The layer under the recipes
Basics
11 guides to the things recipes assume you already know. Learn these and most recipes stop needing to be read twice.
Before you start
Knives, boards and seasoning.
Heat
Browning, roasting, braising and frying.
Browning and searing
Colour is flavour. Getting it needs a dry surface, a hot pan and the patience to leave things alone.
3 min read6 recipes that use it
Roasting meat
High heat for colour, lower heat for the middle, and a rest that is not optional.
3 min read6 recipes that use it
Braising and slow cooking
Cheap cuts, a little liquid and a long time. The oven does the work and the dish improves overnight.
3 min read6 recipes that use it
Shallow and deep frying
The right oil at the right temperature, and enough space in the pan. Crisp is a temperature, not a technique.
3 min read6 recipes that use it
Dough
Bread and pastry, and why both want cold hands.
Bread dough: kneading and proving
Four ingredients, two rises and one thing to learn: what the dough feels like when it is ready.
3 min read6 recipes that use it
Pastry, and the cold butter rule
Keep the butter cold, handle it as little as possible, and rest it before it goes near the oven.
3 min read6 recipes that use it
Eggs
Setting, binding, whisking and lifting.
Stock and sauces
The base almost everything else sits on.
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