Let’s share our best cooking tips

[Metoodear]

Never put milk in mash when making a shepherds or cottage pie just butter you want a stiff robust mash that will support the pie
Creamy mash is for sides not on top

Re the rice cooker - they also keep rice warm for hours so if you have people eating at different times it can be useful.

I got mine because argos had a 3 for 2 offer, I was buying 2 things anyway so thought I'd give it a try but I use it quite a lot.

A little brown sugar in anything with a tomatoey sauce

My thing to add to spag bol is Worcestershire Sauce has to be Lea and Perrins!

Macaroni cheese: add wholegrain mustard and a little nutmeg to the sauce.

If you add a bit of bicarbonate of soda to the water when boiling eggs, it makes egg shells come off much easier!

Use port or brandy in spag bol / chilli con carne

Add dark choc to chilli, just a square or two. Also use harissa paste instead of chilli, makes it subtle in heat but such a lovely flavour.

Use peeled plum tinned tomatoes not chopped, you get better quality tomatoes, even the value tins.

If frying bacon, fry in a tablespoon of water, nothing else. The crispiest of bacon. (Sounds doubtful but is true. Learned in Canada where crispy bacon is served with everything!)

I'm another marmite fan;

• Fry garlic in butter and add a spoon of marmite before tossing spaghetti in for the most delish meal - even better with bacon and rosemary too.

• Add a teaspoon full to stews and Bolognese

• Spread a little on steak to make it extra beefy!

Rather than jarred garlic, ginger and chilli, the frozen cubes from the Asian section of the freezers are so cheap - about 80p and have no additives etc, you just fry from frozen!

Finally, my absolute top tips is the addition of acid when that something is missing;

• A little drop of cider vinegar to stews and sauces
• A squeeze of lemon into leek and potato soup

OOOHHH I forgot my parmesan rind, once you have used all of the cheese and just have the rind left, chuck it into soups or stews or Bolognese while it bubbles for a rich, salty flavour. Also add parmesan to the above marmite spaghetti recipe !

I got this tip from a lady who worked as a head cook in a Soviet primary school (think cooking for 400+ fussy eaters).
Blitz an onion into a smoothie and add to the soup 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Instantly improves the flavour. Works as well with curries, stews etc.

Lime juice squeezed over rice with chilli. Lovely. Smoked paprika & turmeric added to dry couscous before adding stock, makes it a great colour & much more appetising

No let's not.
I don't want amateur cooking ideas any more than I want amateur dentistry ideas.

Keep fresh ginger root in the freezer, scar ape th3 skin off with a teaspoon and grate. No more shrivelled ginger and much easier to grate when frozen.

For best granola, make it on the actifry

If making a tomato based pasta sauce always use a cast iron pot and never the with metal, use only a wooden spoon

Freeze all leftover bits and bobs of veg you use for cooking, they make the perfect base for soups, stews and casserole

Never ever use cream in your carbonara or pineapple in your pizza

Use a swig of port instead of red wine and a swig of sherry instead of white wine. They both keep for much longer!

Buy meat in bulk, portion up into freezer bags and add Marinade then freeze for quick dinners.

Dijon mustard in Yorkshire pudding batter for toad in the hole, delicious

@adaisy1394 I made your marmite pasta yesterday - with your recommended brick of garlic

It was nice but I needed more marmite....

Rinse uncooked rice thoroughly under the tap before adding to boiling water - no sticking to the pan

Honey in oil gives chicjen a gorgeous caramelised colour when trying off

Blitz garlic and freeze flat so you can just take a chunk off when you need it

Marmite is the best addition to beans on toast - marmite on toast then beans then grated cheese on top :D

Lettuce lasts much much longer if stripped, rinsed and spun in a salad spinner thingy. Keep in airtight container and it'll last for a good couple of weeks

• chicken
• frying

I put Marmite in everything!

When we do our cook off, when I am doing the initial cook of the beef mince I add a teaspoon of Bovril. I then add the lentils and grated courgette, carrot and onion. It gives everything a really meaty flavour.

Boiled rice: wash your rice in cold water for at least two minutes. Add rice to salted, boiling water, stir well and then leave it alone; when it comes back to the boil set timer 8 minutes, refill kettle & boil to intercede with cooking time. When timer goes, check rice, if 100% cooked to your taste, drain the rice, then pour the freshly boiled water through the rice capturing it in the pan, then pour that captured water through again.
Makes spot-on boiled rice.
Very notable mention for Delia's Pilau Rice too.

Ethlyred you sound ridiculous and more than a little precious.
We're just swapping ideas for feeding ourselves and our families.
BTW your analogy is quite false -- qualified dentists in this country have many years more training than even the most 'professional' (hah) of cooks. It's harder to get onto some university dentistry courses than it is to study medicine. Can't say the same about catering colleges....
No-one is giving any tips on pulling teeth, ffs.

Cut up pizza with scissors if you don't have a pizza cutter (terrible cook!)

when frying frozen chips defrost them first , taste crispier and not greasy

Don’t fry or grill bacon: put it on a rack in a roasting tin or baking tray and bake at 180-200 for about 15mins. Crisp and lovely and you don’t even have to turn it over. Thank you Barefoot Contessa.