How do I thicken gravy at the last minute without lumps?
Three ways to thicken gravy when the meat is resting and everyone is sitting down — with the one that leaves no floury taste, and the one that is fastest.
beginner6 min4 min read
Techniques
Roasting, frying, braising and why temperature matters.
234 guides in Food & Cooking
Why are my potatoes still hard in the middle?
Four causes in the order worth checking — piece size, a hot start, something acidic in the pan, and hard water — and how to rescue the batch in front of you.
beginner5 min3 min readWhy does the batter or breadcrumb fall off my food?
The dry-wet-dry sequence, the resting step that sets the coating, and why a wet surface guarantees failure.
beginner20 min3 min readCan I cook fish straight from frozen?
Which fish cooks well from frozen and which does not, the timing adjustment for each method, and why thin delicate fillets are actually better this way.
beginner25 min4 min readHow do I cook with yoghurt without it splitting?
Yoghurt splits because its proteins are already acidified and coagulate the moment they get hot. The three things that prevent it — starch, fat and temperature control — and how cuisines that cook with yoghurt routinely do it.
intermediate10 min4 min readHow much roux do I need for the sauce thickness I want?
Four working ratios of butter and flour to liquid — thin, pouring, coating and binding — plus the two things that change the numbers: how dark the roux is, and the fact that every sauce thickens as it cools.
beginner12 min4 min readWhy is my tomato sauce watery and how do I thicken it?
Tomato sauce thickens by reduction alone, so a watery sauce is nearly always a pan and time problem — plus the four things that make it worse and the one thickener worth adding.
beginner25 min4 min readWhy is the beef in my stir fry chewy, and how do I velvet it?
The two things that make home stir-fried meat tough — slicing along the grain and cooking it in a wet pan — and the cornflour coating that fixes both.
beginner20 min4 min readHow do I cook a pork tenderloin without it going dry?
The leanest cut on the pig, the silverskin that has to come off, and the sear-then-roast method with the internal temperature that keeps it juicy.
beginner25 min4 min readHow do I cook gnocchi so it is not stodgy?
Why gnocchi is done the moment it floats, and the pan-fry finish that makes shop-bought gnocchi worth eating.
beginner15 min3 min readHow do I cook halloumi so it is not rubbery?
Why halloumi squeaks, the thickness and heat that fix it, and why serving it hot matters more than anything else.
beginner10 min3 min readHow do I cook squid without it going rubbery?
The two-minutes-or-forty rule, why there is nothing usable in between, and how to prepare a squid tube.
intermediate25 min3 min readHow do I cook sweet potato so it is not watery?
Why sweet potato behaves nothing like potato, and the dry-heat methods that concentrate it rather than diluting it.
beginner40 min3 min readHow do I cook venison and game without it going dry?
Why lean meat behaves nothing like beef, the two doneness rules, and which game birds forgive a mistake.
intermediate35 min3 min readHow do I hot smoke food at home?
The stovetop and kettle-barbecue methods, which woods suit what, and the internal temperatures that decide when it is cooked.
intermediate45 min5 min readHow do I steam vegetables without a steamer?
Improvising a steamer from a colander, a sieve or a plate, and the water level that decides whether you are steaming or boiling.
beginner15 min3 min readHow do I turn mayonnaise into tartare, marie rose and other sauces?
Eight sauces that are mayonnaise plus two or three things — tartare, marie rose, burger sauce, remoulade, ranch, tonnato, rouille and herb mayonnaise — with the proportions that make each one work.
beginner10 min3 min readHow long does food take in a pressure cooker?
Realistic times for common foods, how to convert a conventional recipe, and why the release method is part of the cooking time.
intermediate10 min3 min readWhy does coconut milk split in my curry?
Coconut milk is an emulsion held by coconut protein, and heat and acid both break it — the order of operations that prevents it, and how to bring back a curry that has already split.
beginner12 min4 min readWhy does food from a pressure cooker taste flat?
Pressure cooking is fast and tender but the sauce often tastes thin and one-dimensional — the three reasons why, and the fixes that go before and after the pressure stage.
beginner8 min4 min readWhy is my gravy pale, and how do I get a deep brown colour?
The four real sources of colour in gravy, why three of them also taste of something and one does not, and what to do about a beige gravy that is already in the pan.
beginner15 min4 min readWhy won't my scallops sear, and how do I get a proper crust?
Most scallops that refuse to brown were sold soaked. How to tell a treated scallop from an untreated one before you buy, and the pan technique that gets a crust in ninety seconds a side.
intermediate10 min5 min readHow do I make a curry sauce as smooth as a restaurant one?
British Indian restaurant curries are built on a pre-cooked, blended base gravy — what it is, how to make a domestic version, and the four things that produce that silky texture at home.
intermediate1 hr3 min readHow do I make a dry rub for meat, and when do I put it on?
What a rub is actually made of, how far each component travels into the meat, and why sugar goes on late for a long cook and early for a short one.
beginner10 min4 min read
Going deeper: PizzaHQ
Dough hydration and fermentation schedules, flour selection, oven types and bake profiles.