Elizabeth Yarnell, Author, Innovator, Naturopath, Speaker
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Tag: Glorious One-Pot Meals

Can I use the Dutch oven in an electric oven?

Reader question: wonderful book – I found it in the library. Can I use the dutch oven in an electric oven?  – Michelle A., Pennsylvania

Of course you can use an electric oven to cook in a cast iron Dutch oven. In fact, I often prepare my GOPMs in an electric toaster oven because the smaller oven space preheats faster and uses less energy to keep hot during cooking. Best of all, it’s portable, so in the summer I can plug it in on my front porch and keep the heat out of the kitchen while still enjoying a quick and easy hot meal.

Glorious One-Pot Meal recipes layered in cast iron Dutch ovens have been successfully prepared in gas and electric ovens, conventional and convection ovens, buried in campfires coals, inside barbecue grills, in roasters, and even on stovetop burners. Someone once mentioned that they were going to use a solar oven to make these dinners, but I never heard what happened of that experiment. If you know more about solar ovens, by all means please leave a comment and enlighten us all.

The patented Glorious One-Pot Meals infusion cooking method only needs two elements to work perfectly: a cast iron Dutch oven and 450 degrees F heat. The heat source does not seem to matter much, though when possible it is good to control for exactly 450 F with an oven thermometer. When controlling the heat is not possible (in a campfire, for instance), you may want to stick with recipes that do not contain dry goods like rice or pasta for better results.

The only type of oven I know that you should NOT use with a cast iron Dutch oven is a microwave oven.

Happy cooking, and please pass along a thank you to your library for stocking my book!

Using a Convection Oven for Glorious One-Pot Meals

Reader question: What adjustments should be made for a convection oven? Do I adjust the time or the temperature? My copy of the cookbook should arrive today – I heard you on Martha Stewart Radio. I am looking forward to making wonderful meals this weekend. – Janelle F., Montgomery, Alabama

[ad#Right align in post]Great question, Janelle! To answer it well, we first need to understand how convection ovens work. In a convection oven, several fans circulate the air as it is heated. The effect is to make the baking or roasting of uncovered foods, like cookies, roasts, cakes, etc. happen more quickly. Convection ovens routinely drop the desired temperature by 15 degrees F to compensate for the increased exposure of the food to the heat so that the food doesn’t become overdone.

Glorious One-Pot Meals remain lidded the entire time they are in the oven; as such, they do not get any additional benefit from the circulating hot air. Moreover, they do not cook properly at 435° F; For Glorious One-Pot Meal success, your oven must be at 450° F before placing the loaded and covered pot inside.

Many ovens offer the choice between convection and conventional settings. I always choose conventional when possible as it uses less energy. If using a convection oven, however, just be sure to compensate for the automatic temperature drop. Your best bet is to place a stand-alone oven thermometer in the oven to ensure you have the correct temp before inserting your Dutch oven.

Thanks for listening to the interview and happy cooking!

Elizabeth

Too hot to cook? Use a Toaster Oven!

Reader question: What do you do during the summer months when it’s too hot to use the oven?

One of my favorite summertime cooking solutions is to use a toaster oven!

Seriously, I have a large toaster oven that fits a 2-quart Dutch oven easily, holds my 3-quart round oven beautifully, and even squeezes  in my 3 1/2-quart oval-shaped Dutch oven without hitting any sides.

Europro Toaster Oven

On warm evenings when I would rather not heat up my house, I simply plug the toaster oven into the outdoor socket on my back deck and let the heat stay outside. On rainy days I move it to my covered front porch.  🙂

Although I originally purchased this particular toaster oven so that I could prepare Glorious One-Pot Meals when I held cooking classes in locations other than a kitchen, I soon realized that a toaster oven has a number of advantages over a regular oven.

First, as I mentioned, you can pick it up and move it outside so that you don’t have to heat up your house in order to enjoy a meal. In the summer I use my outdoor toaster oven to bake pizzas, home fries, fish,… you name it. As well as Glorious One-Pot Meals, of course!

