Our three easy steps to gammon perfection. 

Step 1

Simmer gammon for 20 minutes for every 500g, cool slightly and peel off fat cap (the dark red-brown skin covering the fat) while hot.

Step 2

Score fat in a criss-cross pattern (don’t cut all the way through into the meat)

Step 3

Baste and roast at 200°C for 20-25 minutes until golden.

 Good to know

• Want oh-so-juicy, tender, melt-in-your-mouth gammon? The key to success lies in
  a slow simmer.
• The netting on gammon helps keeps its shape intact, so only remove it after simmering and while still warm.
• Remember to rest your roast for 15-20 minutes before carving. This allows the meat juices to redistribute, leaving you with tender slices once carved.

Words: Gail Damon

Photographs: Fresh Living Magazine

The post Your guide to a delicious gammon appeared first on MyKitchen.

Tricks of the trade that you never knew you needed. 

Skin in the game 

How to get crispy fish skin without it getting stuck to a pan! 

1. The pan: Place a square of baking paper on the heated oil in the pan. Top with another drop of oil and fry fish skin-side down on top of the baking paper. The paper won’t burn and offers a protective non-stick layer. (Remember – smaller medallions (10cm pieces) are easier to fry than entire fillets.) 
2. The fish: Pat the fish dry with kitchen paper. Season generously with salt (this will draw out excess moisture). Fry the fish skin-side down first. Don’t poke and prod it with your spatula. Shake pan to test if the fish fillet is cooked – it will easily move once it is ready. 

Residual heat can ruin it 

Food keeps cooking after you’ve removed it from the immediate heat source, so always transfer your food to a different spot after cooking (especially when pan-frying, grilling or searing) before it reaches the perfect doneness. Once removed, the residual heat travels from the outside in – cooking it that little bit further. Perfection! 

7 Pro tips 

1. Don’t cook meat straight out of the fridge. Allow it at least 10-15 minutes out of the fridge to come to room temperature before you start cooking. 
2. Season as you cook, not just at the end. The taste of salt also changes when exposed to heat. Plus, you want the salt to permeate through the ingredients, not simply sit on top. 
3. Always heat up spices until fragrant before adding. This way, you eliminate the chance of tasting raw spices in your dish. 
4. Dry-fry mushrooms for a golden finish. Mushrooms are little sponges, absorbing all the oil in the pan. For crispy mushrooms, fry them in a dry pan over high heat, occasionally pressing it down with a spatula to ensure contact. 
5. Don’t overcrowd your roasting pan. Always place items in a single layer, making sure you can see the base of the tray in spots. Food releases water (steam) while cooking, so packing any ingredient too close to each other will cause it to steam, instead of roast. 
6. Freeze the hard cheese rinds of Parmesan or Gruyère, and when needed, add them to your stew or soups, allowing it to slowly melt and impart a creamy, rich flavour. 
7. Always cover pesto, tapenade or chilli paste in a thin layer of oil before storing in the fridge. This will keep air out, and the colour and flavour in!

Words by: Liezl Vermeulen
Photographs: Fresh Living Magazine 

The post Professional kitchen tricks you wish you knew sooner  appeared first on MyKitchen.

Don’t let a single mistake keep you from serving something glorious! Here’s how to save what you might think is a total fail. 

Fix over-whipped eggs 

• Oh no! You’ve put in too much elbow grease and deflated egg whites so now they’ve got water at the bottom of mixture. This means your protein bonds in the eggs have broken. To fix this, add another egg white to the mixture and whisk slowly and briefly to trap moisture in the egg’s protein bonds. (This unfortunately can’t be used for meringue, soufflé or pavlova anymore, but can still be added to a batter to lighten the mixture.) 

Made it too salty? 

• If you ever so slightly over-seasoned your dish, adding in a splash of vinegar or citrus juice can come to the rescue. Something with a little bit of fat, such as sour cream, buttermilk, cream or yoghurt also works well.
• If it’s really salty, then you might need to rope in a potato to help. Add 1-2 peeled and halved potatoes and simmer for about 10-15 minutes. The potato will absorb excess salt, so simply discard it before serving. 

Made it too spicy? 

• Add a cup of dairy to cool it down. Depending on what you’re cooking, adding some cream, buttermilk, coconut milk or yoghurt (mixed with a teaspoon of corn starch to avoid splitting) can tone down the spice.  
• Adding a splash of acid, such as citrus juice or vinegar, will cut through the spice and mellow the flavours on your palate.

Save your stodgy rice 

• Unfortunately you can’t un-cook something, so the bite in your rice can’t be brought back (we’re not that inventive!). You can, however, avoid stodgy balls of rice that stick together like Velcro. Spoon cooked rice into a sieve resting on a bowl in your sink. Rinse well with cold water to wash off excess starch released during cooking, while using your fingers to loosen grains.  
• What could you have done differently? Read your rice label to check if you should rinse this particular rice variety before you start cooking (remember, some rice varieties are meant to be sticky). Refrain from stirring the rice at all during cooking – it releases starch and breaks down the grains. 

Save a split hollandaise 

• The eggs Benedict sauce can be challenging. If you’ve add the melted butter too quickly to the egg mixture, the fat will simply float on top. Similarly, if it gets too hot, the fat will float to the top of the egg mixture. Oil and water traditionally don’t mix, but it’s a lifesaver when your creamy sauce splits.  
• Ice-cold temperature helps to emulsify the liquid. Whisking in a cube of ice to a sauce over low heat can help bind the sauce into a smooth success.  
• If your sauce has split after standing too long or getting too hot, add 1/2 Tbsp of boiling hot water to a warm, clean bowl. Gradually drip in split hollandaise and use a whisk to create a smooth, thick sauce. 

