How to peel garlic easily
Lay a knife flat on a garlic clove and give it a gentle thump. Don’t smash it! Cut off the end, and the skin…
Preparing asparagus with minimum waste
Don’t guess where to trim asparagus. Hold the spear and gently bend it, using your thumb for pressure, and it’ll naturally snap right where…
Dippy egg ‘béarnaise’ with asparagus
A quick, unusual way to enjoy asparagus season. Boil an egg for 5 minutes and cook asparagus for 3. Top the asparagus with a…
Mozzarella
All about mozzarella. Treat it kindly, serve it at room temperature and season it well, and it’ll reward you every time.
Two kitchen tools I use every day
Two little gadgets I use almost every day. A truffle slicer. No, I don’t have truffles every day! It’s perfect for slicing garlic wafer-thin…
Seasoning fish
A quick look at how I season fish. A little salt ahead of cooking firms the flesh and seasons it beautifully, and it makes…
What NOT to store in the fridge
Two things that don’t belong in the fridge: eggs and tomatoes. Tomatoes in particular taste far better and hold their flavour at room temperature…
How to test if fish is cooked
Overcooked fish is one of my pet hates. Here’s my foolproof test. Push a sharp knife into the thickest part of the fish, then…
Cutting tomatoes: get a tomato knife
I used to cut tomatoes with a bread knife for the serrated edge, but the teeth are too big. A serrated tomato knife is…
Freezing citrus
Never waste another lemon or lime. Freeze the juice in ice cube trays, or freeze slices ready to drop into drinks. Label the bag…