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In a desi household, there are often times when you have all the ingredients but no oven. But don't worry, you can still make your favourite baked dishes using a tava, pan, or kadhai.
Explore the versatility of your kitchen appliances. Microwaves, slow cookers, pressure cookers, toaster ovens, air fryers, steamers, and even solar ovens can all be used to prepare a wide variety of dishes. Don't forget about the trusty heavy-bottomed skillet or frying pan, which can be used to make mouthwatering pizzas, flatbreads, pancakes, and frittatas. Just cover the skillet with a lid to ensure even cooking, just like in an oven.
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With a pressure cooker, you can easily whip up cakes and puddings. The high-pressure steam ensures that your food is cooked evenly and quickly. Steamers are ideal for making steamed buns, dumplings, and cakes that require moist heat.
You can use an air fryer to "bake" small items by circulating hot air around the food, similar to convection baking. It's ideal for pastries, bread, and even small casseroles.
With a little creativity and some alternative cooking methods, you can easily whip up baked-style dishes without an oven. Whether you choose to use a stovetop, microwave, slow cooker, or stick to no-bake recipes, there are plenty of delicious meals and treats you can still enjoy without traditional baking. These options are especially handy for those without an oven or who want to avoid heating up their kitchen.
Pizza
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For a tasty stovetop pizza, have pizza dough, sauce, cheese, and toppings ready. Roll out the dough to fit your pan, cook until golden, then flip and add sauce, cheese, and toppings. Cover and cook until crispy and the cheese is nice and melted.
Cookies
You can make the cookie dough from scratch or buy it from the store, then use butter or cooking spray. Warm up a non-stick skillet on medium-low heat and lightly grease it. Drop spoonfuls of cookie dough onto the skillet, gently pressing down to flatten. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes on both sides, until the cookies are cooked through and golden brown.
Mac and Cheese
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To make this dish, gather pasta, cheddar cheese, milk, butter, flour, salt, and pepper. To cook the pasta, it is best to follow the instructions on the package. When it’s cooked, drain it. In the same pot, melt the butter and combine it with the flour to form a roux. Add the milk in parts. You will need to stir constantly until it thickens. Stir in the cheese until it melts and becomes smooth. Return the cooked pasta to the pot and mix thoroughly.
Cake
When preparing the cake, you can choose between homemade or store-bought batter, butter, and flour for greasing. Begin by greasing a deep skillet or large saucepan with butter and dusting it with flour. Next, pour in the cake batter and cover the skillet tightly with a lid. Cook on the lowest heat setting for around 30–40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Once done, let the cake cool for a bit before taking it out of the skillet.
Tawa Naan
When making the dough, combine flour, yeast, sugar, salt, yoghurt, and milk to create the dough. Let it rise and it will double in size. Shape and cook. Divide the dough into small balls, flatten them, and cook each naan on a hot tawa (griddle) until bubbles appear. Flip and cook until golden brown. Brush with ghee or butter before serving.
Frittata
Sauté the vegetables in a pan with olive oil or butter until they are tender for the filling. Combine eggs, milk or cream, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Pour the mixture over the vegetables. Cook on medium-low heat until the eggs are almost set. Sprinkle cheese on top, cover, and cook until the cheese is melted and the frittata is fully cooked.
Cheesecake
You'll need cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, heavy cream, graham cracker crumbs, and butter for this recipe. Combine the melted butter with the biscuit crumbs and press into the dish base. Beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Whip heavy cream and fold it into the cream cheese mixture. Spread over the crust and chill until firm.
