Soggy vegetables are simply overcooked. All green veg should be put into boiling, salted water, not cold. Vegetables carry on cooking once they've been drained, so factor that in too. If they're at risk of overcooking, drain then plunge into a bowl of iced water. Always have a metal skewer to hand to test how done they are. Most green vegetables need three minutes maximum, while cauliflower and broccoli need a minute or two longer, depending on size. And don't cut a cross into Brussels sprouts, which makes them soggy.
There could be several reasons for your cake being dense, all of which are easily avoidable. You may have insufficient air from not creaming the eggs and sugar together for long enough; perhaps you've bashed the whisk on the edge of the mixing bowl and knocked the air out of your batter; you might have folded in the flour with a heavy rather than a light hand; or the baking powder used may be too old to work. If you want to check your baking powder, add a teaspoon to boiling water and it should bubble up instantly.
Eggs cook remarkably quickly, and they keep on cooking once removed from the heat. With an omelette, fold it over while the centre is still runny. Scrambled eggs should be cooked over a medium heat. For a perfect boiled egg, allow six minutes for a fairly runny yolk, seven for a firmer, more creamy yolk. Importantly, use a timer. For perfect poached eggs, it might seem counterintuitive, but don't use an egg poacher which dries them out. Instead, use fresh eggs, add a splash of vinegar to a pan of boiling water, swirl the water, tip in your eggs, cook for 2-4 minutes.
First of all, check the tin size as stated in the recipe and measure your tin. As a general rule, cake batter should fill from half to two-thirds of the tin. If your batter still overflows, it might be time to find a new recipe which has been tested correctly, or matches the tin size you already own.
When slicing or carving meat, it should always be cut against the grain. You'll see lines of muscle fibre along the meat and you need to slice perpendicular to them, or you'll get the whole muscle fibre. The meat may also be the wrong cut for roasting – cuts such as brisket need long, slow cooking. Where you can, buy your meat from a butcher and ensure it's the best quality you can get.
Your cake may still be uncooked in the centre if it sinks in the middle, so always test with a skewer, which should come out clean. Sinking could also be caused by fluctuating temperatures in the oven. We know it's hard, but resist the temptation to open and close the door, which will cause the oven to cool and the cake to sink. Some ovens have hot spots, so you may want to turn your cake halfway through cooking, but do it quickly, without fully opening the oven door. Also consider investing in an oven thermometer, as the temperature it says on your oven might not be accurate.
With a simple cake tin: a round, square or loaf tin shape, it's easy to lightly oil then line with baking parchment. Bundt, ring and novelty tins are trickier. Use an oil spray or brush with melted butter to get into all the nooks and crannies, then dust bundt tins with flour to prevent sticking. Any gaps in the flour will show where you've missed the oil too.
It turns out, putting an avocado stone in to prevent your avocado discolouring is a myth. As soon as avocado is exposed to air, it oxidises and goes brown. So the surface needs to be covered directly with clingfilm to keep out the air. A good squeeze of lime or lemon will delay it, as will brushing it with olive oil, but it still must be fully protected from the air.
This is an easy fix for future cakes. The problem is the tin has been over-greased with butter or oil, so the edges fry and become crisp. Lining the tin with baking parchment is a safer option for evenly cooked cakes, and prevents any browning at the edges. Or, if you are using oil or butter, grease sparingly.
Always taste as you go while cooking, and don't be afraid of salt. It doesn't just 'add saltiness', but rather enhances flavours, brings out sweet and savoury notes and quells bitterness. Aside from salt, which when used correctly will transform your cooking, some freshly ground black pepper or a little chilli will likely improve things. Also, there's barely a savoury dish which isn't made better with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice. Tasting frequently will build up your confidence in how much to add and when.
You might be looking at ways to cut calories, but cream cheese frosting can't be made with reduced-fat cream cheese. You need the full fat version, and use a good brand, such as Philadelphia. The cheese and butter also need to be at room temperature, and use a good quality butter as cheap ones can be watery.
Try our recipe for carrot cake with cream cheese frosting here
Moisture and a damp skin are the enemy to perfect crackling. The skin must be very dry. Pat the skin with kitchen towel once it's unwrapped, then leave it, uncovered, overnight in the fridge. The fridge will further dry out the skin. Sprinkle the skin liberally with sea salt, then begin roasting in a very hot oven, where the rind will begin to bubble and crackle. Turn the oven down to continue cooking the meat.
It's hardly up there with the great culinary disasters, and can be covered up with cream or a dusting of icing sugar, but there is a simple solution. The top of a cake cracks because the oven temperature is too high, so we'd recommend investing in an oven thermometer. Ovens, especially older models, can be unreliable temperature-wise, so a thermometer will give a true reading of the heat inside.
Whether meat or poultry, it needs to be rested when it comes out of the oven. Resting allows the proteins in the meat to coagulate and keeps most of the juices in the meat. Rest a chicken or steak for 10 minutes, a joint of meat for around 20 minutes and a turkey can sit for 45 minutes before carving. Resting also makes it easier to carve.
