No Microwave, No Problem

Ingredients

• Whatever you want to heat (soup, beans, leftovers, pasta sauce, etc.)
• A splash of water (only if it's thick / sticky / dry)

Tools

Steps

1. 1

   Pick the right pan

   Small thing? Small pan. Big thing? Bigger pan. Don't use a giant pan for a tiny portion — it sticks and burns.

2. 2

   Cold pan, cold food

   Tip the food into a cold saucepan. Don't preheat first.

3. 3

   Medium heat, lid OFF

   Turn the hob to medium. Lid stays off so you can see what's happening.

4. 4

   STIR every 30 seconds

   This is the whole job. Stir. Wait 30 seconds. Stir again. Stops sticking + burning.

5. 5

   Check it's hot

   Touch a clean spoon to the bottom of the food. If the spoon is hot for 3+ seconds, it's hot enough to eat.

What Could Go Wrong

• Tomato-based sauces SPIT when they boil. Lid on, low heat, stand back.
• Don't leave the kitchen. The whole point of saucepan heating is being in the room.
• If it starts smoking, the heat is too high. Take the pan off the hob, turn heat down, then return.