10 top tips on cooking- May 2nd

I am good at cooking. I love it, most of all I am good at sharing what I cook. The 10 top tips that I would give on cooking would be:

1. Plan what you are going to cook. There is nothing worse than getting half way through something that you are cooking only to find that magic ingredient x is missing... meaning a bad substitution or worse not being able to finish at all.

2. Invest in good cook books. They are an inspiration and an excellent resource. I have so many cook books they have been referred to as my food porn.... who am I to argue?

3. Silicon baking paper is your friend. despite what you may think greaseproof paper and glad bake are not the same- Nicola take note! Nothing sticks to baking paper and it can be reused. Greaseproof paper, well lets just say no one wants to increase their fibre intake by eating some! Contrary to mums opinion... there is a difference between Glad bake and other less salubrious brands.. so choose well.

4. Use the internet! Not sure how many grams there are in 3 tablespoons of butter... google it! don't know what creaming is? No its not that... get your mind out of the gutter! use google... If you are unsure of an ingredient, method or mass use the internet to help.

5. I like Foodily. Foodily is an app with a difference. Its a google product that is a search engine for recipes, it is not limited to one website like best recipes and the like. Best of all its recipes are rated by users of the sites and you can connect with your friends... very useful.

6. Sharp knives are safe knives. This may seem illogical. Its not! A blunt knife behaves unpredictably making it a danger in the kitchen. If you cant use a steel( or don't know what one is) get one that you can just pull a knife through.

7. Nothing beats fresh herbs. Try growing your own or buying fresh ones to use. Your recipes will be lifted.

8. Measure, measure, measure.  In baking this is particularly important. Wrong ratios of ingredients may not work or will taste bad. Get some scales, cups and spoons and use them

9. Presentation matters. Half of the battle with food is won if your dish looks good. So cut finely and present on nice plates... they can just be plain white.

10. Taste it. Don't wait until the meal is on the table before sneaking a taste... adjust salt, sweetness or acidity if required.

Papaya- Homegrown