Heather Little-White, Contributor

With rising food prices, it has become necessary to put even the food budget on a diet. Stretching the food dollar invariable leads to one-pot meals that are easy to make and provide variety for family members.

Soaring costs have traditionally brought out more creative recipes and have utilised everyday foods grown in the backyard. One-pot meals are unique and are a totally revolutionary method of cooking.

By definition, a one-pot meal incorporates all essential ingredients. Any recipe that directs the cook to 'prepare pasta separately' or 'serve with bread' is not a true one-pot meal.

This is a simple cooking method that easily combines in one pot all the basic food groups of the Caribbean - fruits, vegetables, ground provisions, meats, legumes, fats and oils. Healthy one-pot meals should be low in fat and high in minerals, vitamins, carbohydrates and proteins.

Quick fix

One-pot meals are quick. Most recipes take under a half-hour to prepare and less than one hour in the oven. A one-pot meal may include dishes that take longer to cook, such as casseroles and stews, compared to curries, stir-fries, risottos and pasta meals that can be cooked in under 30 minutes and use smaller portions of leaner cuts of meat and chicken.

One-pot meals can start with sautéing, using small pieces of food (meat, chicken, seafood and vegetables), lightly frying in a little oil and other items added to it. The same is true for stir-frying to rapidly cook finely cut food which is rapidly stirred and tossed in a little oil, usually in a wok over a high heat.

To complete the dish, add foods in the order of cooking times, starting with ingredients that required the longest time to cook and ending with those that require little or no cooking. Starches such as rice, pasta and ground provisions may be added or they may form a bed to which meals are added.

Due to the very quick-cooking process of both these methods, the meat pieces are sliced finely so they cook quickly and evenly, while fish and seafood are kept whole or in large pieces to prevent over cooking.

Cheaper cuts of chicken and other meats are good for making stews and casseroles. My friend and her family who live in upscale St Andrew swear by the Saturday 'chicken back' curried stew with butter beans and chick peas topped with potatoes, cho chos and carrots and eaten with wholewheat carrot dumplings.

She is happy with the bony cuts of meat as she has grown tired of choice cuts. Besides, she has to conserve like everyone else to pay for utilities and the costs related to maintaining the family.

Browning the meat

It is common practice to coat meat or poultry with seasoned flour and then brown to improve the taste while thickening the liquid. As a process, browning the meat seals in the juices with nutrients and gives food a rich colour.

One-pot meals can be simmered to perfection if done for an extended period. Crocks are very helpful in this process as food in them can be left to simmer unattended for long periods.

Root and aromatic (carrots, onion and celery) vegetables should be added to the meat at the beginning of the cooking process while fast-cooking vegetables such as snow peas, broccoli, spinach, beans or mushrooms should be added towards the end of cooking to prevent them becoming too soft.

Adding a variety of foods and substituting ingredients provides creative dishes to please the family. It is highly recommended to use leftovers to make dishes with a difference in flavour. For example, leftover roasted chicken is great for a chicken stew. Glorious One-Pot.com highlights the benefits of one-pot cooking.