Cookery Tips and Facts
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |
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| Apples | If you've got tons of apples on your apple tree use up by making CookeryClubs chutney or squeeze into apple juice |
| Avocado | Keeping the stone in the spare half of an Avocado to stop it from going brown Squeeze fresh juice over avocado to stop it from browning To remove an Avocado stone from an Avocado half, stab it with a sharp knife and twist, holding the bottom of the avocado firmly - the stone will twist out |
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| Baking and Cakes | To check whether a cake is cooked insert a skewer or pointed knife in the middle, if it comes out clean the cake is cooked To bake in a Bain Marie, lay a layer of cardboard or newspaper at the bottom of the tin, half fill with water and then place the pots full of cream caramel, brulee, souffle pudding etc on top. (Not allowing any water near the top of the pots) This will stop the bottoms from conduction cooking and cooking too quickly Always sift the flour once or even twice before using in cakes and pastry's If you run out of self raising flour for a recipe simply sift together flour and baking powder - to 1lb/450g flour + 1oz/30g baking powder |
| Bread | Freshen up stale bread by heating for a few seconds in the microwave or oven Use up old bread by whizzing in to breadcrumbs Store breadcrumbs in the freezer and use/shake out when needed |
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| Cheese | Cheese is best refrigerated in paper and not sweated in cling film |
| Cleaning | Clean Stainless steel pans by cooking rhubarb in them Soak coffee and Tea stains out of mugs, teapots etc by leaving them to soak in washing powder and water overnight - wash out thoroughly |
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| Dough | Always cover rising dough with a clean damp tea towel Use an airing cupboard to rise bread dough alternatively heat up the kitchen and place on a shelf or place above a low grill or place in a plate warming draw or try outside on a very warm sunny day |
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| Eggs | When poaching eggs, add a few drops of vinegar when boiling -take off the heat and add the eggs - place back on to a simmer and cook to a soft poach Eggs are porous and can absorb strong flavours To fry an egg perfectly heat up a tablespoon of olive oil in a non stick frying pan, remove from the heat add the egg, place back on a medium flame cooking until the white is cooked and firm, to seal the top flip over gently cook for a few seconds only and flip back to serve |
| Extra | Keep school and work lunch boxes cool by freezing a yogurt, juice or water bottle, they'll be ready to eat or drink when its lunch time and your lunch will be cool For an extra binder - add more egg, if a sauce is too thick add more water or stock, if a gravy is too thin add a little tomato puree, if a sauce is too thin add a beurre manier (equal quantities of butter and flour squished together and whisked in a little at a time to acquired thickness) |
| Extra strong Chillies | The seeds of a chilli are hot in taste, so remove for a milder taste or add for a hotter one Wash your hands after preparing chillies they offer a burning sensation too raw skin when touched or rubbed |
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| Fish and Seafood | Fresh fish should smell lightly of the sea, be firm and if whole have bright plump eyes if the fish is past its best it will be smelly, soft and the eyes will be sunken and dull Ask your fishmonger to fillet and/or skin your fish. Mussels when bought should be closed, discard those open - when cooked they should be open - discard any closed To humanly kill a lobster before cooking, push a knife through the head between the eyes - it happens so quick, I'm almost certain he won't hold it against you |
| Fruits and Vegetables | Ripen up fruits and vegetables by placing them next to bananas Ripen green fruits by leaving on a sunny window sill A fresh ripe pineapple will be slightly soft on the bottom around the stem, the plumage on top will come out easily - not brown and squiggy Don't throw away water melon skin - make CookeryClubs watermelon skin relish Don't ever store Bananas in the fridge, they turn brown and often taint other tastes in the fridge Shake a coconut to check for freshness it should contain coconut milk which you will hear Lychees with white mildew dots are past their best |
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| Garlic | If you ever have to peel a lot of garlic, soak the cloves in warm water for an hour - then they'll peel easier Don't leave unpeeled cloves of garlic in the fridge - everything will smell of it, thoroughly wash your board after chopping garlic or the taste will transfer on to other foods prepared on the board |
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| Herbs | Use up excess herbs by chopping and covering with olive oil - to make flavoured oils Store dried herbs and spices somewhere cool and dark |
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| Ice Cream | Get ice-cream out 15 minutes before you need it to soften perfectly or store at -18*c Place a marshmallow down the bottom of the ice-cream cone to avoid the drip out of the bottom factor (usually small children obsessed by biting the bottom) |
| Injury | Always treat a burn by running it under cold water, if the burn is large and severe get it treated at the hospital To make a burn heal quicker rub Vaseline in to it two or three times a day To treat a small cut on your fingers hold upright under a cold running tap for 5 minutes or so, dry with a clean tissue, only put on a plaster when it stops bleeding (larger cuts need to be treated at hospital) |
