Dinner In 10 Minutes! The Deep Covered Baker- My New Favorite Piece of Kitchenware!

The Deep Covered Baker – My New Favorite Piece of Kitchenware!!

Photo Credit: Pampered Chef

Do you feel like you are constantly rushing around to get dinner on the table and you want something to make your life easier??  If you are thinking "YES!" then KEEP READING!  

I have been a little slack on posting lately… between spending time with my precious 4 month old and going back to work after maternity leave, I have found little (or no!) time to blog!   I HAVE however been putting meals on the table thanks to my Freezer Stash (from Freezer Cooking 1, Freezer Cooking 2, Freezer Cooking 3 and Freezer Cooking 4) AND because of my new found FAVORITE piece of kitchen equipment:  THE PAMPERED CHEF DEEP COVERED BAKER!

I will begin with a little story… back in August I decided to host a Pampered Chef party at my home because I LOVE to cook and thought it would be perfect to host a “cooking show” at my house for friends and family to attend…  I called on the fabulous Jamie Swanson (check out her Facebook Page "What's Cooking with Jamie" for YUMMY recipes!!) to come on over and share some of her favorite Pampered Chef recipes and products.   If you have hosted a PC party then you know that you just have to provide all of the ingredients, and your consultant does the rest as far as assembly, cooking etc….  One of the recipes we were going to prepare (Pesto Tomato Chicken Flat bread) called for 2 cups of cooked chicken… so I had asked Jamie ahead of time if I needed to have the chicken cooked for her when she got to my house… She said not to worry about it and that she would take care of it when she came over… and in my mind I am thinking – "she is coming over about 30 min before the party starts so how the heck is she going to cook the chicken and have it ready in time???"

She arrived at my house and put the 4 chicken breasts in a piece of stoneware with a lid (Deep Covered Baker) and popped it in my microwave on HIGH for 8 minutes… pulled it out and the chicken was cooked PERFECTLY!   I could not believe my eyes!  As if this wasn’t enough… she then proceeded to put an ENTIRE 5 Ib. roasting chicken in the Deep Covered Baker- covered it in a delicious Pampered Chef rub and put it in the microwave for 30 minutes….  I am thinking, "yea right this chicken is not going to be good!  Chicken in the microwave??"  I figured it would end up being rubbery or dry… Moment of Truth:  the chicken came out of the microwave and it looked beautiful and SMELLED delicious!!!  We dug in and the chicken was so moist and flavorful I could not believe it.  I WAS SOLD, I knew I had to have one…

Photo Credit: Pampered Chef

When my Deep Covered Baker first arrived… I was a bit intimidated by it so it just sat on the kitchen counter staring at me for a week or two.  I finally decided to dive into the recipes and buy ingredients so I could start actually using this new piece of equipment that decided to join my kitchen family… the very first thing I used it for was exactly what I had seen Jamie do—make chicken breasts to shred and use in chicken noodle soup!  SO EASY.  The next thing I made was Easy Enchiladas—can we say 5 ingredients and 15 minutes later we were enjoying a delicious meal and my husband couldn’t believe how good the enchiladas were… oh and I forgot to mention that HE made them in the Deep Covered Baker because I was busy feeding the baby!    The other night I had some ground beef I needed to use up so I decided to see what recipe I could make in the DCB that I already had the ingredients for…  I came across a Meatloaf recipe and threw it together in under 5 min- popped it in the microwave for 20 minutes and dinner was done… my husband said it was the BEST Meatloaf he had ever had!  WOW… this Deep Covered Baker is a keeper because it is making life so much easier and keeping food in our bellies!!

Photo Credit: Pampered Chef  

The Deep Covered Baker is really the only reason we actually eat a “home cooked meal” most nights!  Having a 4 month old and a full time job doesn’t leave much time for menu planning, food prep and execution.   It seems like our weeknights consist of my husband and I taking turns with the baby while one of us is running around the house trying to clean up, cook, do laundry, ect… (You ALL know this story!)    My priorities have also changed so much and I would much rather spend an extra 20 minutes with my family than trying to cook a big extravagant dinner that in the end my husband would probably put ketchup on anyways.  The baker has easy recipes that require minimal ingredients and minimal prep–time that you can assemble day-of or the night before.    The baker can be used in the oven OR in the microwave oven.   I have to be honest and say that I have tried almost EVERY microwave recipe in the recipe book, but I have yet to try an oven recipe.  The ease of throwing all the ingredients in the baker and popping it in the microwave for 10 minutes and a delicious meal coming out is like a new modern crock pot or something!   Every family should have a Deep Covered Baker in their kitchen!  

Photo Credit: Pampered Chef

I have been relying on my DCB so much that I actually just purchased a second one so I can assemble 2 meals at once to be cooked during the work week.  I have also learned the “basic” cooking times and concept from using it so much enabling me to adapt some of my own personal recipes and put them in the baker in the microwave!

One thing I haven’t mentioned is if you ever have a sweet tooth- BEWARE, you can put a box of brownie mix in the baker (with the called for eggs, water and oil) for approx 6 minutes and BOOM—you have cured your sweet tooth, which could be dangerous and a good thing all in one!

Photo Credit: Pampered Chef

A couple of my favorite things to make in the Pampered Chef Deep Covered Baker: 

·         Thirty Minute Chicken

·         Chicken Fajitas

·         Chicken Penne al Fresco

·         Quick Chicken Pad Thai

·         Loaded Potato Chowder

·         Beef Tacos

·         White Chicken Parmesan (w/Homemade Marinara from Freezer Cooking 3)

·         Easy Enchiladas

·         Lasagna Soup

·         Meatloaf

·         Taco Soup

·         10 Minute Pork Tenderloin

·         Pork Chops & Rice

·         Touchdown Taco Dip

·         Quick Fudgy Brownies

Moral of the story.... head on over to pamperedchef.com and get yourself a Deep Covered Baker!   You will LOVE IT --- dinner has never been so EASY or AFFORDABLE to put on our table!


*Disclaimer:    No services, products or compensation were given to me for the purpose of this blog post. All opinions are 100% my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC guidelines.