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Whether making the perfect Sunday roast, the juiciest steak or the meatiest lasagne, beef holds a special place with cooks and consumers alike for its deep flavours and rich textures. Humans have been baking bread since ancient times, yet many people today think of it as something that has to be purchased from a shop. In fact bread is very easy to make at home. Follow our guide for all the information you need, then follow our simple recipes. Making cakes is all about chemical reactions but you don't need to understand the science of baking in order to produce a cake.
Chocolate is inextricably linked with delectable decadence. Its irresistible flavour and melt-in-the-mouth texture make it a delicious indulgence. This product of the cacao tree is used in all kinds of recipes: sweets, cakes and biscuits, desserts, sauces and even some savoury dishes. Milk, cream, butter, cheese, yoghurt, buttermilk – the list goes on. Dairy products are the cornerstone of baking, vital to hundreds of sauces, and desserts would be a desert without them. Eggs are a useful source of protein, iodine and many essential vitamins and are almost indispensable to the cook.
Fish is good for us. So good that we should eat a lot more of it. There are 70,000 to 80,000 food poisoning cases reported in the UK each year, and potentially millions of cases that go unrecorded. Sticking to some simple rules of hygiene in the kitchen can help you avoid this danger. Fruit is where all the energies and efforts of nature go to provide the seasons' kaleidoscope of flavour and colour. Sweet or tart, fresh fruit is the joy of any cook.
Game has a lengthy tradition in Britain and there's been renewed interest in it recently, as farmed game has become more widely available, and the rich flavours and lean meat have won fans among gourmets and the health conscious. We've come a long way since parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme were the typical herbs for the kitchen. Nowadays, supermarkets are likely to have fresh coriander, lemongrass and often more than one variety of basil available, reflecting our love of dishes from around the world. Knives are the most essential piece of kit any cook can have and it's important to choose the right knife for the job. You should look after your knives and keep them sharp and they'll last you for years.
British lamb can be found almost all the year round in some good butchers, but its peak season and widest availability is April through to September. From the ubiquitous peanut to the more seasonal character of the chestnut, nuts provide dishes with flavour, texture and alternative fats and oils. Culinary oils are extracted from seeds, nuts or, as in the case of olives and avocados, from oil-rich fruits.
Pasta, the essence of the Italian kitchen and noodles, the oriental equivalent, make the perfect base for a quick, tasty meal. They're readily available, easy to store and come in a variety of styles and shapes. Pastry is easier to make than you may think. Follow a few simple rules, employ a couple of clever tricks, and you'll soon be producing pies, parcels and profiteroles with flair. Possibly the most versatile of meats, pork comes in a variety of cuts - many of them relatively inexpensive.
Poultry is a popular, often low-fat, source of protein. Chicken, poussin, duck, goose, guinea fowl, quail and turkey provide easy options for both everyday cooking and celebratory meals. We may no longer 'need' to preserve food as we did in the days before fridges and freezers appeared, but it seems that we're not about to give up the preserving methods learned over thousands of years. From 'dried' pasta to 'smoked' salmon, redcurrant 'jelly' to strawberry 'jam', different methods of preserving are still used in abundance in the food we enjoy today. Peas, beans and lentils, collectively known as pulses, come in dozens of varieties with a host of flavours and textures. Pulses make a comforting and filling ingredient for winter dishes - they also successfully thicken soups and casseroles and soak up flavours well. They're good with rich ingredients such as tomatoes, onions, garlic, herbs, chillies and Indian spices.
Rice and grains are the staple food for much of the world's population. They are an excellent source of complex carbohydrates, and in some cases protein. A tasty sauce can transform a dish from plain fare to pure pleasure, yet making one can be as simple as adding a few drops of wine or vinegar to a pan after frying meat. Most shellfish is easy to cook and is rich in minerals and bursting with flavour.
Every continent and cuisine benefits from some variety of spice. The French word for stock - fond, meaning foundation - highlights the belief that fresh stocks are the basis of good cooking. Many of us rely on cubes and powders, but it's easy to make proper stock at home. Whether they're roots roasted for sweetness, greens stir-fried or steamed, boiled as the base of stocks or sautéed as a starter for sauces, vegetables are the versatile fundamentals of the kitchen.
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