Kitchen notes

On low ovens

Most of my oven cooking happens between 140 and 160 °C. At those temperatures a tough cut of meat slowly turns tender without drying out, and you can leave the kitchen for an hour without worrying. My oven runs about ten degrees hot, which I only found out after buying a cheap oven thermometer. It is the most useful five euros I've spent on the kitchen.

Salt early

Salting meat a few hours ahead, or even the night before, makes a bigger difference than any marinade. The salt draws moisture out, dissolves in it and is then absorbed back into the meat. Leave it uncovered in the fridge and the surface will also brown better.

Weighing, not measuring

For baking I always weigh ingredients. A cup of flour can be anywhere between 120 and 160 grams depending on how you fill it, which is the difference between a cake and a brick. A kitchen scale costs less than a good cake tin.

Freezing

Stews, soups and ragù freeze well in flat bags, which thaw much faster than tubs. Write the date and what's inside with a marker — after a month every frozen brown sauce looks exactly the same.