Kitchen Chemist

Finely dice a small onion and gently fry in a tablespoon of oil. After 5 minutes add a few dashes of Worcestershire Sauce, half an beef Oxo cube, and a teaspoon of flour. Stir and add 100mL of boiling water. Reduce and allow to thicken (2-3 minutes).

We had sausage and mash tonight, and this got me thinking about how to make the perfect mash. There are a number of variables: Potatoes. White or red? I think that the kind that stay solid when you boil them are best for mash. We had Desiree tonight, and they worked well. If the spud goes fluffy on the outside it will make a great roast but they're too watery when you mash them. How to cook them. The vitamins are just below the skin. Boiling is the most obvious but also probably the least good for you. Baking them and then mashing the middle gives a good water-free mash. Would steaming them or microwaving work? Chopping the spud into a 1cm^3 cubes does speed up boiling (a tip I knicked from Ready Steady Cook) but makes a more watery mash - if time allows then leave the chunks of spud quite large (about the size for boiled spuds). How to mash. With a masher? Well the other options include a potato ricer or something mechanical. The latter seems a bit risky and over working cooked po...

Lynsey wanted pork and cider, I fancied something quick and easy.... So here is my Moroccan Meets Pork and Cider recipe. 1. Finely chop a large red onion and a large pepper. Lightly fry half the onion and all the pepper in olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and transfer to a bowl with ~200g of cous cous. Add 200mL of stock (lamb works well), stir, cover with cling film, and leave the cous cous to absorb the liquid. 2. Re-using the same pan, fry the remaining onion and enough diced pork for two people for about 3 minutes. Crush a teaspoon of coriander seeds and mix with a teaspoon of ground ginger. Add to the pan and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes. Add a generous teaspoon of honey, two teaspoons of balsamic vinegar, and a good glug (4 tablespoons ??) of cider. Stir and allow the liquid to boil before turning down the heat. Add finely chopped broccoli florets to pan, cover and steam them for 5 minutes. Serve with the cous cous, and possibly a small salad. Enjoy. I did get a pictu...

My fiancée doesn't believe this is my blog. Maybe once she realises that it is she might bookmark it so she can learn some cooking tips :-)

Welcome to my new blog. Hopefully this will turn into a fusion of science and cooking; recipes and research.