Mastering basic cooking skills and some slightly more advanced techniques will make your life so much easier in the kitchen. You’ll become much more confident, whether you’re whipping up creamy scrambled eggs, making fluffy rice, cooking al dente pasta or nailing a homemade salted caramel sauce. Follow our tips and recipes for perfect results every time.
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Softly scrambled eggs
For two servings or perfectly light and fluffy scrambled eggs, you’ll need four large eggs, 20g (1oz) butter, salt and pepper. Lightly whisk the eggs and season well. In a small pan, melt half the butter over medium heat (too high and the eggs will dry out). When the butter is foaming, add the eggs and keep stirring with a wooden spoon. When they are three-quarters set, take off the heat, stir in the butter and serve.
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Crunchy and fluffy roast potatoes
A perfect roast potato needs to be crunchy on the outside and fluffy in the center. The choice of fat is up to you – olive oil, sunflower, goose fat or lard. To serve four, peel 900g (2lb) floury potatoes and cut into chunks. Steam until tender, then add 1tbsp flour (some swear by polenta) and shake them around to give a fluffy surface. Heat a roasting tin with 2–3tbsp oil in a hot oven (400ºF/200ºC), add the hot potatoes and coat in the fat. Sprinkle with salt and roast until golden and crunchy, around 45 minutes.
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Prepare an avocado safely
You’ll need a ripe avocado to properly prepare it. With a sharp medium to large knife, slice through the avocado from top to bottom, cutting around the stone, then twist to separate the two halves. To remove the stone, you should be able dig it out with a teaspoon if it’s ripe enough. Now you can peel it – top to bottom is easiest.
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Peeling boiled eggs
Peeling eggs sounds easy, doesn’t it? But to avoid cracks in the white, there’s just one way to do it. Tap the eggs all over to crack the shells, then peel under cold running water, starting at the wide end where there is an air pocket so it’s easier to pull the shell away. Once ready, you could go all retro and make some deviled eggs.
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Easy stir-fry sauce
It’s always worth having a simple stir-fry sauce in your repertoire which doesn’t need lots of ingredients. Use 4tbsp soy sauce, 2tbsp toasted sesame oil and 3tbsp oyster sauce for fish or 3tbsp teriyaki sauce for meat and poultry. Heat the wok, add a little oil, then fry your meat or fish. Add vegetables and noodles, if you like, then a teacup of water to steam and cook the veg. Stir in the sauce ingredients and heat through fully.
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Al dente pasta
Getting pasta just right isn’t hard, but you do need good quality dried pasta. Cheaper versions are made with inferior flour and just go soggy. Allow 75–100g (3–4oz) pasta per person. Bring a large pan of water (at least 3 liters/5 pints) up to the boil with 1tbsp salt. When it’s up to a rolling boil, add the pasta, cover briefly, give it a stir, then leave until it is still firm to the bite – check the pack instructions for timings. Drain immediately when ready.
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Make an omelet
An omelet is a speedy solution to a midweek meal or quick lunch so it’s worth getting it right. Two to three eggs will make an omelet for one person. A good non-stick pan makes all the difference. Add 1tsp of oil and get it as hot as you can. Beat the eggs with a fork then add to the hot pan. Allow to set a little then pull away the sides with a fork and swirl the egg around. When there’s just a little liquid left, fold over the omelet with a palette knife and tip onto a plate.
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Creamy mashed potato
If you want to achieve that gorgeous restaurant-quality, creamy mash, you don’t necessarily need to invest in a potato ricer. Potato mashers can get almost all of the lumps out, but you’ll need plenty of butter to achieve that creamy texture. Steam your potatoes rather than boil them, allow to dry out a little once cooked, then starting mashing (or pushing through the ricer) while adding hot milk and melted butter with plenty of seasoning. Don’t be tempted to use a food processor to purée potatoes as they will go gluey.
