Come and share your best cookery tip passed down to you or invented by you

[mummyplonk]

Am sure there are some gems out there,

my 2

1/ Any curries you make with a jar of sauce add a big spoonful of Branston Pickle and it somehow makes it taste more authentic and less jar-i-fied.

2/ A-la Nigella, sprinkling semolina on chuffed up potatoes before roasting them really does make them taste bloody amazing.

Add a very finely chopped anchovy to a bolognaise sauce, you won't taste the anchovy, but it adds body (works in most casseroles and stews)

Another lovely roast potato recipe:

When you've parboiled the potatoes, add oil and a tablespoon (less or more depending on amount of potatoes and personal preference), shake well until potatoes are chuffed up and coated in the oil and marmite, then put in a hot pan and roast. Utterly delicious!!

ooh will try both of those headfairy & SSG

paprika sprinlked on a chicken before roasting makes the skin so sweet and scrummy

nutmeg and hot milk in mashed potato

nutmeg in bechemel sauce

a square of dark chocolate or a spoonful of cocoa powder in chilli and beef or lamb stew

ground almonds in a homemade curry gives a gorgeous thick sauce

No way, choc/cocoa in stew?, thats so wacky I have got to try it

candy - I have a seasoning mix for sprinkling over chicken before roasting and it contains, amongst other things, garlic granules, paprika, red and white pepper etc and the chicken is always lovely!

It is called Magic seasoning blend for poultry - bought it in Tescos.

If I am making anything with a tomatoey sauce (chilli, pasta sauce etc) I add a couple tablespoons of sun dried tomato paste - It adds a lovely deep flavour.

chocolate is often added to chilli or other mexican stews, but it's got to be the really dark bitter variety.

My FIL puts a pinch of ground cinnamon in his mashed potato, along with lots of butter and cream. He also boils a clove of garlic in the same pan as the potatoes, and then removes it before mashing the pots. I've not tried doing it myself but his mash tastes divine!

I put anchovys in loads of things, once its all melted down you don't taste it!

I have a block of Anchovy/Garlic/Chilli Butter in my freezer, i melt a knob of it over veggies and it gives them a whole new amazing taste! I urge you to try it.

ooh I like the idea of a block of anchovy/garlic/chilli butter in the freezer, what a great idea!

You can do it with any flavours, just get some Butter and let it go ever so slightly soft then mix in half a chooped Chilli, half a clove of garlic and 1 chopped Anchovy then wrap it in a sausage shape in clingfilm and thats it.

I also do

Sage and Thyme

Cinnamon and Nutmeg (great for dotting on Crumbles and baked Apples)

Basil

Coriander and lemon (great for Fish)

such a good idea, can't think why I didn't realise it before!!

Once we're in our new house I'm going to be "buttering" our freezer!

Oh Yes, butter idea sounds great Bumsquash.

A resounding thumbs up from the Plonk household last night r.e aformentioned "Cocoa" in beef stew, was absolutely scrummy and rich.

Cook rice by boiling in a pan, then rinsing it well in a sieve under the hot water tap and put it in the oven to dry out.

A spoonful of Thai fish sauce is a good thing to add to pasta sauces - we do a nice one with tomatoes and mussels.

Tinned lentils make a great meat substtute in veggie lasagne.

Smoked dried chillis are delicious in chilli.

put a squirt of heinz tomatoe ketchup in bolognese / tomato-ey pasta sauces!

it makes such a difference!

Dash of Soya Sauce in Spag Bol/Pasta Sauces

Tasty Basmati Rice - in the pan fry a chopped garlic clove and 2 dried whole chillis in olive oil...just as the garlic browns add water and salt and bring to boil..add rice and cook then drain...lovely with curries

Mexican rice - can of Chilli Kidney beans add to pan,add water,salt to taste and knob of butter bring to boil and add rice ,cook and drain..perfect with Chilli

Teaspoon of english mustard in cheese sauce, esp. macaroni cheese.

Crushed up crisps on top.

OOh I have one. Apples make lemons taste more lemony, so if you're making a tarte au citron (as you do), grate an apple into it.

If you are making burgers of any kind, grate half a slice of bread, add milk to make a soup-like consistency, and then add the minced meat. Makes the best, juiciest burgers ever.