Meringues won't rise and spread in the oven for two reasons. The first reason is the sugar was added too quickly to the egg whites and therefore insufficient air was incorporated. When mixing your meringue, add the sugar a tablespoon at a time, and count to 10 between each addition. It's also easy to bash air out with many a cook's bad habit – bashing the beaters on the side of the bowl to get the mixture out. Use a spatula instead.
You need a large cooking pot to cook pasta in, the biggest you've got, or it won't have room to boil individually, which can make it mushy. Salt the water generously and make sure the water is boiling furiously before adding the pasta. Allow at least 2.25 litres (4 pints) of water to 225g (8oz) dried pasta. There are cheaper pastas around made from inferior flour which go mushy, so look for good Italian brands instead. And of course, make sure you don't overcook it. One or two minutes under the suggested time on the packet will usually give you perfect al dente pasta.
Scones need a light hand, a gentle touch and as little mixing of the dough as possible. Rather than rolling them out with a rolling pin, simply use your hands to pat them to the correct size. The first ones cut will be the best, then simply bring the dough back together for a second cut.
There are a few options to try here. Is the pan hot enough? Is there enough oil? Is the pan overcrowded? Meat is often the culprit here: when browning meat, do it in batches so the temperature of the pan doesn't drop. The meat can be turned once it's seared and browned, so don't be tempted to pull it away before it's ready. Some pans, such as aluminium ones, stick worse than others, so it may be worth investing in a good quality pan.
Sugar crystallises into lumps which are hard and cloudy, messing up your lovely caramel. It tends to happen when water is added to the sugar, which isn't necessary anyway. The trick is to heat the sugar slowly on its own, shaking the pan to get it to melt evenly. A sauté pan is best. It can also happen if you stir it, so keep shaking, rather than stirring. Sometimes, it's plain bad luck, but this shouldn't happen if you follow our tips.
Chances are, the meat is too wet, so dry it with kitchen paper and ideally, leave it uncovered for an hour or two in the fridge to dry it out, then allow it to get to room temperature before cooking. Remember to oil the meat, not the pan. Add salt, but no pepper until the end as it will burn. The pan needs to be so hot you can feel the heat when you put your hand just above it and have to remove it immediately.
If your melted chocolate has ended up as a claggy, lumpy mess, it has seized, in culinary terms. This is because the chocolate has overheated, or some of the water from the pan underneath has splashed into the chocolate, or the water underneath is too hot. To avoid this, the water under the bowl shouldn't touch it, and it should be kept at gentle simmer. A little patience is needed for the best result.
Here are our top tips for perfect home-made oven fries every time. Soak the potatoes in cold water for 30 minutes to get rid of the excess starch, which will give a drier, crisper result. Then dry them thoroughly in a clean tea towel. Toss them in oil in a bowl, ensuring even coverage, and season well. Lay out on a large baking sheet without overcrowding, then bake in a hot oven, around 200°C/fan 180°C/400°F/gas mark 6.
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Although bagged, pre-washed salads are quick and convenient, they are packed under CO2, so as soon as they are exposed to the air, they deteriorate rapidly. You could try putting them in iced water to pep them up, but it's better to buy whole lettuces still on their root which will last longer and definitely brighten up in iced water.
Lean cuts of meat, such as chicken breasts, contain little fat, so dry out quickly. Try wrapping them in bacon for extra moisture. Dry meat may also be caused by overcooking, so invest in a meat thermometer. The oven temperature could also be too high. To help with this, buy the best quality meat with a good marbling of fat.
Gummy rice is the result of not allowing rice to steam once it's cooked. Wash rice thoroughly, then leave it to soak for around 30 minutes. This makes it cook faster. Allow double the quantity of water to rice and add a good pinch of salt. Bring it to the boil, then turn it down to a gentle simmer with the lid on. Once the water has evaporated, take it off the heat and allow it steam for around 10 minutes.
Hollandaise sauce is an emulsion, made by slowly whisking melted butter into an egg yolk mixture. It splits when it's overheated. Adding a teaspoon of mustard powder to the egg yolks will help stabilise it. The water under the mixing bowl should be hot, but never boiling. It's worth whisking the sauce off the heat now and again to control the temperature.
If that trusty skillet is losing its 'stickability', it needs to be seasoned again. Coat the base of the pan with cooking oil, then leave it on a gentle heat on the hob for an hour, or upside down with foil underneath in a medium oven for the same time. Avoid using soap to clean it – use a scourer and hot water so the oil engrained in the cast iron isn't lost.
Buy the best quality chicken you can, rather than an intensively reared bird, which will dry out quickly. Be generous with the butter over the breast, and try cooking it on a bed of vegetables with a little wine or stock to make steam in the oven to keep the bird moist. When it's cooked, the juices from the drumstick should run clear.
We talked about the importance of using salt in your cooking, but occasionally, you might be a little too heavy handed. If that happens, all is not necessarily lost. You could add an acid like lemon juice or vinegar to tone down the saltiness if you’ve not gone too overboard, or add more of an unsalted liquid like water or low-sodium stock.