How do I reheat food safely and without ruining it?
Getting leftovers hot enough to be safe while keeping them pleasant to eat, by method and by food type.
beginner15 min2 min read
Storage & Freezing
Keeping food safe, fresh and usable for longer.
97 guides in Food & Cooking
How do I store onions and garlic?
Keeping onions, shallots and garlic for months rather than weeks, and what to do once they are cut.
beginner10 min2 min readHow long does a cool box actually stay cold?
The four variables that decide it, why the advertised figures are optimistic, and how to work out what your box will actually do before you rely on it.
beginner10 min5 min readWhat do the stars on a freezer actually mean?
Each star is a storage temperature and a keeping time, and the fourth star means something different from the first three: the ability to freeze fresh food rather than just store it.
beginner10 min4 min readCan I refreeze food that has been thawed?
The FSA position, the difference between safe and good, and the cook-then-freeze route that solves most cases.
beginner5 min3 min readHow do I keep fresh herbs alive?
How to store soft and woody herbs so they last weeks rather than days, and what to do with the ones about to turn.
beginner10 min2 min readHow do I know a preserving jar has sealed properly?
The press test, the lift test, what headspace is for, and what to do with a jar that has not sealed.
beginner10 min5 min readHow do I make jam that sets?
Pectin, acid and sugar in balance — and the cold plate test that tells you when to stop.
intermediate1 hr2 min readHow do I keep salad leaves fresh?
Making a bag of leaves last a week instead of three days, and reviving ones that have already gone limp.
beginner10 min2 min readHow do I make sauerkraut at home?
Salt by weight, the pounding that draws the brine out, and what the ferment should look and smell like at each stage.
beginner30 min5 min readHow do I pickle vegetables?
Quick fridge pickles in twenty minutes, proper shelf-stable ones, and the acidity rule that separates them.
beginner30 min2 min readThere is mould on my jam — is the rest still all right?
Why the jar went mouldy, why scraping it off is not the answer, and the four things that prevent it next time.
beginner5 min4 min readCan I cook rice ahead of time, and how do I hold it safely?
Yes — the risk in cooked rice is how long it sits warm, not the reheating. The two safe routes are hot-holding above 63°C and fast cooling into the fridge, and here is how to do each.
beginner10 min4 min readWhat is the white film on top of my ferment?
How to tell kahm yeast from mould, why it appeared, and whether the ferment underneath is still good.
beginner5 min3 min readWhat strength vinegar do I need for pickling?
Why 5% acetic acid is the number that matters, which UK vinegars meet it, and why you must not dilute to taste.
beginner5 min3 min readHow do I defrost fish properly?
Fridge, cold water and cook-from-frozen compared, the vacuum-pack warning most people ignore, and why draining matters as much as thawing.
beginner5 min4 min readHow do I keep cakes and biscuits fresh?
Storing each kind of bake in the right conditions — and why the fridge is usually the wrong answer.
beginner5 min2 min readHow do I store cheese properly?
Keeping cheese alive rather than suffocating it in cling film, and what to do about mould on each type.
beginner10 min2 min readHow do I freeze herbs, garlic and ginger?
Which herbs survive freezing, the oil method that beats freezing them loose, and grating ginger straight from frozen.
beginner30 min3 min readHow do I freeze milk, cheese and dairy?
What freezes well, what separates, and how to use the ones that change texture.
beginner20 min3 min readHow do I keep vegetables under the brine when fermenting?
Why the brine line is the whole safety mechanism, five ways to weight a jar, and what to do when the level drops.
beginner10 min4 min readHow do I make kimchi at home?
The salting stage that makes or breaks it, the paste, and the two to five days at room temperature before it goes in the fridge.
intermediate1 hr4 min readHow do I stop cut avocado going brown?
The enzyme reaction behind the browning, which of the folk remedies work, and how long a cut avocado really lasts.
beginner5 min3 min readHow do I store opened tins and jars?
Why the tin itself is the problem, realistic keeping times, and what freezes well.
beginner15 min3 min read
Going deeper: PizzaHQ
Dough hydration and fermentation schedules, flour selection, oven types and bake profiles.