The Tray: everything on one tray, oven at 425, pull it when the edges catch

The order

Hardest vegetables first with the starch, protein added when they are part way through, a hot oven and no stirring. The edges catching is the point and not a mistake.

What goes wrong

Three faults, each written as the fix.

The tray is overloaded

Food that touches steams. Space between the pieces is the whole difference between roasted and boiled.

Everything goes on at the same time

A potato and a piece of fish do not want the same time. Stagger them by what is hardest.

The oven is too cool

Hot. The browning is where the flavour comes from, and a cool oven dries food out before it browns.

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.