When cooking your evening meal; it helps if...

[lucysmam]

You actually turn the cooker on to heat up before putting the lovingly prepared chicken in

Any other tips?

Nobody is interested when you tell them you have two different types of cheese, a special mustard, black pepper, cream etc. but you just ...you know...forgot the cauliflower.

@lucysmam I never ever pre heat my oven.

LOL @LadyCarolinePooterVonThigh, I have to tell myself this constantly when I make stock (or blackberry vodka).

@lucysmam please tell me you’re being sarcastic 😂😂
I often put things in the oven and add a good 5-7 mins to the cooking time - that’s how long mine takes to get hot.

@PollyShelby @VenusTiger I really didn't know! Now I do . My oven takes forever to heat up too!

Ask yourself very sternly, "Am I pouring this through a sieve because I want to discard the liquid down the sink, or am I trying to sieve out some unwanted bits and need to collect the liquid in a bowl?"
^

Guilty as

You remember to take the bag of chicken OUT of the freezer, before you leave for work!

Sitting on the bus today; a lady opposite was telling her friend how her 93 year old mother took a chicken out of the freezer to defrost. Then tried to serve it up the next day without cooking it!

Don't slave over a full roast with all the trimmings without checking the date your husband and children will fly back from the in-laws.

Remember to take the giblets out of the turkey before you put it in the oven.

Don't store buns in the fridge at the same time as half a raw onion - the buns will take on the onion flavour!

@WishThisWasGin at least you get you get all the roasties and gravy.

If your intention is, in fact, to drain the liquid, a colander is absolutely required.

I tipped a full pot of pasta into a sink filled with washing up with nothing to actually catch the pasta.

I stared at my pasta and dirty dishes for a full minute before I realised my mistake.

mrsgrindah, cheese consomme! Heston Blumenthal does them, surely

If you simmer chickpeas it helps to remember that chickpeas turn into tiny bits of charcoal and fill the whole flat with white smoke even on a low termperature if left long enough.
(Not me DH - several times)

tinkerhell YOU WIN!

When you have a double oven, it is advisable to check which one is on, before putting anything in to cook.

I never wait for the oven to heat up I turn it up to the required temperature and in it goes! Takes a bit longer to cook but is there really an issue here!?

When you have 4 electric rings, it's always best to switch on the one under the pan.

If you've bought a special piece of beef to do a special rolled beef and mushrooms recipe (to impress unimpressable FIL) it helps to have string on the promises. and not use the grotty string from mouse on a string old cat toy

Always write on the carefully portioned batch cooked meals you put in the freezer, so that you don’t actually dish up curry onto the spaghetti instead of bolognese-that made for an interesting meal.

You actually order the ingredients on the weekly shopping delivery or when you go back out remember them at the supermarket either

Ingredients are definitely helpful!

You have onions. Everything starts with an onion. If, like me, you live in the sticks, you can end up with yet another 5 mile each way drive to the nearest supermarket to buy a bloody onion.

When dishing up roast beef meal it's much better to put the Yorkshire pudding on the plate rather than find it in the oven two days later.

It helps to check that you're draining veg in the colander instead of the lovingly prepared gravy made with the meat juices.

When you have a tiny kitchen and so tend to use the back rings of the cooker for “storing” “pending” paperwork it’s best not to light the hobs directly under the “kindling”!

It’s also best not to be stupidly puzzled when the beans you were intending to heat aren’t heating but there’s a definite sound of sizzling and smell of smoke!

“so that you don’t actually dish up curry onto the spaghetti” meh, I’ve a daughter that HATES potatoes we’ve had some odd carbs choices with meals in this house over the years as a result, basically I’ve eaten worse. And really spaghetti and noodles are very similar you’d eat curry with noodles.