My Virgin Kitchen: Delicious recipes you can make every day

Place the bananas you’d like ripened in a brown paper bag, then roll up the bag so it is completely closed. This traps the ethylene gas that is naturally emitted by bananas and which encourages ripening in the bag so the bananas ripen more quickly.

RIPEN AN AVOCADO

Use the trick above to ripen avocados – just put them in a brown paper bag with a banana alongside.

LOOSEN UP BROWN SUGAR

If you microwave brown sugar next to a glass of water in short bursts, the moisture created from the water in the microwave will help break down the brown sugar. Keep your eye on it though!

PIT CHERRIES/HULL STRAWBERRIES WITH EASE

Cherries can be put individually on top of an empty bottle with the lid removed (they should fit snugly), then pitted by pushing through a chopstick. You can also hull a strawberry by pushing a straw through the middle to hollow out the centre!

PEEL GINGER WITH A SPOON

Peeling fresh ginger with a knife is just too fiddly – grab a teaspoon and rub it over the ginger – the skin literally falls off. I love this hack and use it all the time.

GET MAXIMUM JUICE FROM CITRUS FRUIT

Keep your citrus fruit in the fridge and then give it a short blast in the microwave for about 15 seconds. Give the fruit a gentle roll with your hand on a board to loosen up before juicing.

INSTANT CITRUS WATER

While we’re on the citrus front, keep slices of lemon or lime in the freezer in a sealed bag for a hot day. Whenever you need some citrus water, pop one out of the freezer into your glass of water for an ice-cold citrus kick.

CUT A CAKE WITH PRECISION

A fave of Mrs Barry’s – use dental floss to cut a freshly baked cake like a boss. Portion control with accuracy!

TOUGH BUTTERNUT SQUASH?

Chuck a butternut squash in the microwave for a couple of minutes to soften it slightly; it’ll also make it a breeze to deseed and chop.

STICKY MEASURING PROBLEMS?

Trying to measure out golden syrup or honey can be a real pain. Stick a spoon in hot water to heat briefly or use a little spray of oil so it slides off with ease. This tip has helped me many a time.

OVERBOILING PAN?

Place a wooden spoon across a pan. The water actually avoids the handle of the spoon because wood doesn’t conduct heat very well.

REHEAT THAT PIZZA

A bit like the brown sugar hack; put a little glass of water in the microwave with the pizza (or other baked goods) and heat on short bursts to add moisture to the air.

STOP THE CAKE GOING STALE

Seriously, put a slice of bread on a freshly baked cake in the tin if you’re not going to eat it immediately. It really does stop the cake going stale.

SLIPPERY CHOPPING BOARD?

Grab a small tea towel, run it under the tap and squeeze it out so that it is just damp. Place it under your cutting board and it’ll stop sliding around. I use this in all my videos when using a board.

KEEP KNIVES SHARP (IT’S SAFER THAT WAY)

After you have finished chopping use the back of your knife to transfer food from the board to the pan or bowl – this stops the blade losing sharpness.

CLEAR ICE CUBES

Wanna impress your friends with crystal clear ice cubes you can look straight through? Simply fill your ice-cube trays with boiled water from the kettle.

HERB AND WINE CUBES

Use an ice-cube tray to portion up leftover herbs in melted butter for a ready-made handy flavour punch to add to your pan. This also works with wine; chuck frozen wine cubes in a bolognese or casserole.

PEEL SHALLOTS LIKE A PRO

Niggly things to peel, aren’t they? Place them in some boiling water for 8–10 minutes and the skins should just fall off.

BRING MELTED BUTTER BACK TO SOLID

Give your melted butter an ice bath! Place a bowl of melted butter in a larger bowl filled with ice and cold water.

BASIC RECIPES (#ulink_fdc7aa0d-4140-5753-9546-5ee756dab2dc)

It’s important to have a few basic recipes up your sleeve to get you by. Here are a few of my favourites – you’ll use these again and again in your cooking.

BÉCHAMEL SAUCE

A roux is a great way to make sauces with a slightly thicker consistency, for example cheese sauce and gravy. You basically combine equal parts of butter and flour in a pan over a low heat, stirring until they combine to make a loose paste. This also briefly cooks the flour, removing the floury/starchy taste – you then add a liquid to thicken into a sauce. If you melt the butter slightly longer before adding the flour, until it darkens and smells more nutty (usually a couple of minutes), this will create a good base for darker sauces.

MAKES 500ML

50g plain flour

50g butter

550ml milk

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add in the flour and stir until combined. Cook for a couple of minutes to cook the flour. Once you have the thickened roux, pour in half the milk and stir constantly over a low heat; it will be lumpy at first but keep going until it thickens.

2. Gradually add more milk, stirring over a low heat, then switch to a whisk, whisking any lumps. Simmering for a few more minutes over a low heat will give you a nice thickened sauce.

Variations

• Add freshly chopped parsley for a parsley sauce

• Add grated cheese and stir through to melt for a cheese sauce