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| Jars | If you can't open a jar gently tap the lidded end and try again, if all else fails pierce the top with a sharp knife |
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| Kebabs | Soak wooden skewers in water for 10 minutes before use to stop burning Lightly boil or steam mushrooms before skewering them, to avoid breaking and falling off |
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| Lemons | Use up squeezed lemon halves to freshen up your waste disposal Buy thin skinned lemons for fuller juiciness Lemon juice added to the water before boiling rice makes it whiter and green vegetables greener |
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| Meat | Rest joints of meat 20-30 minutes before eating Seal off meat in hot oil to retain flavour Marinate meats to increase flavour and tenderness |
| Methods | To mould meatballs, burgers, truffles etc - use damp hands |
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| Nuts | Keep nuts fresh by storing single types in sealed cleaned jam jars Remove hazelnut skins by grilling, rolling a few times while cooking and then rubbing together in a tea towel Make your own ground nuts by simply processing de-skinned whole, chopped or sliced nuts until fine and ground |
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| Onions | Wrap up peeled onions in the fridge to stop them tainting foods with onion flavour Use red onions as a sweeter, more subtle taste, as a change from white onions |
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| Pasta | When boiling pasta add a table spoon of oil to stop it sticking, also avoiding any scum forming Always make sure the water is rapidly boiling before adding pasta, using a large pan to allow plenty of space to boil and cook |
| Pastry | Sift flour before using in pastry for finer results Always rest pastry after making, in the fridge To stop pastry shrinking, roll out in the tin your using and rest in the fridge for 20 minutes |
| Piping Bag | Make a piping bag by rolling a triangle of greaseproof paper in to a dome, fold over the edges and cut the pointed bottom to the needed size |
| Potatoes | If you store peeled potatoes in water add a slice or piece of bread to retain firmness |
| Pulses | When cooking pre-soaked beans or lentils simmer don't boil to stop the water to bubble over and to avoid bean damage |
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| Quick | For a quick dessert try CookeryClubs Greek Lemon Pot, for a quick sauce try mixing Greek yogurt with a little mango chutney, for a quick dinner try CookeryClubs cooking in foil, for a quick treat melt some chocolate in the microwave and mix in a little cream or milk and dip in fruits and marshmallows |
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| Rhubarb | Rhubarb leaves are poisonous and are not compostable Cook rhubarb by roasting batons with brown sugar, boiling with a little water and sugar or steam sprinkled with sugar |
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| Smells | Rub your hands with lemon juice to remove smells of garlic and onion Freshen up the fridge (as well as cleaning it once in a while) by studding an orange with cloves and leaving it on a shelf for a week or so To remove fishy smells from a chopping board rub with salt and lemon juice and leave for a while before washing thoroughly |
| Spices | It is preferable to buy whole spices because they stay fresher and more fragrant for longer compared to the ground variety Always fry spices to release their full flavour, whether with the onions in a recipe, as a dry fry or in a little oil - beware not to burn |
| Steaming | Steaming is the healthiest method of cooking Add herbs to the water in the bottom of a steamer to increase flavour to the food above |
| Sugar | To make icing sugar simply process granulated sugar till extremely fine |
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| Tins | Open baked beans upside down to stop the beans from sticking to the tin (add fresh Parmesan cheese for a more distinctive beans on toast) |
| Tomato | An English Tomato, when the stalk removed smells like a real tomato and slightly minty Excess tomatoes, dry out over night in the bottom of a very low oven with chopped herbs and plenty of seasoning |
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| Utensils | Try not to wash rolling pins, simply scrap of any sticky dough, dust down, wipe clean with a hot clean cloth and re-store Keep your knives sharp, if you can't do it your self - use a knife sharpener (Man) or ask your local butcher |
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| Vanilla | Make vanilla sugar by placing a fresh pod in a tub of caster sugar and leaving for a few days to mature flavour, leave it in there or use it in something else |
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| Washing up | Line baking sheets and the grill pan with tin foil to save on washing up |
| Wine | Freeze excess wine in small containers to pop in to soups, casseroles and sauces at a later date |
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| Yorkshire Puddings | Add an extra egg white to Yorkshire pudding mix to make sure they rise well |
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| Zest | Don't waste your lemon, lime and orange zest, remove and store in the fridge or freezer. Use for flavouring marinades, oils, pastry, cream, tea, salads or leave in the fridge to freshen it up |