Why does my chicken release so much water in the pan?
Three separate causes — added water in the pack, a crowded or cold pan, and previously frozen meat — and how to tell which one you have from what the liquid looks like.
beginner8 min4 min read
Cooking Basics
The handful of things that make everything else easier.
92 guides in Food & Cooking
Are runny eggs safe to eat in the UK?
What the Lion mark means, what changed in the official advice, and which eggs still need cooking through.
beginner5 min4 min readHow do I measure without scales?
Spoon and cup equivalents that are close enough for cooking, and the cases where you genuinely need to weigh.
beginner5 min2 min readHow do I stop a pan boiling over?
Boil-overs are a foam problem, not a water problem — why starch, milk and fat cause them and the several things that stop it happening.
beginner5 min4 min readWhy is my joint burnt on the outside and raw in the middle?
A temperature gradient problem with four causes — oven too hot, joint too thick, oven running high, or a cold start — and the two-stage method that fixes all of them.
beginner9 min5 min readHow do I cook a jacket potato with crispy skin?
Dry skin, salt and direct oven heat — and why foil and the microwave both give you a soft, steamed skin.
beginner1 hr 30 min2 min readHow do I cook with less salt and sugar without it tasting worse?
Replacing what salt and sugar were contributing, rather than simply using less of them.
beginner20 min2 min readHow do I fix food that tastes burnt or bitter?
What can be balanced out and what cannot, and how to tell which situation you are in.
beginner15 min2 min readHow do I keep a kitchen tidy while cooking?
The habits that mean the kitchen is nearly clean when the food is ready, rather than a second job afterwards.
beginner10 min2 min readWhat is the white stuff that comes out of chicken and bacon?
The coagulated protein people mistake for fat, pus or gone-off meat, why some packs produce far more of it, and what it tells you about how the meat was raised and cooked.
beginner7 min3 min readHow do I follow a recipe without it going wrong?
How to read a recipe before cooking it, spot the traps in the wording, and adapt when you don't have exactly what it asks for.
beginner15 min3 min readHow do I make a better sandwich?
Structure, seasoning and moisture control — why a sandwich made from the same ingredients can be excellent or dull.
beginner10 min2 min readWhat should I check before starting a recipe?
The two-minute check that prevents most of the things that go wrong mid-recipe.
beginner10 min2 min readWhy does my food keep burning on the bottom?
The pan, the heat and the sugar content that cause scorching, and how to rescue a pot that has caught.
beginner10 min2 min readHow do I make a salad dressing?
The basic vinaigrette ratio, how to make it emulsify and stay emulsified, and how to adapt it endlessly.
beginner10 min2 min readWhat can I do with overcooked vegetables?
Repurposing rather than rescuing, since texture cannot be restored — and how to avoid it next time.
beginner15 min2 min readHow do I blend hot soup without it exploding?
Why a sealed jug of hot soup behaves like a pressure vessel, and the three ways to blend without one.
beginner10 min3 min readHow do I cook brown rice properly?
Why brown rice needs different treatment from white, and two reliable methods — absorption and the pasta method.
beginner50 min2 min readHow do I make good porridge?
The ratio and technique for creamy porridge on the hob or in the microwave, and how to stop it boiling over.
beginner10 min2 min readHow do I tell when frying oil is hot enough?
The bread cube test, the wooden spoon test, and the visual cues at each of the three frying temperatures.
beginner5 min3 min readWhat should I do when pasta is undercooked or overcooked?
Rescuing pasta at both ends of the problem, and how to judge doneness so it stops happening.
beginner8 min2 min readWhy is my chicken stringy and chewy in strips?
Woody breast and spaghetti meat — the muscle conditions behind stringy supermarket chicken, how to tell them from overcooking, and what to do with the meat you have already bought.
beginner8 min4 min readHow do I cook couscous and other quick grains?
Couscous, bulgur wheat and quinoa — the methods, ratios and the seasoning step that makes them worth eating.
beginner15 min2 min readWhat do American recipe terms mean in a UK kitchen?
Broil, skillet, sheet pan, sticks of butter, cups and Fahrenheit — a translation of the American recipe vocabulary that trips up UK cooks, including the traps where the same word means something different.
beginner8 min4 min read
Going deeper: PizzaHQ
Dough hydration and fermentation schedules, flour selection, oven types and bake profiles.