How do I cook well on an induction hob?
Which pans work, why the response is so much faster than gas, and the habits that need unlearning.
beginner10 min3 min read
Kitchen Equipment
Looking after the kit you cook with.
67 guides in Food & Cooking
How do I use a mandoline without cutting myself?
The guard, the glove and the last-third rule — plus why mandolines cause more serious kitchen injuries than knives.
beginner10 min3 min readHow do I use the grill in my oven properly?
Distance as the temperature control, which shelf suits which thickness, and why the grill pan matters more than people think.
beginner15 min3 min readWhat size roasting tin and baking tray do I actually need?
Roasting tins, baking trays, baking sheets and oven trays are four different things — what each is for, what sizes matter, and why a thin one buckles.
beginner7 min4 min readIs a multicooker worth buying?
One machine that claims to replace a pressure cooker, a slow cooker, a rice cooker and a frying pan — which of those functions are genuinely good, which are compromises, and who should buy one.
beginner8 min3 min readWhat is a Dutch oven and do I need one?
The heavy lidded pot that goes from hob to oven — what it does that a saucepan cannot, what size to buy, and whether the enamelled version is worth the money.
beginner6 min4 min readWhich chopping board should I use?
Wood versus plastic, how many you need, and the care that keeps a board hygienic and your knives sharp.
beginner15 min2 min readDo I need a pizza stone, and does it actually work?
What a stone or steel actually does for a domestic pizza, whether it is worth buying, and the cheaper things that get most of the way there.
beginner7 min4 min readHow do I choose and use a food processor?
What it is genuinely better at than a blender or a knife, and the jobs it does badly.
beginner20 min2 min readWhy has my stainless steel pan gone rainbow-coloured or chalky white?
Iridescent tints, white chalky spots and blue-brown patches on stainless steel — three different marks with three different causes, all cosmetic and all removable.
beginner10 min4 min readCeramic or PTFE non-stick — which lasts better?
Ceramic non-stick is sold as the safer, greener alternative to PTFE — here is what the two coatings actually are, how long each lasts in real use, and which to buy for what.
beginner7 min3 min readHow do I check my kitchen thermometer is accurate?
The ice point test takes two minutes, costs nothing and tells you whether the number you are trusting for cooked chicken is real.
beginner10 min3 min readIs a deep fat fryer worth buying, or should I just use a pan?
The honest comparison between a dedicated fryer and a heavy pan on the hob: safety, cost, oil volume, temperature control and the smell that decides it for most people.
beginner8 min3 min readWhat temperature should a wine cooler be, and do I need one?
A wine cooler is not a cold fridge — it holds a steady, warmer temperature with less vibration, and whether that is worth an appliance depends entirely on how long bottles stay in it.
beginner25 min3 min readWhich pans should I not cook acidic food in?
Tomatoes, wine, vinegar and lemon react with some pan materials, stripping surfaces and putting a metallic taste into the food — which pans are reactive and what to use instead.
beginner6 min3 min readHow do I use a griddle pan properly?
Why the ridges are the point, oiling the food rather than the pan, and how to get bar marks without a raw middle.
beginner15 min3 min readWhat is a wire cooling rack actually for?
A cheap wire rack solves soggy bases, steamed roast meat, greasy fried food and cakes that stick — the several jobs it does and why a plate cannot do them.
beginner5 min3 min readWhen should I use baking paper, greaseproof or foil?
Four kitchen papers that look similar and behave completely differently, and the acidic-food problem with foil.
beginner5 min3 min readHow do I cook rice in the microwave?
A genuinely good method rather than a compromise, once you use a big enough bowl and the two-stage power setting that stops it boiling over.
beginner20 min3 min read
Going deeper: PizzaHQ
Dough hydration and fermentation schedules, flour selection, oven types and bake profiles.