Adapting Recipes For Waterless Cookware

Many of us want to cook healthy meals that are both pleasing to the eye as well as to the palate. There are literally thousands of cookbooks on the market that help us with that daily task of meal planning and preparation. Yet when it comes to waterless and greaseless cooking, there are very few cookbooks available. To enjoy a variety of recipes and receive the benefits of cooking without water and added fats, you will need to adapt recipes. The easiest way to do that is to know and trust your cookware. Three things are important in this process.

Use Lower Temperature Settings

Stainless Skillet

One of the benefits of quality stainless steel waterless cookware is the way it conducts heat-on low. One common mistake is to use a heat setting that is too high. Waterless cookware has a flat bottom comprised of 5, 7, 9 or possibly 12 elements (layers). This bottom of a waterless cooking pan needs to be flat to provide for even heat distribution. The special design of the encapsulated bottom of each stainless steel pot provides strength and rigidity that prevents warping. It also eliminates hot spots that may burn food. Heat is distributed evenly in all directions.

Adapting Recipes For Waterless Cookware

Understand Waterless Cooking
inse and freshen vegetables. Pour off excess water, cover utensil, close vent, set on low heat, and remember not to peek. These are the basic principles of waterless cooking. Every time you lift the cover moisture is allowed to escape. This can result in burned foods and/or extra cooking time. Always use the correct size pan. Vegetables should fill or almost fill the pan. If there is too much air inside the pan, the vapor seal will not form, and vegetables will burn. Many foods, like fruits and vegetables, have their own moisture. You can retain the natural moisture by cooking with low heat, the cover on, and the vent closed. There is an exception however. Dried foods, such as rice, pasta, or dried beans will have to additional moisture added to rehydrate.

Enjoy Greaseless Cooking
You really can prepare your foods without added oils and fats. Remember, you are cooking on a surgical stainless steel surface. To prepare meats, preheat the pan on medium (on some stoves medium high might be necessary) heat until water drops "dance" when they are sprinkled in the pan. Place the meat in the pan. It will immediately begin to sear, temporarily sticking to the surface. You should not try to move them until they are ready to turn. After 4 or 5 minutes, lift the corner of the meat. Do not force. The meat should release itself. When that side is seared, turn and cook on the other side for additional 4 or 5 minutes. Most meats, chicken, chops, and fish have natural fats and oils, so you don't need to add them. There are some who believe that cooking meats in stainless steel, rather than nonstick, pans will result in stuck-on foods and therefore messy cleanups afterward. Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. True, meats will stick during the searing process, but with the help of a spatula, these particles will easily come loose later in the cooking process.

Eggs, however, have no natural oil. You must add vegetable cooking spray to the pan or use a small amount of butter or margarine.

I have included a recipe for Chicken Pot Pie that I have adapted to waterless cookware. Once you get used to following the above principles, you will realize cooking with waterless cookware needn't be a scary, uncertain experiment but rather an enjoyable culinary experience. You don't have to be a gourmet cook to produce eye-appealing, tasty and healthy meals!

Chicken Pot Pie

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 medium carrot, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 Tbsp. minced fresh garlic
2 Tbsp. soup base (vegetable or chicken)
1 Tbsp. dried thyme
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried rubbed sage, basil, and parsley
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
4 cups heavy cream
2 cups water
1 large unpeeled Russet potato, diced
1 cup corn kernels
Pastry crust (optional)

Put chicken thighs in heavy stockpot and saute until cooked all the way through. It will begin to shred at this point. Add the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Saute until carrots are tender. Add the soup base, thyme, oregano, basil, sage, parsley, salt, and pepper. Cook until fragrant.

Add the flour and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the cream, water, potatoes, and corn to the pot. Cook until a fork goes through the potatoes without resistance. The starch in the potatoes and the flour will thicken the mixture. If you want a really thick filling, add more flour.

Put chicken mixture into a pie pan or other baking dish. Cover with single pie crust or puff pastry. Seal the edges. Heat at 350 degrees. (You can also serve the filling over biscuits that have been heated according to directions.)

8 servings

Adapting Recipes For Waterless Cookware

What You Should Know Before Purchasing Waterless Cookware!

There is no question that waterless cooking is a healthy way to prepare meals, but using waterless stainless steel cookware can offer other advantages as well. Not only will you be delighted in how wonderful your food looks and tastes, but you can also be assured that you are using safe cookware that will literally last a lifetime. In addition, because this cookware distributes heat so efficiently, you will save time in the kitchen. Care and maintenance is also easy. Assuming you are convinced that waterless cookware is a wise purchase for you, what criteria should you use when deciding WHAT set to purchase?