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Cook a perfect steak
You’ll see chefs prodding a steak with their finger to see how well it is cooked. As a rough guide, if you touch the base of your thumb with your index finger, this will have a similar feel to rare steak. But be on the safe side and buy a meat thermometer. First, oil the steak, not the pan, add plenty of salt and sear it. Don’t try to force it off the pan, it will come away when it’s seared. Then keep turning until it’s cooked to your preference. Add pepper after.
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Fluffy rice
The foolproof way to cook long grain, basmati or jasmine rice is to use double the volume of water to rice. So if you’re cooking 100g (4oz) rice, you’ll need 200ml (8floz) water. Bring the water to the boil with a good pinch of salt, add the rice, turn down to a gentle simmer and cover. Once all the water has been absorbed (usually around 15 minutes), take off the heat and leave the lid on for 5–10 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
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Homemade stock
Let’s be clear – one chicken carcass is not enough to make a good stock, so freeze them (bones collapsed) until you have at least two (or around four if you’re making a lot of stock). Chopped carrot, onion, celery, leek, bay leaves, parsley and thyme complete the stock with some peppercorns. Sauté everything first, then cook long and slow, around two hours, before straining.
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Browning ground meat
Getting this skill right just needs a bit of time and patience, so you don’t end up with soggy or half burnt ground meat. Begin over a low heat, adding the meat to warmed oil or butter. Keep stirring and any water will eventually evaporate. Once the meat is not pink, turn up the heat to medium and allow it to brown slowly, stirring occasionally.
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Simple pasta sauce
Having a tomato sauce ready in the fridge or freezer is handy and it couldn’t be easier to make. Gently cook a chopped onion and two crushed garlic cloves in olive oil for five minutes. Add 1kg (2lb 2oz) skinned and chopped fresh tomatoes, a pinch of oregano and seasoning. Simmer on a very low heat, uncovered, for about an hour or until the tomatoes are thick and almost all the liquid has evaporated. You can then add olives, capers or herbs.
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Easy soup
Homemade soup is a doddle to make and so much better, and cheaper, than buying ready-made. Most vegetable soups start with chopped celery, carrot and onion, sweated down in oil until tender. Then just add stock and the ingredients of your choice – more carrots and chickpeas, for example, with some toasted cilantro seeds. Or try broccoli and frozen peas or roasted red peppers with pesto. Then just whiz it up with a hand blender.
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Classic salad dressing
Learn how to make a classic vinaigrette and you’ll never buy a bottle of it again. Keep it in a screw-topped jar in the fridge, then you can just shake and serve. Mix together a clove of crushed garlic with 1tsp sea salt. Add 1tbsp Dijon mustard and 1tbsp white or red wine vinegar. Mix well, add freshly ground black pepper, then whisk in 6tbsp olive oil.
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Chop onions without crying
There are many hacks floating around which tell you how to avoid crying when chopping onions, including holding a piece of bread between your teeth while you chop! The only way to reduce the tears is to wear glasses, sunglasses or swimming goggles. If that doesn’t float your boat, buy a mini chopper or use a food processor which will do the work for you instead.
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Roast chicken
To ensure a roast chicken has perfectly crispy skin and juicy meat, smother the bird with 100g (3.5oz) butter all over. Squeeze over the juice of a lemon and put the lemon with a few sprigs of thyme in the cavity. Add a glass of white wine, then roast at 450°F/230°C for 15 minutes. Turn it down to 350°F/180°C for another hour or so, basting frequently. When you pierce the thigh and the juices run clear, it’s ready. Rest for 10 minutes before carving.
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Perfect gravy
Once you’ve roasted a chicken, or a joint of meat, add stock to the roasting tin and bubble it on a high heat, scraping up all the lovely bits in the tin. You could also add red or white wine. Strain it through a sieve, taste for seasoning and serve. If you prefer a thicker gravy, add a little flour to the tin before adding the stock.
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Caramelized onions
You can make a big batch of caramelized onions, turn them into onion jelly and store in the fridge. Finely slice red onions, then put into a frying pan with 2tbsp oil. Cook on a low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to release any water. Turn the heat up slightly but make sure you don’t burn them. This will take about 40 minutes. Then, add 1tbsp balsamic vinegar and 1tbsp brown sugar. Stir well.
