The Pan: protein in the pan, vegetables in after, starch on the side

The order

Protein in first, because it takes the longest and because everything after it cooks in what it leaves behind. Vegetables when the protein is most of the way there. Starch beside it, not in it.

What goes wrong

Three faults, each written as the fix.

Everything goes in at once

The vegetables are finished long before the protein is. Stagger them and nothing is grey.

The pan is too small

Crowded food steams instead of browning. Two pans, or two rounds, or a bigger pan.

It needs a recipe

It does not. Any protein, any vegetable, any starch from the shopping list. The shape is the recipe.

What goes in it

Anything from the shopping list. The group is what matters and the specific item does not, which is the entire reason this is a shape and not a recipe.

Protein

Chicken thighs, Ground beef, Eggs, Greek yogurt, Canned tuna, Firm tofu, Cottage cheese

Vegetables

Baby spinach, Broccoli, Bell peppers, Frozen mixed vegetables, Cucumber, Cherry tomatoes

Starch

Rice, Potatoes, Rolled oats, Whole grain bread, Black beans, Pasta

Fat

Olive oil, Avocado, Almonds, Butter, Peanut butter

How much of each

Measured against your own hand rather than with a scale: a palm of protein, a fist of vegetables, a cupped hand of starch, a thumb of fat. The counts change with your build and your goal, and the tool works them out.

The longer version

• The plate shape: eating well without counting anythingHalf vegetables, a palm of protein, a fist of starch, a thumb of fat. The case for a shape over a number, and what it gives up.