It’s another late night at work and you are frantically trying to figure out what to have, make, prepare for dinner. Being as busy as you are it is hard to plan a meal when you are rarely home at any decent hour. You are faced with several choices order out which will ruin your newly adopted healthy eating routine, start cooking and preparing which means you will be eating at least an hour from now, or you could plan ahead and have dinner ready to be taken out of the oven when you get home. If you are like me, then you will probably lean towards the latter.

Through many years of trial and error with time baking and cooking, I have found one piece of cookware that has helped in preparing my dinner for the family before I even get home from work. It’s the amazing clay baker! These are great for an all in one meal made ahead of time. Since clay bakers should never be placed in a hot oven it seems they were made for time baking which allows you to place your meal in the clay baker, set the timer and go to work. That’s it; but you will need to do a little prep work the night before.

My suggestion is to start this new regimen on a Sunday so that Monday night dinner is ready and waiting. Clay bakers also provide one of the healthiest cooking mediums around; no need to add oils or fats to cook. The clay baker seals in the natural juices and moisture of the entree and cooks with steam created from these juices. What could be better? Dinner waiting, no additional oils to be used, affordable cost of ownership, a single piece of smart cookware to clean, and eating on time every time.

An entire meal doesn’t always need to be prepared. You could set the beef, pork or fish to cook and steam your vegetables when you get home, or better yet pick up some fresh green beans or home grown peppers to pair with your time baked master piece. Your family will love it, and you will save time and lots of effort.

Pasta is an integral part of any Italian meal, although pasta was first invented by the Chinese and was brought back to Italy and Europe via the Silk Road and other trade routes. Pasta is a simple yet versatile food that can be prepared with any combination of ingredients, sauces and shapes of pasta. It is the Italian immigrants we have to thank in the US for bringing us this now staple of the American diet. You can create your own pasta from scratch with a few simple kitchen tools that are extremely affordable.

Prime Pacific 180mm Pasta Machine

First a pasta maker is needed; this is used to shape and form the pasta prior to cooking but after the flour, egg, salt and olive oil have been mixed. There are a wide variety of recipes for pasta, but these are the main ingredients found in most of them. The Prime Pacific 180mm Pasta Machine will create beautifully crafted pasta in the old world tradition, except you are not making it by hand which is a true art. This pasta maker comes constructed of stainless steel for the task of cutting, rolling and preparing pasta. The roller is adjustable to give you the proper kneading and can be adjusted to seven different thicknesses provided a wealth of options to you and your family or friends.

Prime Pacific Pasta Express Pasta Pot

The cutting blade is razor sharp which enables the fast cutting of pasta while the handle can be removed for storage and cleaning. The pasta maker comes with a recipe book as well provide new and exciting pasta experiences for the whole family. Now that we have made our pasta we need to boil it. There a few options for the pasta chef at home; The Pasta Express Pasta Pot from Prime Pacific includes a cheese grater, a recipe book, and 2 pasta pots, a 6 quart and a 2 quart. The pots have easy pour lids that act as colanders. Simply hold the pot and pour, no need to use an extra implement that you will need to clean later. These pots are also very thin stainless steel; a .5mm capsulated bottom enables fast heating and great heat conductivity.

Prime Pacific Pasta Pot & Steamer

If you need a little more from the pasta pot then look at the Prime Pacific Pasta Cooker and Steamer. It is a large 8 quart stock pot with and extra deep past basket for lengthy portions of Angel Hair and Spaghetti. A vented glass lid allows you to see what is happening as well as getting out unneeded steam. A separate basket is included for steaming vegetables like asparagus or broccoli. Whether it is your first foray into pasta making or your 100^th the pasta preparation tools will provide ample support for your endeavors. These are very affordable as well; you can get the Prime Pacific 180mm pasta maker and a pasta cooker for a reasonable price making it a great gift for you or your chef.