Sizzling Skillets and Other One-Pot Wonders

July 18, 2011
Celeb chef Lagasse's latest effort focuses on dishes that "come together" in a single pot while cooking "mostly unattended." If that hesitant word choice from the introduction gives the reader pause, the book's first recipe does not help. How can fettuccine with a crawfish cream sauce be prepared in a single pot? (Apparently by ignoring that a separate vessel is needed to boil the fettuccine.) The cream sauce and the crawfish, meanwhile, need fairly constant attention. Another cause for concern is that even though Lagasse provides more than 130 flavorful recipes for the single pot, to fully enjoy his offerings the home cook would need not only a skillet, a sauté pan, a baking dish, and a large soup pot, but also a wok, a Dutch oven, and a slow cooker. These last three appliances account for nearly half of the collection's page count, from which fully equipped chefs can try their hand at stir-fried squid with chili sauce, cassoulet with confit and garlic sausage that is cooked in stages over two days, or a simple pork and beans with garlic, bay leaves, and, of course, a healthy dose of Emeril's seasoning blend.