How do I substitute an ingredient I do not have?
The substitutions that work, the ones that do not, and how to tell which category you are in before committing.
beginner5 min2 min read
Ingredients
Choosing, prepping and getting the most out of what you buy.
90 guides in Food & Cooking
How do I make a recipe vegetarian?
Replacing what the meat was doing rather than the meat itself — the four jobs it does and what covers each.
beginner20 min4 min readHow do I tell if an egg is still good?
The float test for age, the smell test for safety, and why they answer different questions.
beginner5 min2 min readWhich steak should I buy?
What each of the common steak cuts is, where it comes from on the animal, and which one actually suits how you like to eat steak.
beginner10 min3 min readWhat are the different cuts of meat for?
The one rule that explains every cut — how hard the muscle worked — and what to do with each as a result.
beginner15 min2 min readWhich joint of beef should I roast?
Rib, sirloin, topside, silverside, top rump and brisket — where each sits, which want fast roasting, which want low and slow, and which are commonly bought by mistake.
beginner10 min3 min readWhich salt should I use and does it matter?
Crystal size is the only difference that matters in practice, why a teaspoon of one is not a teaspoon of another, and where finishing salt earns its cost.
beginner15 min4 min readHow do I use up leftover egg whites or yolks?
Where each half actually goes, how long they keep, and how to freeze them so they are usable later.
beginner10 min2 min readWhat is the difference between the flours?
Protein content as the single organising idea, which flour suits what, and the substitutions that work.
beginner20 min3 min readHow do I use herbs and spices properly?
When to add dried versus fresh, why toasting spices matters, and how to tell when your spice rack has gone stale.
beginner20 min2 min readHow do I use salt properly in cooking?
Why different salts are not interchangeable by volume, when to add it, and what it actually does beyond tasting salty.
beginner15 min3 min readWhat do the words and logos on a meat label actually mean?
Which claims on a pack of meat are legally defined, which are assurance schemes, and which are marketing words that mean nothing at all.
beginner10 min3 min readHow do I choose the right cut of meat?
Matching cut to cooking method using one principle — how hard that muscle worked — which predicts almost everything.
beginner20 min2 min readHow do I make stock?
How to make chicken, vegetable and bone stock from scraps, and why you shouldn't let it boil.
beginner4 hr2 min readHow do I substitute baking ingredients?
Which baking swaps work, which quietly ruin the result, and the ratios for the ones worth making.
beginner5 min2 min readHow do I tell if eggs are fresh?
The float test, what egg age actually affects, and where they should be stored.
beginner10 min2 min readWhat is the difference between gammon, ham and bacon?
All three are cured pork, and the differences are which part of the pig, whether it has been cooked, and whether you still have to cook it.
beginner8 min3 min readHow do I choose olive oil?
What extra virgin actually means, what the label tells you, and which oil to use for cooking versus finishing.
beginner15 min2 min readHow do I get the best from tinned and frozen ingredients?
Which tinned and frozen items genuinely match or beat fresh, and how to use each so it does not taste tinned.
beginner20 min2 min readHow do I read food labels properly?
What the ingredients list, the per-100g column and the two date types actually tell you.
beginner20 min2 min readHow do I ripen fruit faster?
Speeding up avocados, bananas, peaches and tomatoes using ethylene, and which fruits will not ripen after picking at all.
beginner10 min2 min readHow do I toast and grind whole spices?
Why whole spices are worth the extra two minutes, how to toast them without burning, and how to store them.
beginner10 min2 min readShould I use chicken thighs or chicken breasts?
The fat and collagen difference that makes thighs forgiving and breasts unforgiving, and which dishes each actually suits.
beginner5 min3 min readWhich cheap steak cuts are actually worth buying?
Bavette, onglet, feather blade, flat iron and skirt — the butcher's cuts that eat better than rump for less, and the one rule that makes them work.
intermediate15 min3 min read
Going deeper: PizzaHQ
Dough hydration and fermentation schedules, flour selection, oven types and bake profiles.