October 04, 2021

WHAT IS A SHALLOW POT, AND WHAT CAN I COOK WITH IT?

A shallow pot is an essential piece of cookware that can improve your ability to create great dishes in your kitchen. Also referred to as a casserole pan or a shallow casserole, this specialized pot can perform a variety of functions, resulting in a wider range of available recipes you can share with your family!

What does a shallow pot look like?

A shallow pot has a flat bottom with rounded corners and sloping walls. With these characteristics, it looks like a hybrid combination of a pot and a pan. It is deeper than a skillet, and offers lots of room for sauces and stews. Equipped with a lid, it is a compact kitchen tool that delivers top value with its specialized function.

What’s the next closest thing to a shallow pot?

A shallow pot has a lot in common with a Dutch oven, signifying its versatility and high practicality. 

Some versions of the shallow pot can be used in the oven, allowing your cooked food to be moved from the stovetop to the oven quickly. Like the Dutch oven, the shallow pot can be used to cook a “one-pot meal” that makes cooking convenient and simple. 

With its flat base and focused cooking space, the shallow pot excels at creating many of the same slow-cooked meals, casseroles and stews made famous by Dutch ovens such as the Berlinger Haus Cast Iron Casserole. What’s more, because it isn’t made from cast iron, a shallow pot is much easier to handle, making it very convenient to use in your kitchen.

What can a shallow pot do?

A shallow pot is excellent at braising your food. Braising is the cooking method that turns tough cuts of meat and vegetables into tender, flavorful dishes using steady, even heat and moisture over an extended time.

Additionally, a shallow pot demonstrates its versatility as an exceptional alternative to using your skillet. By using a shallow pot, you can make foods that require shallow frying or steaming, even bringing it to serve your food at the dinner table.

What are the advantages of using a shallow pot?

The great advantage to cooking with a shallow pot is its uncommon shape. Far from being a liability, this shape provides many benefits to wise cooks that understand how to utilize its special characteristics.

A long understated fact about cooking is that a container’s shape has a lot to do with the taste of the food that it cooks. 

Deep pots contain extra room to submerge cooked foods in liquids and retain moisture. Ingredients kept in the center of a large, deep pot will be cooked at a more constant temperature and increased pressure, a process that keeps the cooked food moist. 

On the other hand, ingredients cooked in a shallow pot will come out less moist. The wide base and shallow sides of this special pot allows food to cook evenly and quickly, making for an effective tool for your kitchen.

What types of food can a shallow pot make?

A shallow pot allows users to make a wide assortment of delectable dishes that will spice up mealtime in your home! These include:

• Stews, chilis, or curries
• Casseroles like mac and cheese, bread pudding, or baked stuffed shells
• Braised short ribs and lamb shanks
• Braised squash, fennel, and other vegetables 
• Shallow-fried battered meat, fish, vegetables, potatoes and patties such as fritters
• Steamed vegetables, buns, and rice
• One-pot meals
• Baked goods like biscuits and focaccia in addition to cobblers, cakes, and skillet cookies

Looking for an example? Here’s a quick recipe with which you can delight the diners in your house:

One-Pot Lamb Stew

Satisfy your hungry family by serving up this One-Pot Lamb Stew, a slow-cooked, delectable stew that features an olive and tomato sauce.

Serves: 6

Prep time: 6 min

Cooking time: 2 hours

Ingredients

• ½ a bunch of fresh rosemary (½ ounce)
• 28 ounces of lamb shoulder, bone out
• 5 ⅓ ounces of olives (stone in)
• 1 jar of pickled onions (under 10 ounces)
• 2 x 14 ounce cans of plum tomatoes

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325ºF.
2. Place a shallow pot on high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and then the rosemary leaves for 1 minute to become crispy. Dice the lamb meat into 1” chunks.
3. Remove the rosemary and save for later. Add the cut lamb to the pan for 2 minutes.
4. Squash and de-pit the olives. Drain the pickled onions and stir into the pan along with the olives. Mix well. Pour in the canned tomatoes, breaking them up with a wooden spoon. Add  2 cans’ worth of water.
5. Cover and cook in the oven for 2 hours, or until thick, delicious and tender. Stir halfway.
6. Add the crispy rosemary leaves. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Serve.

To upgrade your kitchen to the next level, consider buying the Berlinger Haus Shallow Pot 4 qt w/ Eterna Coating Eternal Collection.  

This product features an innovative Eterna Coating that is non-stick, non-scratch, and extremely durable. With its Energy Efficient Turbo Induction Bottom, this cookware product cooks quickly and efficiently to provide top-notch cooking results every time you use it. It features:

• Precision Fit Tempered Glass Lid
• Luxurious European Design
• 18/10 Stainless Steel Craftsmanship
• Enhanced Thermal Conductivity
• PFOA, Lead, and Cadmium Free
• 100% Dishwasher Safe

Stylish, easy to use, and backed by long-lasting durability, the Eternal Collection Shallow Pot is sure to meet your every cooking need. To meet a wider variety of needs, the shallow pot is also available in a 2.4 qt and a non-Eterna Coating version.

Are you looking for great cookware for your kitchen? Browse the Berlinger Haus online marketplace for great deals on premium products! 

Want to learn more great cooking tips? Read our blog to find out the best fall recipes this season, and discover all the things you can make in a crepe pan. Likewise, find out which 5 kitchen tools you need for your kitchen, or to discover the right way to choose the right cookware for your home.

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