How 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 read
Food & Cooking
The cooking questions people actually search for — how long, how hot, why did it go wrong, and how to keep food good for longer. Techniques and timings, not recipe theatre.
816 guides
How do I make a crumble with a crisp topping?
The topping ratio, the fruit preparation and the assembly that stops a crumble going soggy underneath.
beginner1 hr2 min readHow do I make a decent breakfast when I have no time?
Preparing ahead, and the few options that take under five minutes without being toast and nothing else.
beginner15 min2 min readHow do I make a roux?
Equal fat and flour cooked together — the base of most thickened sauces, and the fix for lumps.
beginner15 min2 min readHow do I make food easier and safer to swallow?
How to prepare food at a consistent, safe texture, the foods that are high risk whatever you do, and why the level must come from a therapist.
intermediate25 min5 min readHow do I make fresh pasta?
Flour, eggs and time — the ratio that works, why resting matters, and how to roll it without a machine.
intermediate1 hr 30 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 readHow do I poach something without it falling apart?
The temperature that defines poaching, why a boil ruins it, and how to handle fish, chicken and fruit.
beginner20 min2 min readHow do I preserve fresh herbs?
Freezing, drying and preserving herbs in oil or salt, and which method suits which herb.
beginner30 min2 min readHow do I prove dough properly?
How to tell when dough has proved enough, what temperature it wants, and why slow proving makes better bread.
beginner20 min2 min readHow do I slow roast a shoulder of lamb or pork?
The dry-heat long roast that turns a shoulder into pull-apart meat, how it differs from a normal roast, and why the usual per-kilo timings do not apply.
beginner25 min4 min readHow do I stop onions making me cry?
What actually reduces onion tears, ranked by how well it works, and why a sharp knife matters most.
beginner5 min2 min readHow do I trim and tie a joint of meat?
Why tying matters more than trimming, how much fat to leave, and a knot that holds.
intermediate20 min2 min readHow do I use a meat thermometer?
Where to put the probe, what the target temperatures are, and how carryover cooking changes when to pull the meat.
beginner10 min2 min readHow do I use vinegar and acid in cooking?
Which vinegar suits what, and why acid is the most under-used correction in home cooking.
beginner15 min2 min readShould I cook with the lid on or off?
The lid controls one thing — whether steam leaves the pan — and that decides whether food browns, whether a sauce thickens and how fast it cooks.
beginner6 min3 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 readWhat are the different types of pan called and what is each one for?
Frying pan, sauté pan, saucepan, casserole, stockpot and wok — the names are almost entirely about the angle and height of the sides, and the sides are what decide the job.
beginner8 min4 min readWhat can I do with stale bread?
Six genuinely good uses for bread past its best, most of which are better with stale bread than fresh.
beginner20 min2 min readWhat does free-range actually mean on a chicken?
The four legally defined poultry categories, what each one controls, and why the bird's age at slaughter changes how it cooks.
beginner10 min3 min readWhat does it mean to sweat vegetables?
Cooking vegetables soft without colour — what it achieves, how it differs from frying, and why recipes keep asking for it.
beginner12 min2 min readWhat food should I avoid cooking for someone who is pregnant?
The foods NHS guidance advises against, the ones people wrongly avoid, and how to adapt a meal without making it dull.
beginner10 min3 min readWhat is the difference between baking powder and bicarbonate of soda?
How each one works, why they are not interchangeable, and what the soapy taste means when it goes wrong.
beginner10 min2 min read
Going deeper: PizzaHQ
Dough hydration and fermentation schedules, flour selection, oven types and bake profiles.
PizzaHQ is in development — GuideHQ covers the practical answers in the meantime.