One Pot One Shot - OPOS® cooking methodology was first proposed by Mr. Ramakrishnan of One Page Cookbooks fame. Many experienced and passionate cooks shared his vision and worked towards the same goal for the past 3-4 years to bring a revolutionary way of cooking your day to day meal. Its basic foundation already exists in most of Indian kitchens. Your humble Pressure Cooker is used with baking like precision (namely Pressure Baking) to make food that's healthy and nutritious without any compromise to the most important element - taste! Here, I list how OPOS has made my life easier.

I had been trying to find a foolproof way of boiling eggs for like, ever! Countless tips and tricks were meticulously followed - like a science experiment. For every success, there were 10 failures. I just could not replicate the beautiful hard boiled eggs that would remove its shell like a silk gown off your skin. The greenish/bluish tint around the orange yolk was becoming a constant companion like saturn rings (that denotes overcooking btw!). With OPOS Hard BOiled/ Soft Boiled Eggs, I have consistently and with guarantee been able to produce boiled eggs the way it should be. In my book (esp with as much struggle I have faced),  this reason alone makes it an awesome method to try in your kitchen!

Blanching vegetables, in short, flash cooking vegetables is said to be the healthiest way of cooking vegetables. Cooking on high heat for less time helps not only retaining the color but also nutrition. It involves boiling large amount of water, scalding the veggies in it for couple of minutes and then plunging them in ice cold water to arrest further cooking. Quite a lot of water, time and effort is used (wasted?)! OPOS does this in a jiffy and is also eco friendly avoiding unnecessary wastages. So cooking my vegetables now is child's play! Take this green beans for example; can you spot the difference between cooked and raw green beans? All it took was about 5 minutes and 1 tbsp of water!!!!

I love cooking. But let's be honest. Between a gazillion things fighting for priority, cooking elaborate meals are so passé. But store bought junk and restaurant do not make for a healthy meal. While I could manage, I confess - it was stressful and tiring with restaurant winning many rounds unfortunately. Enter OPOS. Vegetable Kurma, Poori Masala, Kadai Paneer and gravies like this Egg Curry Masala are now just a pressure cooker away. Presently chopping takes more time than the dish itself. But if you have a chopper (or a very helpful husband) then you are in an excellent shape for breakfast, lunch, dinner and anything in between.

You will often hear me mumbling , "My kitchen looks like I am losing a game of Jumanji" when my home restaurant kitchen shuts down for the night! I love that movie, but all that mess - Nooooooooo. When sauces, gravies and tempering are the norm in your kitchen, splattering is an unfortunate consequence. But HA! Can you have a feast and yet enjoy not having holi colors all over your cooking area? OPOS made that wishful dream come true. Take this Tomato Thokku for example. Those who have made it, know of the elbow grease it involves (stirring, stirring and more stirring) and the splatters it causes all over the place. I wish you would believe me when I say that I did not have to wipe the surrounding area for the sake of photos. I just did not need to :)

Of course provided you follow the instructions and technique every single time :) Desserts, especially the Indian kind always seem like an unknown language to me. I am reading, listening, watching but suddenly everything goes blank on me. My success rates with Indian mithai is abysmal and is a secret I am taking to my grave. Oops! Did I just let the skeleton out of the closet? Having said that, if the above Mysore Pak picture (traditional Mysore Pak is complex to make!) throws you off, well, with OPOS to my rescue, I could very well become your next halwai or confectionary. Lofty ideals you think? OPOS is to blame. With precise instructions, it is not only easy to daydream (as a piscean that comes naturally to me anyway!) but even make that a possibility :)

We think Tamarind paste (...ginger garlic paste, tomato sauces, jams, pickles..etc), we think grocery list! When making day to day meals at home is getting difficult, who even attempts to consider making basic foundations at home? Not many for sure. OPOS has reformed me in this score. For a minimal effort, I get ridiculously budget friendly, flavorful and preservative free condiments right in my kitchen. And who knew making these could be this satisfactory? This OPOS Tamarind Paste for example, lasts months in my fridge and is so versatile.

Making Thali style meals was a fantasy for me. I love lots of side dishes and Thali was like a candy store heaven for me. From also a self proclaimed nutritionist for my family, I believe in a balanced meal. Thali was a perfect fit. But making that on a regular basis (instead of being once a year "Thanksgiving feast" kind) was unthinkable..until OPOS said its first "hello!" Making multiple dishes even to the point of using one single pressure cooker for 3 different dishes at the same time (think sambar, rasam and a kootu in a single layer in your cooker!) was suddenly a thing! I know, I know...I hear you. "Are you kidding me?" was what even I said last year. But I have not only seen it happen but I made it in my own kitchen, with my own hands, in my own pressure cooker and even stand (err..sit?) here to tell you the tale of a delicious Thali meal on a freaking WEEKDAY!