Basic Cooking Techniques

Basic Cooking Techniques

Here I list some of the essential techniques, methods and recipes every cook needs to know: I'll be adding to them from time to time.  Sometimes the post is little but a simple ingredients list and method, at other times I have written more to make sure the subject is full of useful tips and thoroughly demystified.  I hope you find them useful, and by all means leave suggestions if there is anything you would like covered in future posts.



Shortcrust pastry recipe and method.  This pastry gives great results every time.  This post thoroughly explains the top pastry-making tips, followed by a simple and easy-to-follow recipe to get you pastry-making with confidence.  Read Shortcrust Pastry recipe here


Blind Baking Pastry.  This post explains just what blind baking is, why it's necessary, and how to do it.  Read Blind Baking Pastry and How to Blind Bake Pastry here


How to Fry Onions.  Too simple and easy?  Not for the real beginner.  How to get exactly the results you are looking for, every time.  Read How to Fry Onions here

Home-Made Chicken Stock.  One of the most essential cook's skills is to make tasty benefit of things that would otherwise be thrown away, and home-made stocks from the remains of your Sunday roast is a great example.  A good chicken stock is such a useful thing to have in your refrigerator and freezer, and it beats anything shop-bought (especially cubes and powders) hands-down.  Read the Home-Made Chicken Stock Recipe here.