first up how to keep your knife sharp
it's far harder working in the kitchen
with a blunt knife than it is with a
sharp knife
the secret behind keeping a sharp knife
sharpen it before and every time you use
it
first grip the steel feel really
comfortable about holding the still
imagine you're holding a tennis racquet
or
you're playing squash you've got to be
really comfortable with it now
45 degrees confident grip confident grip
with a knife
this is the butt of the steel really
important to keep your fingers behind
there
you never grip a steel with your fingers
over that because the knife comes back
in
you've just lost a finger always grip
behind
nice long strokes so we get the whole of
the blade
over steel stroke and we start from the
bottom
to the top so there across
there across slow strokes
over the top of the steel and then come
back underneath
then back underneath it is so dangerous
working in the kitchen with a blunt
knife you can cause so much damage
working with a sharp knife is 10 times
quicker more efficient
now that's ready to start chopping
to stop your chopping board rocking or
slipping a great tip is to simply wet a
kitchen cloth
kitchen paper or tea towel and place it
underneath
now you can chop with confidence
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my next top tip is get the most out of
your humble
veg peeler it's brilliant for slicing
ultra thin ribbons or veg
perfect for asian dishes great for
making long delicate parmesan shavings
to top soups and salads it also makes
wonderful chocolate curls
your pepper mill is more versatile than
you might think
tighten the top screw to get finely
ground pepper ideal for soups and sauces
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for general seasoning you want it medium
ground so set the screw
in the middle and loosen it right off
for coarse pepper
perfect for steaks and fish
chicken stock the vital ingredient to
good cooking it transforms
sauces it's a fantastic base for soups
and more importantly
it's so easy to do a little bit of love
and care at the beginning
and it cooks itself right step one
chicken carcass into a pie-sided pan an
onion
doesn't need to be finely chopped the
vegetables flavor
the stock onion in
then from there cut your leek into nice
big solid chunks
roughly same size as the onion
so the vegetables cook at the same time
and then
our carrot celery in
garlic and then
a nice sprig of thyme that helps to
really give depth of flavor to the
chicken stock a couple of bay leaves
and some fresh parsley
and then peppercorns pan and just
lightly crush them
and a little pinch of salt
and now just cover the vegetables and
the carcass with cold water
just cover the chicken and the
vegetables
bring it up to the ball as quick as you
can
now as it comes into the boil a really
nice skin take the base
of the ladle and swirl that around that
pushes
all the grease and the impurities to the
side of the pan then
get your ladle and just tilt it if you
don't skim
all that off the stock becomes very
cloudy
people's impression of cooking stock
then it needs to cook for three four
hours at a time
this is one chicken carcass let that
boil away gently for 30
to 40 minutes maximum
now we're gonna pass it off
take a sieve place that over
the pan and then just
pour that in it smells amazing
it's aromatic the color
is absolutely beautiful and there you
have
the most amazing stock
when you need to season meat in flour a
great tip is to place it in a plastic
bag
to dust it evenly using flour also helps
the sauce
to get nice and thick during cooking
when browning meat fry in small batches
don't crowd the pan otherwise it won't
sear or color properly
when slow roasting meat line the bottom
of the roasting tray with chunky
vegetables like onions
fennel and carrots they act as a trivet
to keep the meat from boiling in his own
juices plus
the veg can be the base for your gravy
later on
after slow cooking baked on residue can
be tough to remove
but if you boil water in the pan it will
dissolve and break down
then simply pour out and wash with soap
and water
how to chop an onion this is the root
that's absolutely crucial leave that on
there if you cut that off
the onion will start to bleed and you'll
start crying rapidly
slice going forward let the weight of
the knife do the work
three fingers one in front two behind
and this
part of the knuckle is going to guide
the knife fingers on top of the onion
point the knife towards the root and try
to get
as close to the root as possible nice
long stroke
and then push the onion back together
push the knife
halfway in to the onion slightly tilt
the knife down
one at the top and then gripping the
onion like a tennis
ball holding it together in place
with the weight of the blade to cut
through that onion
to get to the base of the root
again turn it round up and down motion
and that's what we're left there no
waste just the root
and look there you've got a really nice
finely chopped onion
so much great cooking depends on
starting with a high enough heat
if a recipe calls for a hot pan put on
early so it gets smoking hot
and always remember to preheat your oven
at least 20 minutes before cooking
a clean cook is an efficient cook my tip
for a tidy cooking area is to always
have a waste bowl next to you
it saves you going back and forth to the
bin
never add salt to eggs before cooking
them because it ruins the texture
and dulls the color instead save your
seasoning to the very end
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the key to cooking meat is to make sure
it's at room temperature before you
begin
cook straight from the fridge the muscle
fibers will be tight which results in
tough meat
and always let it rest afterwards so
relax is becoming tender
and juicy how to cook duck breasts
perfectly
the slow way duck breasts never be
scared about cooking this bird
absolutely delicious very healthy first
oven on 200 degrees
and then salt pepper
now the salt will help to extract the
water
out of the fat nonstick pan no
oil but start the duck breasts in the
pan cold
skin side down it feels and sounds a
little bit weird
but if you put them into a cold pan and
turn the heat up gradually it starts to
release the fat
if we put them into a hot pan it seals
them in and the fat stays in there we
want to render that fat down
90 of that duck breast will be cooked on
its skin keeps the duck nice and moist
but more importantly
it stays crispy once the fat comes out
turn the duck over nice
high hot heat seal the duck
now they're going in the oven skin side
down 200
6 to 8 minutes if your pan's got a
plastic handle
then transfer the duct breast onto a
tray but make sure you put the tray into
the oven to get hot first
cooking duct is like cooking a piece of
beef and you can't slice it piping hot
all the goodness runs out
just quickly turn it over push your
fingers in there
and it's slightly resistant but still
quite bouncy and that confirms they're
quite pink in the center
but the important part now is leaving
that to rest let them cool down
and then we'll slice them keep
that excess duck fat and there you go
next time you're sauteing potatoes
you just take them to a completely
different level now slicing the dirt
just slice it in an angle not too thin
if you slice it thinly it goes cold
quickly so nice thick slices
nice crispy skin on top and a beautiful
clump roasted duck all the white fat
gone
nice crispy skin and absolutely
delicious
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another slow cooking tip is when slow
cooking stews and casseroles fat will
rise to the surface
to get rid of any excess oils my tip is
to remove them with kitchen paper before
serving
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this also works brilliantly on gravies
and sauces
many great slow cooked dishes start by
browning the meat
as the meat cooks lots of flavors get
stuck to the pan
to get it into your sauce deglaze with
wine stock or vinegar
never add soft herbs at the beginning
not slow cooking they're all too
delicate
the tip is to add them at the end for
that hit of fresh flavor
and vibrant color
a great tip when frying fish is to
always fry skin side down
to keep it crispy and always lay the
footage away from you
when adding to the pan to prevent hot
oil from splashing towards you
you