Tips and tricks in the kitchen

From time to time, I will be publishing ideas which have helped me with the cooking process and I hope, in turn, will help others.

Unless otherwise indicated, these ideas are not original, by which I mean that I didn’t think of them first.

The first one is about cooking onions. These can take a notoriously long time to soften, and are very unpalatable when undercooked.

If you chop them up, add a little water, cover and cook them in the microwave first, before adding to the dish in the usual way, the time taken is much reduced.

I find that about 1.5 – 2 minutes is enough for one onion in a relatively high powered model (over 800 watts).

Also on the subject of onions (but this paticularly applies to shallots) it is much easier to remove the outer skins if they are placed in hot water for a few minutes beforehand. This also applies to cloves of garlic.

On a similar note, I have borrowed an idea from Jamie Oliver about pre-cooking aubergines, which can be tough when cooked, or absorb unhealthy amounts of oil when fried.

Cut the auberignes small enough to fit into a large saucepan. Cover with water, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes.

Remove using a slotted spoon, chop and add to the dish you are preparing in the usual way.

Please feel free to share your own ideas in the feedback.

This week I had my second attempt at preparing beetroot hummus. The recipe had very few ingredients (beetroot, chick peas, garlic, lemon zest and lemon juice); however, beetroot is notorious for the length of time it takes to cook, so I was on the lookout for short cuts.

On the first occasion, I cooked the beetroot in the microwave, whilst on the second, I used my hot-air fryer. In respect of this part, the microwave was better, as it was quicker and retained more of the moisture in the beetroot.

Regarding the mixing of the ingredients to the required consistency, I used a stick blender the first time. The beetroot got stuck in it and the process took a while, as well as leaving me with a sore wrist the following day.

On the second occasion, I used my food processor – this was undoubtedly quicker,  but left me with a significant amount of washing up at the end.