Before answering that question, it important to understand that for cookware to be categorized as waterless, four requirements must be present:
A high-grade stainless steel must be used. Waterless cookware must be a minimum of 5-ply. You will often see advertisements for products with 7-ply or 9-ply or possibly more. More plies means more layers. However, beyond a certain point, the actual number of plies is more a marketing tool and a cooking requirement. When you have a good grade of stainless steel, the cookware is easy to clean. Further, surgical stainless steel is one of the most sterile environments in which to cook. You never have to worry about coating from other metals leeching into your foods, as can happen with Teflon or aluminum. To some degree, the layering is important. Stainless steel is a great material for waterless cooking, but stainless steel is not known for fast heat transfer. Thus, the addition of a layer of aluminum in the center of the stainless steel provides for the fast and even distribution of heat. A Flat-bottomed pan is needed for efficient heat transfer. The bottom of a waterless cooking pan needs to be flat to provide for even heat distribution. A thicker bottom plate is necessary to evenly distribute the heat. The special design of the encapsulated bottom of each stainless steel pot provides strength and rigidity that prevents warping. It also eliminates hot spots that may burn food. Heat is distributed evenly in all directions. A special lid is used to keep the steam from escaping. Waterless cooking will not work if a proper seal cannot be formed. When a seal is created, it locks in the natural moisture that escapes from the food during the cooking process. Thus, foods are cooked in their own natural juices, retaining vital vitamins and minerals. This is really the key to waterless cooking-a vapor seal must be created Once you know that the cookware you are considering purchasing meets tthe criteria above, you should also consider two additional factors. For example, we offer a number of different waterless cookware sets on our Internet store site. All the sets are of comparable good quality. How then can you decide what set is best for you? Ask yourself:
What particular pieces are offered with each set? Does the set you are considering fit your particular lifestyle? Are you likely to use the pieces offered in the particular set? Which type of knob do you prefer to use--the steam-release knob or the thermo-control knob? The lids on waterless cookware must be heavy enough to prevent steam from pushing it upward and therefore allowing steam to escape. During the cooking process, it is important to maintain the correct temperature so that the food inside the pan is cooking correctly. If the lid feels like it is locked onto the pot, the temperature is too low. If the lid is bouncing and a lot of water or steam is escaping from the lid, the temperature is too high.

Stainless Skillet

While most sets have a steam-release value or a thermo-control knob. Some sets have just a plain knob. Waterless cooking has been around since the 1920's and were made initially with plain knobs. The instructions for cooking with this plain-knob set are similar to the sets that operate with the steam value. When your food reaches the stage in the plain-valve set where you see or hear the steam being released from the steam valve, you will see and hear the lid bouncing slightly and steam will be escaping from around the lid. This is your cue to turn the heat temperature down and begin the cooking process. If you are using the correct temperature during the cooking process, the lid of the pot should spin freely during cooking. If the lid feels like it is locked, then the temperature is too low. In contrast, if the lid is bouncing around and a lot of steam is escaping from around the lid, then the temperature is too high.

What You Should Know Before Purchasing Waterless Cookware!

The steam-control value is another way of creating the seal that is necessary for waterless cooking. When a seal is created, it locks in the natural moisture that escapes from the food during the cooking process. Thus, foods are cooked in their own natural juices, retaining vital vitamins and minerals. To get this vapor seal, simply start cooking your food over medium heat until the steam control valve whistles in the open position. Then, turn down the heat to a low simmer and close the valve. At this point, the lid will form an air-tight seal. Note: If steam is escaping around the lid, reduce heat to a lower setting.

The thermo-control value is still another way of creating the seal necessary for waterless cooking. The unique thermometer knobs are built into the lids to help you regulate cooking temperature. That means when you are trying to accomplish six things at a time while cooking, a simple glance at the thermometer tells you immediately if everything is fine. These thermo-control knobs make your waterless cooking easy. The thermometer gauge shows three different colors and different numbers to represent the temperature. The first color is yellow representing the lower heat temperatures. The second color, green, represents the medium temperatures of heat. When cooking, this is where you will probably be most of the time. The last color, red, represents the highest heat levels. In summary, if the temperature dial shows yellow, the heat is too low. If it is in the red zone, it means it is too high. The green zone shows the temperature where your food will cook exactly as it should.

In summary, consider the purchase of waterless cookware an investment in your health. Quality stainless steel cookware will last a lifetime. Therefore, it is important to take the necessary time so that you can make an informed decision. If you have more questions about waterless cookware, induction cookware or waterless cooking or you are just looking for healthy recipes to prepare for your family, check out our site-- The Gourmets Cookware.

What You Should Know Before Purchasing Waterless Cookware!