tips and tricks to ensure success every time.  

Use both auto functions and EXPERT setting

When it comes to creating one pot meals, the options are endless. Depending on your dish you can use either one of Cook Expert’s auto functions (e.g Stir Fry / Simmer etc) or for more control select the EXPERT setting and choose your own cooking time, speed and temperature. You can even do both. For example you may wish to whizz up the sauce ingredients for a curry using the EXPERT setting before selecting an auto function for the rest of the cooking time.  

Don’t overfill the bowl

It can be tempting to pile as much into the bowl as possible but one pot meals work best when the bowl is one half to two-thirds full. If using no speed then give the ingredients a quick stir before starting cooking. 

Keep the moisture in

For stews and curries where you want plenty of liquid keep the cap on while cooking. This will keep the food wonderfully moist making it ideal for meat dishes. If you are sautéing on low speed or looking to reduce some of the cooking liquid at the end of the cooking time remove the cap to let some of the steam out.  

Try browning your meat first

To enhance the flavour of your dish heat some oil first then add your meat and sauté on a low speed 1A for a couple of minutes. This caramelises the meat and adds extra flavour to the final dish. Try throwing in your spices at the same time if making a chilli or curry. Don’t use fridge cold meat. Room temperature meat is more relaxed and flexible, and the natural juices are evenly distributed.

Vary the liquid

Depending on your dish you can add extra flavour with the liquids you are adding. If using stock cubes, be mindful they are quite salty so you may not need to add any additional seasoning. A splash of wine  or cream at the end of cooking is a great way to add extra flavour and richness. You can also use dairy free alternatives like coconut milk, cream or soy cream at the end for a dairy free option. 

Add dairy or milk alternatives at the end

Milk, cream, and other dairy products and dairy free alternatives can break down and coagulate if overheated. Stir these items into the bowl towards the end of cooking to allow them to heat through without splitting. 

Keep it chunky

If you’re planning to do a long simmer, keep the vegetables in large chunks – this will mean delicious tender veggies without breaking up into mush. 

Layer or stagger your veggies 

Some vegetables take longer to cook than others so, to avoid ending up with purée, you can either layer vegetables or stagger when you add them to the pot. For example root vegetables like carrots, sweet potato, and butternut squash will take longer to cook so add them at the bottom of the bowl where there is more moisture. Delicate vegetables may only need a few minutes to cook so add these towards the end of cooking. This may include frozen peas, canned sweetcorn or canned beans and pulses. Add leafy greens like spinach and kale at the end of cooking as they will naturally wilt down in the residual heat.

Change the speed setting

The Cook Expert is designed to simmer and cook delicate foods without breaking everything up. It has two intermittent speeds 1A and 2A and position 0 which cooks without blending. Whether you are selecting an auto function or EXPERT mode you can change the speed at the beginning or during cooking. If you want to create a traditional stew like a boeuf bourguignon which has plenty of liquid choose speed 0 as this will keep plenty of texture and avoid chopping up the meat too much. For slow cooked dishes or where you are using only a small amount of liquid use 1A or 2A as this will avoid the mixture sticking to the pan during cooking time. 

For curries or dishes with more delicate ingredients start by preparing your base (e.g stock, sauce, spices etc) on speed 2A or 3, then switch to speed 0 when you add the more delicate ingredients. If you have the dough hook then you might like to use this for a gentler stir. 

Don’t add too much liquid

Meat and vegetables often give off a lot of liquid while cooking and with the lid on you will prevent it from evaporating away. If you add too much liquid, take the cap off and turn the speed to 0 or 1A and cook for a little longer 

Make use of your spatula

If you are adding ingredients in stages it is a good idea to give the pan a stir and scrape down the sides with your spatula on adding. This will ensure everything is mixed. 

You can add your grain to the same pot

For many one pots you can add your grain to the same pot. Some grains take much longer to cook than others, so for a one pot meal choose a quick cooking grain like quinoa or easy cook rice. Add them once the liquid comes to a simmer and keep the cap on to retain moisture. You can also throw in pasta towards the end of the cooking period – just adjust the liquid to make sure it is covered and give it a quick stir before cooking. To avoid grains breaking up ensure sufficient liquid and select speed 0 or 1A.

Try the Simmer programme

You can use the Simmer programme when you want to boil anything without mixing as there is no speed setting. 