Words by: Liezl Vermeulen
Photographs: Fresh Living Magazine 

The post Ways to save your cooking mistakes   appeared first on MyKitchen.

You don’t need to go to a coffee shop for a delicious morning brew. Unlock the secrets of making your perfect cup of coffee at home with these great tips.  

Froth your milk  

Want to make you regular to-go latte order at home? Yes, please! Add some foam to your cuppa by frothing your milk. Not only will it look fancy (perfect for an Insta-worthy photo), it elevates the taste too. To get your foamy drink, use a milk frother. Don’t have one? A simple trick is to warm the milk (not scalding hot), pour it into a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake for about 30 to 60 seconds. Or take a whisk and work it vigorously in your mug for a foamy cup of delight.  

@fountainavenuekitchen Make foam without a fancy frother! More #kitchenhacks and recipes at fountainavenuekitchen.com. #fountainavenuekitchen #tiktokhacks #frothycoffee #coffeetiktok ♬ original sound – Fountain Avenue Kitchen

Add hot chocolate 

Turn your brew into a mocha coffee by mixing it with some hot chocolate. The combination of chocolate (and the added sugar) is a great way to mask the bitter taste of coffee. Added benefit? You can make yours as ‘chocolatey’ as you’d like since you are mixing in the hot chocolate after the coffee is already brewed. Make your mocha even gooey-er by adding in a piece of your favourite milk or dark chocolate.  

@sagestudios_uk This is the only Mocha tutorial that you’ll ever need Adding a pinch of sea salt is the secret to the most delicious mocha in the world #sagecoffeemachine #bambinoplus #homebarista #coffeeathome #learncoffee #mocha #coffeetutorial #coffeehowto #sagebambino ♬ lofi and minimalist BGM(325514) – Kazuhi

Salt and spice make everything nice  

Sprinkle in salt and mix in some spices to make your coffee taste nicer. It may sound strange, but adding a pinch of salt to black coffee makes the bitterness more mellow by increasing its sweetness. The coffee’s nutty flavours will be more pronounced too. To add more flavour, mix warming spices like powdered cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamon into your coffee grounds before you brew. Think a warm chai latte on a chilly day – yum! 

@acupuncturefit Looking to ditch sugar and creamer ? This may help! #Healthtips #Dranis #learnonTiktok #TikTokPartner #needtoknow ♬ Starstrukk – 3OH!3,Katy Perry

Image: Unsplash

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Get ready to impress your friends (and your taste buds). From ingredient choices to technique, here are three ways to take your burger from ordinary to extraordinary. 

Choose the right meat 

When it comes to burgers, choosing the right meat is crucial. The more fat there is in the meat, the juicier and more delicious the patty will be. Minced beef, lamb or pork, which have a higher fat content (usually around 20%), are ideal for a succulent burger. If you are looking for leaner cuisine, opt for a chicken burger instead – here, the leaner the chicken breast, the better.  

Get creative with your ‘buns’ 

Unlock a whole new world of flavour when you swap out your bread buns. Although we love a bun-less burger (thank you for your service, lettuce wraps), we’re loving a fried chicken burger between two waffles, or wrapping a beef patty in caramelised onion slices (looking at you, Flying Dutchman). Another idea is to mix sweet and savoury by pressing your chicken burger between two glazed doughnut rings – a weird and wonderful combination that tastes delicious!  

Layer to perfection 

When building your burger, you want to get the order of the ingredients just right for the perfect flavour explosion when you sink your teeth into it. After toasting the bun, add your sauce of choice and layer on your fresh ingredients – think rocket, cucumber and tomato. This layer will catch all the meat juices. Now add a slice of cheese before topping with your hot patty straight from the pan or grill – the cheese will instantly melt and stick to the patty as it rests on it. Finish with extras like pickled onion, gherkins and creamy avocado. Yum! 

The post 3 tips to make the perfect burger  appeared first on MyKitchen.

This is one fad that’s been around for quite a while, and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. If you’ve always wanted to give it a try but have been unsure as to where to begin, we’ve got some tips on how to meal prep like the best of them.

By Taryn Wilson

STEP 1 – CHOOSE YOUR PREP DAY

First thing’s first – you need to choose a day of the week where you have some time to kill. This will be your meal prep day. I organise all my food on Sunday mornings or afternoons since I hardly ever have anything on that day.

STEP 2 – CHOOSE YOUR FOOD

Choose which dish you want to eat for lunch or dinner next week. It can be anything, from a slow-cooked and flavour-packed curry and stew, to a quick chicken stir-fry. This is a great way to try something new every week and develop new cooking skills along the way.

STEP 3 – GO SHOPPING

Make a list of everything you need for your recipe, making sure you are accounting for enough ingredients to cook in bigger batches than the recipe calls for. Do a pantry check to make sure you don’t buy anything you already have at home.

If you are a beginner, you will also need to buy a week’s worth of plastic containers as well. If your dish is a one-bowl affair (remember that chicken stir-fry?), regular containers are fine. If you want to enjoy multiple elements, either buy some bento lunch boxes or a variety of small containers.

If you’d rather build your tupperware collection over time, simply spoon your meals into individual plastic baggies and freeze. Defrost them in the fridge and move to a lunch box the day before.

STEP 4 – GET COOKING!

Cook and cool your food (you don’t want it sweating in its container) and divide it up into the number of portions you desire, keeping each portion separate. Put tomorrow’s meal in the fridge and the rest in the freezer.

Every night, grab a portion and defrost it in your fridge for the next day. Alternatively, you can defrost it in the microwave if there is one available.

Heat up and enjoy!

The post Meal Prep 101 appeared first on MyKitchen.