10 tips that WILL make you a better cook

Twenty-five years at the pointy end of the recipe-writing industry make Barney a fount of knowledge — drink it in

Sticky sweet, creamy and umami

Writing recipes is a way of sharing information while a recipe is a set of instructions — there’s a subtle difference, although both are aimed at creating an enjoyable dish. Back when recipes were largely consumed in books and pamphlets (hello, Be-ro), there was often ample space to add as much information as was needed, particularly before cookbooks became standardised as a recipe-plus-picture per spread. Any format where print has to be fitted into columns will squeeze that information. Technically, websites with their infinite page lengths should have helped bring back more informative recipes, but the internet gods don’t always give people what they need. It’s an ever-changing lottery as to whether a method stuffed with good, solid cooking information, or a reductive set of very short instructions (with any terminology that wouldn’t be understood by a 9-year-old, removed), or simple step-by-step photographs, wins the day. I’ve lived through them all. The first and last I’m on board with — the middle one was a dark period in recipe SEO. We won’t speak of the effects of social media on attention spans, because it makes me too cross. And cookery shows? The BBC says they’re dying out. So I say hurrah for Substack, where a recipe can be written as the writer desires, to the length that is needed and jam-packed with information.

Barney Desmazery, the longest-standing member of the Good Food team, dives into research when developing his recipes and speaks to many chefs and cooks, learning along the way. In the week that thousands of young people go off to university and college (often to living situations that mean they have to cook for themselves), Barney is sharing much more than a feature about a single recipe. He’s equipping you with a set of game-changing pointers that will help you acheive the best results with countless recipes. Please do pass it on if you find it useful.

Of course, there is also a recipe at the end — a corker of a cheesecake.

Over to Barney.

My 10 tips for better cooking

As a cookery writer, what is it that makes my recipes stand out – what helps them work that little bit harder, or takes a classic to the ‘next level’? It comes down to an arsenal of skills that I use almost on autopilot. Once you start working them into your kitchen routine, they’ll make you a better cook too.

Here are my top 10 – but there are plenty more, so if you enjoy these, let us know in the comments and we’ll reveal another 10.

1 Pre-salting or dry-brining
For years, the conventional wisdom with seasoning animal protein was to do it seconds before applying heat, otherwise the salt would “dry it out” and make it tough. Science shows this isn’t true. Samin Nosrat’s Salt Fat Acid Heat is a good place to read more on this. Salt draws out a little surface moisture at first, but given time, the liquid dissolves the salt and is then reabsorbed into the protein. This means the seasoning penetrates deeper, flavouring the meat all the way through rather than just coating the outside. In fish, it also firms up the flesh, so it doesn’t cook to that slightly flabby texture. What we’re talking about is simply using the same amount of salt you’d normally season with — just applied earlier. You’re not trying to cure the meat; how far in advance depends on the size and structure. A turkey or large fore rib of beef can be salted two days ahead, while a chicken or pork rack is best done 24 hours before. For a fillet of fish or individual steak, an hour is ideal. And when it comes to crackling or poultry skin, salting in advance and leaving the meat uncovered in the fridge dries the skin, too, so it roasts to a crisp finish. This isn’t a deal breaker — people have roasted, fried and barbecued meat beautifully without doing it. But if you’ve got the meat in the fridge anyway, it only takes seconds and the difference is surprisingly noticeable.

2 How to cook mince properly for ragus and sauces
Mince is meat, and just like an expensive steak, the time you spend browning it properly pays you back in flavour. That’s down to the Maillard reaction — the complex series of chemical changes that happen when proteins and natural sugars in the meat are exposed to heat. Instead of just “colour,” you’re creating a new flavour compound that gives that deep, savoury, roasted taste.

The conventional way is to chuck it into a red-hot pan, but that tends to sear unevenly and, more often than not, leaves the mince stewing in its own juices. Tom Kerridge has a clever method of roasting it in the oven, but that means heating the oven and dirtying a tray. My way (and I’ll admit, very few things in the kitchen are truly original, but I’ve not seen this written down anywhere else) is to render it. You let all the liquid cook off and reduce into flavour, then allow the mince to sizzle in its own fat — and that’s when the real browning begins.

