Читать книгу Bad Cook - Esther Walker - Страница 24

1 It is not easy. You have to learn how to do it, like you learn how to drive a car. Some people do find it easy – they have a natural flair for putting things together and making them delicious. But they are lucky. If you are reading this book, you are probably not one of these people and if you haven’t ever really found cooking easy then don’t worry – neither do I. And I’ve been cooking almost constantly for FIVE YEARS.

2 When you are cooking steak on a stove-top griddle or in a frying pan, don’t poke it about. Get your cooking surface hot, lay your steak down with a big sizzle and then LEAVE IT ALONE for however many minutes you are frantically guessing your steak is going to take to cook on one side. The same goes for potatoes. Get your pan hot, then lay your par-boiled potatoes in the fat, turn the heat down to medium and then don’t touch them.

3 If you want to cook the top of a fried egg without having to flip it over (and risk breaking it and then having to slit your wrists) hover a pan lid a few centimetres over the yolk once the white is cooked – the steam will finish off the top.

4 Olive oil burns! And then tastes bitter and horrible. So stop frying things in it you lunatic. Use groundnut or sunflower oil for frying and olive oil for dressing salads. If you like cooking curries, invest in some ghee – clarified butter that doesn’t burn when you fry things in it – you can buy it in Waitrose.

5 When you are leaving a dough to rise, put it in a bowl and then stretch some cling film over the top of the bowl to form an airtight seal. This means that air can’t get in and form a crust on the surface of the dough, which will stop it from rising to its full potential and also make it difficult to shape later. WHY DID NO-ONE TELL ME?! My friend Henry does a less dainty (though just as effective) thing by wrapping a clean bin liner round loaves rising on boards and tucking the ends in.

6 Salt is the key to absolutely everything. If you are baffled as to why your curry doesn’t taste nice, or your pastry is bland or your bolognese lacks a certain something, sprinkle over a large pinch of salt and see if that helps.