Second, it takes less energy to heat a smaller space like that inside a toaster oven than it does to heat and maintain the heat in the large space of a typical home oven. So I get to feel a little greener when I use it.

And, third, my toaster oven preheats much more quickly than my regular oven, probably for the same reason as #2 above.

When I picked out my toaster oven, I went to the largest selection of small kitchen appliances I knew of with my trusty 2-quart Dutch oven in hand. I proceeded to open each one and try to slide my pot inside. When I found the one that fit, I knew I had found a new tool for creating easy and delicious meals all year round.

Whenever I’m using the toaster oven to bake rather than toast, I always place an oven thermometer inside to validate the temperature just as I do with my gas oven inside. Just to be sure the temp is where I want it to be.

What’s the Best Form of Chicken for a Glorious One-Pot Meal?

Question from a reader about using chicken in Glorious One-Pot Meals:

Aloha Elizabeth, When the recipe says, 1/2 lb chicken breast, can I cut it up or
do I have to use it whole? I’ve made your delicious: Yucatan Fish, Flageolets and Sausage,
Pasta Tricolore, Southwestern Quinoa, and Springtime Paella.
Tonight it will be the Savory Port-Mushroom Chicken.
– Mahalo, Rudy P., Melbourne, FL

Hi Rudy!

Glad to hear you’ve enjoyed so many yummy GOPMs!

You can use any form of chicken you’d like. Boneless skinless breasts, bone-in skin-on thighs, sliced fajita strips… any way you prefer will work just fine. You can even put boneless chicken in frozen, as long as it is frozen in pieces rather than a huge mass, and it won’t change your cooking time.

Enjoy the Savory Port-Mushroom Chicken recipe — I just had a family of a single dad and two teen boys rave about how Glorious One-Pot Meals has turned their dad into a great cook. They told me it was their favorite recipe in the book!

Happy cooking!
Elizabeth

Glorious One-Pot Meal recipe: Dill Salmon

This morning I demonstrated a quick and  easy one-pot dinner recipe for Dill Salmon to help raise awareness of multiple sclerosis and the Walk MS events coming this month around the country. In Colorado, I will be hosting the “Land of Nutrition” in the Wellness Tent at the Denver, Colorado Springs, and Boulder events in May.

Salmon is a desirable food to eat for those living with multiple sclerosis because it is full of omega-3 fatty acids to help maintain and repair the nervous system.

Of course, this recipe is delicious for those not living with MS, too! Find the recipe on page 28 of the 2009 Glorious One-Pot Meals cookbook, or below.

Dill Salmon Serves 2
This is a great, light summer meal and is particularly great for filling your diet with omega 3s! Adding a thin coating of olive oil on top of the fish will result in a less-dense fillet. For an even richer flavor, place several pats of butter on the fish.

Olive oil spray
2 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
1/2 to 3/4 pound salmon fillet
1 teaspoon olive oil
Salt and freshly ground white or black pepper
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 lemon, thinly sliced
5 to 7 whole dill sprigs
5 or 6 red potatoes, thickly sliced
2 large carrots, cut into long strips
1/2 medium zucchini, cut into sticks
1 celery stalk, sliced
1/2 medium cucumber, cut into sticks

1.    Preheat the oven to 450F.
2.    Spray the inside and lid of a cast iron Dutch oven with olive oil.
3.    Scatter the scallions in the pot. Set the salmon on top of the scallions, skin-side down if not skinned, and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, followed by the garlic.
4.    Top fillets with the lemon slices and half the dill sprigs. Scatter potatoes around the fish. Add the carrots, zucchini, celery, and cucumber. Tuck more dill sprigs into crevices and lightly season again with salt and white pepper.
5.     Cover and bake for about 43 minutes, or until 3 minutes after the aroma of a fully cooked meal escapes the oven. Serve immediately.

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Glorious One-Pot Meals

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