Here’s how: heat a little oil in a pan over a medium-low heat and crumble in the mince. Let it cook for 15-20 minutes. At first, it will release liquid, which is pure beef flavour. Once that bubbles down, leaving you with what’s essentially a reduced beef stock glaze, the mince will start to crackle in the fat and properly brown. At that stage, stir well and often with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom of the pan so the browned bits are worked back into the mince. Depending on the fat ratio, you may want to splash in a little extra oil to help it along. Once it’s evenly speckled with crisp brown bits, that’s your base. If you’re adding vegetables or aromatics, fold them in once the mince is browned so they benefit from the flavour you’ve built.

3 Stir-fry in stages
Properly stir-fried food should have a bit of char — that smoky, savoury edge that comes from the Maillard reaction (see above). That’s why, in a professional kitchen, it’s done over a roaring heat with flames licking the ingredients as they’re tossed in the air. Even then, the frying is done in stages so the wok doesn’t get overcrowded.

At home, we tend to think of stir-fries as quick and easy, which they are — but that’s no excuse to throw everything in at once and steam it into submission. Overcrowding the wok traps moisture, which means limp veg instead of charred, vibrant, crunchy ones and stewed rather than browned meat.

The best way in a home kitchen is to have everything prepped, then cook a handful at a time over the highest heat you can manage. Tip each batch into a bowl as soon as it’s charred. Once everything has had its turn in the wok, return it all at the end with your aromatics or sauce ingredients to finish and bring the flavours together. Do it this way and you’ll be amazed at how much fresher and more vibrant your stir-fries taste.

4 Salt seasons sweet as well as savoury
The reason we’ve all gone mad for salted caramel and pretzels in brownies is simple: salty-sweet tastes delicious. Salt doesn’t just add its own flavour — it amplifies and balances the flavours already there, whether that’s savoury or sweet. In desserts, where sugar can sometimes overwhelm, a pinch of salt reins it in and lets the other ingredients shine. Scientifically, salt reduces bitterness and balances sweetness, so flavours like vanilla, fruit or spice pop more vividly against the sugar. Whenever you’re baking, a small pinch of salt can make a big difference. And with anything involving caramel, chocolate or coffee, a more generous seasoning takes it to another level. Remember too, “salt” doesn’t always have to mean flaky salt — it can be salted butter, miso, salted nuts, anchovies (okay, maybe not anchovies) or soy sauce.

5 Acid amplifies

One of the quickest ways to make food taste brighter and more balanced is to finish with a touch of acid. A squeeze of lemon or lime, or a splash of vinegar, can transform a dish from good to great in seconds. Acid works by sharpening flavours, tempering richness, and giving the palate something to cling to. It doesn’t have to come from liquid alone — you can build it into the dish with ingredients like tomatoes, yogurt or crème fraiche, or by serving with something sharp on the side, such as chopped capers, tangy pickles, or a spoonful of chutney. Think of acid as your secret seasoning weapon, as important as salt.

6 Precious pasta water

The starchy water your pasta cooked in is the secret to a silky, restaurant-quality sauce, as exemplified by Theo Randall. I like to undercook my pasta slightly, scoop out a good mugful of the water, then return the pasta to the pan with some of that liquid. Let it bubble until it turns a little gloopy, then stir in your sauce — suddenly it tastes like something you’d get in a good trattoria.

And forget that classic image of plain pasta with a neat puddle of sauce spooned over the top. Pasta should always be finished in its sauce. Think of it like noodles; you’d never serve them plain with everything just piled on top. A good bowl of pasta should feel like one dish, not two separate parts. So undercook your pasta, let it finish cooking in the sauce and water for a few minutes, stirring vigorously like you would a risotto, then finish with fat (see below).

7 Finish with fat

Whether it’s olive, sesame or chilli oil, a piece of butter, or a handful of parmesan, fat makes food taste more delicious and gives a richer mouthfeel. So as well as adding fat at the beginning to fry ingredients, use it to enrich at the end of the cooking. That could mean a good glug of olive oil stirred through a tomato-based sauce or drizzled over a dish to finish, tossing vegetables in butter or serving a dessert with a spoonful of something thick and creamy.

