Fruit and vegetables: spicy salads to fresh juice
Spicy salad
Salad leaves can require a tangy dressing to spice them up a bit.
But your choice of leaf also affects the flavour of a dish.
Tip
Not all salad leaves are tasteless and bland.
Add a handful of wild rocket leaves to your mix and you'll introduce a peppery taste to complement the crunchiness of iceberg or the bitterness of lolla rosso.
Cutting out the pile - up of pans
Some vegetables just don't go together when boiled in the same saucepan. Here's a simple way of preparing a mixed vegetable dish without being left with mountains to wash up afterwards.
Top Aga cook Mary Berry has devised a simple but effective way of boiling a range of vegetables without going through all the saucepans in the house.
In her recipe "A Collection of Chef's Vegetables" - featured in "A Perfect Roast" in this channel - she suggests a great way to serve a selection of vegetables.
They're first boiled, then refreshed in cold water and drained, tossed in melted butter and seasoned, and finally placed in an ovenproof dish and covered tightly with buttered foil before being cooked.
To make easier the process of boiling all the different types of vegetables, Mary suggests cooking them in advance and avoiding too many pans of boiling water by removing each set of vegetables with a slotted spoon and re-using the water.
This method can, of course, be applied to par-boiling vegetables for roasting, too, or for a dish where they need to be par boiled before baking like.
For example, a cauliflower cheese-style dish containing more than one vegetable.
Mix up your mash
Mashed potato can either make a dreamy accompaniment to a main course or be a culinary disaster.
The trick is to mash potatoes thoroughly and use good quality butter and cream or creme fraiche.
Variety will also get your guests coming back for more.
Tip
Avoid dull mashed potato by adding something special to the mixture.
Your choice of dish will govern what you choose to add, but be creative.
A little mustard provides a great kick to a red meat dish.
While a touch of Worcestershire sauce or horseradish will liven up this winter staple.
Fresh herbs, such as chives, will also liven up mashed potatoes.
Mushroom magic
Often when cooking mushrooms on a kebab the skins can crack. A little preparation can overcome this problem.
Tip
When using mushrooms on kebabs, partially cook them before skewering to prevent cracking.
Onions
Fed up with wiping away the tears every time you chop an onion? Agalinks has a couple of useful tips designed to keep the hanky at bay.
Next time you prepare onions try slicing them beside a tap of running water - or even beneath the surface of cold water in a bowl. This will limit your nose's exposure to the pungent fumes given off and should allow you to chop without tears.
Alternatively, if you don't fancy this idea, try to come into contact with as little of the newly chopped surface of the onion as possible.
To achieve this, you'll need to chop the onion in half first and then lay the exposed sides face down on the chopping board. You should then be able to chop each half without the usual waterworks.
Vitamin Boost
Orange juice is a great source of Vitamin C and perfect for a breakfast-time boost. But if you want to benefit from its goodness, you need to store it correctly.
Tip
Once you've opened a carton of orange juice, keep it refrigerated in an airtight container. That way, you can reap the juice's rewards for up to two days.
Keeping food looking fresh with fruit juice
It's amazing how quickly some fruits will brown if exposed to the air for too long during the preparation stage of cooking. But a splash or two of fruit juice works wonders.
Tip
If you're making a fruit salad or slicing apples for a pie make sure you keep them looking fresh by adding some fruit juice to the recipe.
Orange juice is good for fruit salads and makes a naturally sweet addition to your dessert.
A little sugar can be added if you prefer a sweeter taste.
Lemon juice is good for preventing apples from turning brown. Pour a few drops over the fruit as you prepare it for your pudding.
Alternatively, place sliced apples temporarily in water to stop them discolouring.
Roasting peppers
The sweet taste of cooked peppers can add plenty of zing to many a Mediterranean-style dish.
But preparing roasted ones can be time-consuming and frustrating if you can't remove the skins in one go. Why not try this simple method.
Cut red peppers in half and discard the seeds inside and the stalk.
Then place them onto a baking tray lined with foil, with enough to cover the vegetables too.
Seal the peppers in the foil by folding up the edges.
Next, cook in a hot oven for 30-45 minutes until the skins have more or less been steamed off.
Remove from the oven and put the peppers in a bowl sealed with plastic film, or seal the peppers in a plastic bag to cool.
Once they've cooled off, you can peel the skins with ease.
For a simple Provencal-style starter, allow around one roasted pepper per person.
Simply slice the peeled peppers lengthways and place in a bowl.
Next add a few cloves of chopped garlic, a generous amount of olive oil and salt and pepper to season.
Leave to chill in a refrigerator and then serve with chunks of French bread.
Preparing garlic without the press
Forget the garlic press. One of the most effective ways to prepare garlic is to use a knife to crush the cloves.
With the flat side of the knife held over a chopping board, put pressure on the utensil to crush the cloves and then remove the skin.
Had enough of trying in vain to peel the thin layers of skin from cloves of garlic?
Take this Agalinks tip to make life in the kitchen a little easier - now you can chop the garlic in the usual way and add a distinctive flavour to a savoury dish.
Keep it colourful
Corn-on-the-cob can lose its colour in the cooking process. We show you how to hold onto the vibrant hue.
Tip
For bright yellow corn-on-the-cob, add a teaspoon of lemon juice to the water about a minute before the end of cooking.
And never add salt to the pan, as you'll end up with a tough vegetable which is difficult to get your teeth into.
A fast fry
Onions are often a key ingredient in a stir-fry. While they don't take that long to cook, there is a way to fry them in even less time
Tip
Pour boiling water over onions which are to be fried, then pat them dry. They will fry quicker.
Freezing herbs
If you grow herbs in the garden or pick up a pot from the supermarket, you'll know just what they can add to the simplest of dishes.
A handful of chopped basil can transform a tomato-based recipe and a sprig or two of mint can make a refreshing brew.
Recreate these tastes by freezing individual portions of chopped fresh herbs in an ice cube box, along with some water.
Then, when you require them for your dish, simply take out an ice cube and add it to the recipe.
For more information on vegetables visit Think Vegetables online.