Four steps to poached perfection

Don’t get in a pickle about ferments. Just three days is enough for chillies, beetroot and cabbage, but play around and have fun with whatever veg you like

Improvisation is great, but recipes can be a guide to temperature, quantity and cooking times – and don’t underestimate the virtue of a sheet of foil

Yes it does – especially if you want fluffy mash

The taste varies from bitter and claggy to nutty and creamy. How do you find the right one?

Sprinkle nigella seeds on anything you like, from eggs to filo. Shiitake, meanwhile, will add a chewy umami to stocks or use as a meat substitute

Is it a handy Christmas present – or just more washing-up?

You’ll need onions, celery and garlic, as usual, but mushrooms are the real stars of the vegetarian bolognese show

There are several options but one golden rule: add lots of butter

Beyond steaming, you can batter and fry them, cook them in coconut milk, put them in a chowder …

Try the citrus-wary on tamarind, pomegranate molasses, vinegars of all varieties, and spices such as sumac and dried mango powder

Yes, it does have a lower smoke point than many other oils, but there’s a reason Mediterranean cultures have been cooking with the stuff for millennia

Small steps start with breakfast …

Does salt ‘fix’ the colour? Should greens be cooked uncovered, to stop them from turning pale? Well, it turns out neither is true …

Does the little green sprout in the centre of a clove really alter the flavour? Have you even heard of a garlic germ? Read on for some pungent advice …

Give the birds space to breathe, turn the oven higher than you might expect, and perhaps invest in a meat thermometer

Sumac, dukkah and other spice mixes transform soups and salads, crisped pulses are perfect sprinklers, and even stale bread works wonders on a salad

There are endless takes on tomato sauce, as well as pesto- or yoghurt-based accompaniments, and you’ll find a very versatile friend in tahini …

Many mandolines that cut wafer-thin slices of cucumber, say, often have single-bevelled blades, so need careful sharpening

Simple can work well, but the more information we can provide, the more useful it is – and we never add anything just for the sake of it