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Easy pizza dough
Mix together 75ml (3floz) warm water, 2tsp easy-blend yeast, 225g (8oz) strong white flour, 1tsp salt and 2tbsp olive oil by hand or in a mixer. Use the dough hook to knead the dough until it’s soft and springy. You may need to add a little extra water – this depends on your flour. Leave the dough in an oiled bowl, covered with oiled plastic wrap, until doubled in size, around an hour. Then knead it for five minutes and it’s ready to use.
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Crushing and cooking garlic
Using a garlic crusher is fine if you just need a clove or two, but if you need a batch, try using a mortar and pestle. You get a more intense flavor, none of the garlic is wasted and you don’t have the fiddly job of washing the crusher. Just pound the garlic with a good pinch of salt, which helps to break down the fibers. Remember garlic burns easily, so if you’re adding it to fried onions, make sure the onions are pretty much ready first.
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Instant soda bread
If you feel a little daunted by bread-making, why not try soda bread? It’s an instant bread as there’s no kneading or yeast required – in fact, the less you handle it, the better. You do need to eat it on the day it’s made, though it does make delicious toast and you can freeze it.
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Bake a loaf
If you’re feeling more confident, baking a loaf is well worth it. There’s very little hands-on time required, especially if you have a mixer with a dough hook attachment. It’s also way cheaper than buying artisan bread.
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Baking pastry blind
The reason you bake pastry blind before adding a filling, is to ensure you don’t have a soggy bottom. Line the raw pastry dough with parchment paper then fill with baking beans so the pastry doesn’t rise. The pastry is then cooked for a short while, filled with any toppings and put back in the oven. Rather than trim the raw pastry to size in your tin, take a tip from pastry chefs who trim it once it’s baked blind, to ensure a perfect edge. This will also help you if your pastry has shrunk a little.
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Make your own pesto
Making your own fresh pesto is so worth the time and not much effort. That scent of fresh basil pounded with garlic, creamy pine nuts, Parmesan and olive oil is hard to beat. You can freeze it too but add the cheese once it’s thawed. Make a big batch, then freeze portions in ice cube trays.
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Cheese sauce
If you’ve mastered a cheese sauce, macaroni cheese is a walk in the park. Infuse 1.2 liters (2 pints) milk with bay leaves and half an onion – just warm it up then leave it to sit for an hour. Remove the bay and onion and keep the milk warm. Melt 100g (3.5oz) butter, stir in 100g (3.5oz) flour until smooth, then gradually whisk in the milk. If it’s warm, there’s less chance of the sauce going lumpy. Stir until thickened, then add 225g (8oz) grated Cheddar and season well. This is sufficient for 450g (1lb) pasta, for six servings.
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Perfect poached eggs
Take a large frying pan, fill with boiling water and leave on a gentle heat until you just see tiny bubbles forming. Break the eggs one by one into a cup and slide into the water. Leave for one minute over heat, then remove, cover and leave for 10 minutes. This will give you a fully set white and a soft yolk. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain over some paper towel and serve.
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Making salted caramel sauce
So many recipes seem to make caramel more complicated than it is. The trick is to be patient with it. You need to heat the sugar first, so put it in a large frying pan on a low heat and let it heat really slowly. Then you can turn the heat to medium, and without stirring, swish the pan around so all the sugar can melt. Let it bubble until you have a caramel color, then take it off the heat. For 250g (8oz) sugar, then add 150ml (5floz) double cream and 50g (2oz) butter with a good pinch of sea salt.
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Melting chocolate
Melting chocolate takes a little time and patience. Please don’t use a microwave as the chance of it catching and burning is pretty high. Chop chocolate into small pieces and put into a heatproof bowl suspended over a pan of gently simmering water without it touching the water. It will take 10–15 minutes. If chocolate overheats, it curdles and you end up with a claggy mess which you can’t use. The higher the cocoa content, the easier it overheats, so be patient.
