How I Cook My Steaks ...

Everyone has their favourite way of cooking a steak. Ask about, and the methods are wide & varied. This is my particular way of doing it - having seen Heston do this on his Heston At Home series. I now use this method for gammon steaks & pork chops too, all turn out delicious!

Allow your steak to come to room temperature before cooking, in the open air to dry.
Sprinkle with a little salt (no pepper, add this afterwards, it will burn whilst cooking)
Heat a frying pan with a little oil to a high heat
Add the steak and allow to sizzle for 15 seconds (ish, its not exact)
Flip your steak
Flip again after another 15 seconds.
Repeat the 15 second flipping until it is cooked to your liking.
Allow to stand for 10/15 minutes, to allow the juices to all soak back in. This is an important step for a juicy steak.
Season & serve!

I like mine medium, sometimes medium rare, served with chips & onion rings, or creamed leeks & fried mushrooms.

I would love to hear your steak-cooking method, leave a comment below ....>

Cooking Tips - Chopping an apple with your bare hands!

How to break an apple with your hands!

This isnt really a "cooking" tip, but it is a great party trick! It might even come in handy, epecially if you do need to cut an apple into chunks for a small child or on a picnic. I thought it looked quite fun, can't wait to try it!

Cookig Tips - Your Storecupboard Essentials

I saw this question posed on a forum that I use, so thought it might be a useful post to blog. This is just what I personally think is essential for the cooking I do, please feel free to discuss or add your own in the comments section. I have many many more herbs/spices tec than listed here, but these are the ones I think most cooks would need.

Dried Herbs
Oregano
Mixed Italian Herbs
Basil
Tarragon
Bay leaves

Spices
A curry blend (whichever one you prefer, I have madras/korma)
Mild curry powder
Chilli powder
Whole cumin
Ground cumin
Ground corriander
Tumeric
Cinnamon
Mixed spice
Nutmeg
Garam masala

Condiments
Worcestershire sauce
Soy sauce
Balsamic vinegar
Rice wine vinegar
Tomato ketchup (yes, I do use this in some of my recipes)
Wine for cooking

Others
Stock cubes (chicken/beef/veg)
Cornflour
Rock salt
Pepper
Sugar
Honey
Eggs
Plain flour
Self-raising flour
Baking powder
Pasta
Passata
Tinned tomatoes
Tomato puree
Garlic
Ginger (keep this whole in your freezer, and grate as/when needed without having to defrost first!)
Veg oil
Olive oil
Butter
Onion

Cooking tips & ideas - soup!

I thought I might start a weekly blog post sharing some cookery tips. I would LOVE for you to share yours, please add them in the comments section. I am making a big pot of soup at the moment, so thought that might be a great place to start!

1. ALWAYS sweat your aromatic veg (carrots, onion, leek, celery). This will break down the cellulose in veg, and bring out their flavours. I sweat mine for about 10 minutes on a low heat in some butter, with a bay leaf chucked in. It really will make a difference to your soup!

2. Perfect seasoning. Keep tasting your soup & adding salt and/or pepper until it tastes great. It sometimes needs more salt than you think, so dont be scared! If you do manage to over-salt your soup though, add a peeled potato to your pot and simmer for 15 minutes. It will absorb the extra salt.

3. Add a fresh un-cooked ingredient as a garnish when you serve - this will also bring out the great flavour. Throw on some fresh chopped herbs, or a dollop of cream/yogurt. A sweet tasting soup (parsnip/sweet potato etc) do weill with some crispy fried salty baon crumbled on top.

Please add your tips, or discuss the ones I have posted :)