8 A sharp fine grater is the best bit of kit you can own

I haven’t finely chopped garlic, ginger or chilli in years. Instead, I grate everything. It saves your chopping board from reeking of garlic, it’s infinitely quicker, plus it means you can ditch the most irritating gadget of all – the garlic crusher. Best of all, you can grate straight into the pan or bowl.

With garlic, I don’t even bother peeling – the papery skin slips off as you grate. Ginger goes in, peel and all, and chillies I like to keep in the freezer so I can grate them into a flurry of chilli snow. And of course, the grater’s original party trick is turning a block of hard parmesan into a cloud of cheesy goodness which is still as impressive as ever.

9 Add umami

The so-called “fifth taste” is best described as savouriness – that deep, moreish quality that makes food irresistible. Certain ingredients are naturally rich in umami and using them cleverly can transform a dish from good to unforgettable.

Whenever I’m working on a savoury recipe, I ask myself, ‘can I sneak in a little umami to boost the flavour?’ It might be a touch of Marmite in a cheese dish, a dash of soy in gravy, mustard whisked into a dressing, dried mushrooms blended into anything mushroom-based, or (don’t tell the Italians) a spoonful of miso stirred through risotto. None of these should dominate the taste; they’re only there to add depth and savouriness in the background. Like in the cheesecake below.

One of the best beef sauces I’ve ever eaten, courtesy of Beth O’Brien at The Fat Badger pub, owed its incredible flavour to a small amount of anchovy butter whisked in at the end. A double win, adding umami and finishing with fat (see above).

10 Remember, the best ingredients make the best dishes

Buy what you can afford, but remember that the best ingredients will give you the best results. Whether that’s Japanese soy sauce, bronze-cut pasta or Italian canned tomatoes, when you start with the right building blocks, half the work is already done. And there’s a big difference between cost and value; if something is cheaper but far lower in quality, is it truly good value? Often, paying a little more pays you back with superior taste.

Supermarkets do an amazing job at feeding the masses, but they don’t always carry the finest examples of authentic pastes, sauces or condiments. That’s where the fun begins – visiting specialist shops or browsing online to track down the best of their kind. With fresh produce, it’s about seasonality and provenance. Knowing what’s in season and where it comes from is always the first step to buying better.

Big slice of yummo

Miso caramel brown butter pretzel cheesecake

Here, pretzels add a salty element to balance the sweet alongside the miso, and the latter also gives you that umami depth. Browning the butter isn’t essential, but it does bring the Maillard reaction into play, adding another layer of flavour.

Prep 30 mins

Cook 1 hour plus cooling and chilling

Cuts into 12 slices

100g butter, melted, plus extra for the tin

75g pretzels

175g golden caster sugar

750g soft cheese

2 tbsp plain flour

1 tsp vanilla extract

300g dulce de leche from a tin or jar

1 tbsp white miso, plus 1 tsp for the topping

3 eggs

1 Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Butter a 20cm springform cake tin and line the base and sides with baking parchment. Heat the butter in a pan until it stops foaming and it turns a nutty brown, then take it off the heat and leave to cool a little. Tip the pretzels and 25g of the sugar into a food processor, add the brown butter and blitz until you have a mixture that looks like wet sand. (Alternatively, bash the pretzels in a bag with a rolling pin and stir in the butter.) Press the mixture firmly into the base of the tin, then chill.

2 Scrape the cheese into a large bowl with the remaining sugar, the flour, vanilla extract, 3 tbsp of the dulce de leche and 1 tbsp miso. Beat until completely smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until you have a thick custardy mixture. Pour this over the pretzel base, scraping the bowl clean, and bake for 50 mins or until there is just a slight wobble in the centre. Turn off the oven and leave the cake in the oven to cool for an hour, then chill until needed.

3 When you’re ready to serve, loosen the cheesecake from the tin and remove the base, or serve directly from the tin base. Stir the remaining dulce de leche sauce with 1 tsp miso and a large pinch of flaky sea salt, then spoon this over the cheesecake, swirling it with the back of a spoon. The cheesecake will happily sit at room temperature for a couple of hours or can be kept chilled for up to three days.

Back to Lulu.

This week in the test kitchen

We’ve started planning for January. Eek. If anyone has any idea what might happen next year, in any shape or form, please let me know.

Sam has been talking to Tom Parker Bowles and Diana Henry for upcoming podcasts.