Let it stand after cooking

One of the benefits of the Cook Expert is the double-walled stainless steel thermo bowl this means it will keep food hot after the cooking time has stopped. Allowing the bowl to stand for 15 minutes before serving is a great way to develop the flavours further without risk of it getting cold. 

Garnish with herbs and condiments

Add extra zing to your meal with a scattering of herbs or other condiments at the end. A dollop of yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi or pesto or a drizzle of lime is a great way to jazz up the dish once cooked. 

Family friendly and great for batch cooking

The metal bowl has a 2.5L capacity which makes it perfect for feeding the whole family. If you want additional vegetables you can use the XXL Steamer over the top to cook the vegetables at the same time. The large bowl size also means you can batch cook so you can have enough for lunch the next day, or for freezing

QUICK TIP: RINSE FUNCTION

You can increase the time and temperature of the rinsing program if your bowl is super dirty, or if you want an extra clean every now and then.

One Pot Recipes

Fish tagine with green olives and preserved lemon

This is a mild, mellow tagine with a refreshing tangy sauce thanks to the addition of preserved lemon and salty olives. Unlike meat tagines this takes much less time to cook making it an easy afterwork dish. 

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 onion, halved

1 garlic clove

1tbsp olive oil 

1tbsp tomato puree

½ tsp turmeric 

1tsp ground cumin 

1tsp ground coriander

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 x 400g can chickpeas, drained

2tsp honey

12 okra halved 

1 carrot, large dice

6 ready to eat apricots chopped 

1 preserved lemon skin only chopped

12 pitted olives – green or black

200ml vegetable or chicken stock

4 firm white fish fillets e.g cod or haddock cut in half

200g cooked prawns 

Fresh coriander to serve 

To serve  cooked quinoa / rice 

Instructions:

(Keep lid cap on unless instructed otherwise)

1. Place the onion and garlic in the metal bowl. Select EXPERT speed 12 and pulse for a few seconds to chop. 

2. Scrape down the sides then add the oil, puree and spices. Select EXPERT 3 minutes / Speed 3 / 110°C

3. Add the remaining ingredients except the fish and prawns. Select EXPERT 10 minutes / Speed 1A / 110°C 

4. Add the fish and prawns and make sure they are submerged in the liquid. Select EXPERT 10 minutes / Speed 0 / 110°C

5. Garnish with coriander and serve with cooked rice or quinoa. 

Indonesian chicken with noodles

A comforting one pot meal, lightly spiced and packed with nutrient rich vegetables. This dish contains a wealth of anti-inflammatory ingredients including ginger, garlic and turmeric. This dish uses precooked noodles which are added at the end. For a lower carb option you could add in courgette noodles at the end of cooking. 

The marinating is optional if you are short on time but a great way to impart additional flavour to the chicken. 

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Serves 4

Sauce ingredients:

1 lemongrass stalk, chopped

Handful of coriander leaves

1 small onion, halved

2 garlic cloves

2cm piece root ginger

1tbsp honey

1tbsp tamari soy sauce

1tbsp fish sauce

1/2tsp turmeric 

2tsp garam masala

400ml canned coconut milk

Curry ingredients:

1tbsp olive oil 

4 chicken breasts, cut into large chunks

100g green beans, cut in half

100g mangetout 

2 pak choy cut into thick strips

1 carrot cut into julienne

8 baby sweetcorn cut lengthways

8 shitake mushrooms sliced

To garnish – handful of bean sprouts, chopped coriander, sliced chilli, spring onions sliced

Instructions:

(Keep lid cap on unless instructed otherwise)

1. Place all the ingredient for the curry sauce into the metal bowl. Select EXPERT 1 minute / 18 / no heat. 

2. If marinating the chicken place the chicken pieces in a shallow container and pour over the sauce. Marinate in the fridge for 30 mins to 1 hour. 

3. If you are cooking straight away pour the sauce into a jug. 

4. Add the oil to the metal bowl. Select EXPERT 1 minute / 0 speed / 110°C

5. Add the chicken select EXPERT 2 minutes / 1A / 110°C

6. Pour in the sauce and the vegetables except the mushrooms. Use the spatula to stir the vegetables in the sauce. 

7. Select EXPERT 20 minutes / no speed / 110°C

8. Add the mushrooms, cooked noodles give the curry a quick stir with the spatula to ensure the noodles are covered in liquid. Select EXPERT 2 minutes / no speed / 110°C 

9. Allow the mixture to stand for a few minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped coriander, chopped peanuts, a handful of bean sprouts and fresh diced chilli

Recipes and images © Christine Bailey