Cooking Tips

Question: Is there an easy way to peel garlic? To remove the skin from a garlic clove easily without having it stick to your fingers, smash each clove with the side of a large, heavy knife. Remove the skin, another solid whack on the clove will crush the garlic sufficiently to be used.

As Marion Grasby furiously whips up another delicious dish in the MasterChef kitchen, the pretty brunette has clearly got her eye on the prize. But her ultimate life goal isn’t to win the coveted title – it’s to marry her boyfriend of four years. “I’m waiting for him to come home with a ring – […]

Question: How do I store fresh fish? Fresh whole fish should be scaled; gutted and cleaned (your fishmonger should be able to do this for you). Rinse the cleaned fish under cold running water then pat dry with absorbent paper towel to remove any traces of scale or intestine. Place the fish in a covered […]

Question: I am not sure how to use fresh ginger in cooking. Should I peel it before using? Ginger is a plant from tropical and subtropical regions. It is grown for its root, which is the part you buy in the shop. Much of the flavour of ginger is just under the skin, so if […]

Question: When using frozen berries in muffins, should they be thawed before using? Frozen berries should be used while they are still frozen, this way they keep their shape and don’t “bleed” into the mixture too much.

Question: My cooked chicken breasts are always dry. How do I cook them so they stay moist? Toughness and dryness is usually caused by overcooking, which happens if the temperature of the pan or oven is too hot – the outside cooks quickly to a thick, crust-like edge, while the inside takes longer to cook. […]

Question How is chocolate best stored? Answer Chocolate should be stored in cool, dry conditions. If it becomes too warm, the cocoa butter rises to the surface and a whiteish-grey film or “bloom” develops. The chocolate will still taste the same and, once melted, will usually return to its original colour. If chocolate has been […]

For many years, the first thing I did when I came home was eat a passionfruit. When I was small, a passionfruit vine grew over our outdoor toilet, in the days before the last of the Brisbane suburbs were connected to the sewerage system. By the time I was in high school, our passionfruit vine […]

Question I have a glut of rhubarb in my garden and am not sure what to do with it other than make crumble. Could you please give me some ideas? Answer Although treated as a fruit, rhubarb is actually a vegetable. It grows in various shades of vibrant pink and red, but perishes quickly, so […]

Question I have a recipe that asks me to “blind bake” my pastry. What is blind baking? Answer Blind baking is a cooking term to describe baking sweet or savoury pie shells or pastry cases before the filling is added. If a filling does not need to be baked or is very wet, it may […]