cooking tips

Learn how to chop, dice and slice: For most people, the difficult part of cooking is the preparation. They read more...

find chopping, dicing and slicing is tedious or even hard, are probably using the wrong knife and are not sure which method to use. There are plenty of videos available online which can help you learn how to use a knife correctly so take a look at a few, buy a couple of sticking plasters,  and get practising. Soon you’ll be chopping and dicing to your hearts delight and no longer understand why some people find cooking a chore.

Learn to to estimate quantities: Spoons and other means of measuring quantities are only used in recipes because recipe read more...

writers need measurements to communicate quantities. If you were standing beside me I would shake some salt into the palm of my hand and say, “that much”. Learn to estimate how much a quantity of something is by spooning it into your hand or pouring it into a glass and remembering the the approximate amount. After that you can work with approximate quantities. Don’t forget to taste and season accordingly.

Cooking is not really about recipes: Cooking is about learning basic techniques and learning which ingredients combine well. Recipes read more...

can be useful, both as a source of new ideas and to help you learn new cooking techniques. Read recipes to understand how something is cooked but you  rarely need to follow them exactly and can always change them to suit your own taste.

Start a love affair with your oven: The oven is by far the most controlled form of cooking we have. All read more...

you really have to do is weigh what you want to cook, set the temperature, calculate the cooking time and set a timer to remind you when to take it out of the oven. After that you are free to get on with other things until the timer rings. Then you take whatever you have cooked out of the oven, set it aside to rest and serve it whenever you are ready.

Cooking meat: Ways of cooking meat: Meat is usually fried, grilled, roasted or stewed. Frying and grilling are the methods reserved for the more delicate cuts, roasting for larger joints and stewing for the tougher cuts.

Avoid a cold start: Meat taken directly from the refrigerator usually has a temperature of 4°C ± 2. This can make read more...

it difficult to achieve the required internal temperature during the cooking process. Most meats should be removed from the refrigerator 1/2 an hour before you intend to start cooking. There are of course some exceptions. Mince should be cooked directly from the refrigerator and chicken should not be allowed to stand around for more than 15 minutes.

Out of the fryer and into the oven: In most modern restaurants, delicate cuts of meat such as steaks, read more...

liver or breast of duck or chicken are fried or grilled very fast and then transferred to an oven to complete the cooking process. This gives the chef more control over the finished product and helps to guarantee that you receive the meat cooked the way you ordered it. This method has the additional advantage of giving the chef a few very useful minutes in which they are free to complete the rest of the meal.

Roasting: This is the method we use for larger joints or birds. It is done in the controlled environment read more...

of the oven and is a very relaxed form of cooking. All that you need to consider is what type of meat is being cooked, how heavy is it, and how do you want to serve it, rare, medium or well done. Once you have that information, you can calculate the cooking time to the minute.

Stewing, casseroling, braising and pot-roasting: These are all words which are used to describe the same method of cooking. read more...

The method involves frying the meat in small batches at a high temperature to achieve the dark caramelized taste we associate with browned meat, this is called the Maillard reaction or Maillard browning, and then simmering it in a liquid until cooked. We usually add vegetables and herbs or spices to the liquid for extra flavour and the meat we choose comes from the parts of the animal which have done the most work such as shin, shank, knuckle or neck. The best stewing meat contains lots of connective tissue or collagen which, if you boil it will be tough as old boots but, when simmered gently, breaks down to thicken the sauce. When cooked, the meat should be very tender and almost fall apart.

Allow cooked meat a moment to rest: Meat that has been exposed to high temperature through frying, grilling or read more...

roasting is in a tense or stressed state. If you carve it immediately it is a bit like a squeezing a wet sponge, all the juices and most of the heat will run free and the result will be disappointing. Wrap your roast in aluminium foil, cover loosely with a tea towel and leave to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. It will stay warm, have a moment to relax and the juices will be evenly distributed and reabsorbed.

Cooking fish: Fish is something which is usually cooked fast and here are the five basic ways in which it is cooked.read more...

Grilling is usually done under a medium hot preheated grill and the fish needs to be basted from time to time with butter, white wine or fish stock.

Shallow frying is usually done in a medium hot pan with about a half a centimetre of oil and the fish is usually coated with a light dusting of flour.

Poaching is usually done in a pan with about 100ml of liquid. The liquid should not boil and the fish should simmer gently.

Baking fish is probably the easiest method and is done in a preheated oven at 190°C. The fish should be placed in a lightly oiled ovenproof dish and sprinkled with some lemon juice. The reason it is easy is the fish does not stick to the pan and does not fall apart when you try to lift it on to your plate.

Deep frying is done in a deep fryer at 180-190°C. The fish should be coated in batter or breadcrumbs to seal it quickly and retain the juices.

Cooking vegetables: Be gently on your vegetables, if they offer no resistance when you bite into them, then they read more...

are probably overcooked. Use as little water as possible when boiling and consider steaming, sautéing, stir frying or roasting as an alternative. Some people say that vegetables should be cooked “al dente”, I couldn’t agree more but, “al dente” should be reserved for pasta. Here is a link to a little vegetable cooking tabel which you can use as a guideline.

Cooking Pasta: When buying pasta, buy pasta which has been made of durum wheat and water: no eggs or read more...

any other additives.

When cooking pasta, always allow 1 litre of water and 10 grams of salt for every 100 grams of pasta. Salt is essential if you want your pasta al dente. Some cooks add 15-20 grams but if you want to be exact, taste the water before you add the pasta.

When you strain your pasta, never shake it to get rid of access water. That small amount of water coats the pasta, stops it from sticking and will not thin your sauce.

Always transfer the pasta to the sauce and toss so the pasta is coated in the sauce. That is the rule but it is not always practical. So if the pot or pan in which you made your sauce is to small, transfer some of the sauce to your pasta, give it a good mix, serve on your plates and  top up with the rest of the sauce.

Keeping food warm: If you are not using your oven, set it to 60-80° and use it to keep read more...

your food and plates warm. Alternatively, keep your cooked meat wrapped in aluminium foil and loosely covered in a tea towel, cover your pots with lids and if necessary, wrap in a tea towel and pop under the bed covers until ready to serve.

Serving food: Don’t rush and ask someone to help you if you need a hand. The larger the plate read more...

you use and the less you put on it, the more attractive your food will look. Arrange your food nicely, remove any splashes or spots with kitchen paper and remember that the edge of the plate belongs to the waiter and not to the cook. Alternatively bring the food in bowls or on serving plates to the table and let your guests help themselves.

Garnishing food: Having taken the time to cook a meal, it is worth spending a thought or two on how you want to present it. A moment is all it requires to add a sprig of parsley or a slice of lemon.