Pooh to you

According to the BBC news website, researchers have found that about 20% of white people carry a gene which predisposes them to high blood pressure.
This is not news to me, but I am glad they’ve officially figured this one out.  My mother had high blood pressure from a young age, and I dutifully followed suit.  I [...]

Cut flowers

Commercially grown cut flowers are treated after they have been harvested so that they last longer.  If you buy from a reputable outlet and follow a few basic rules, there is no reason why you shouldn’t have your flowers for a week or more.  Blooms from the garden are beautiful too, but don’t expect them [...]

All about scent

Here are some facts, pointers and advice about one of my favourite subjects – perfume.
Perfume is a carefully balanced blend of oil, combined with alcohol, essential oils and often chemical scents.   Sometimes described as having  ‘top notes’ of certain plants, this simply means that these are the scents that hit you first.  For example, Chanel No. 5 has, [...]

Gravy – two options

There are two methods for making gravy – either will work for roast turkey, so here are both options.
Method 1: De-glazing the pan
At the end of cooking, once the bird is removed, tilt your roasting pan slightly.  You’ll see the fat sitting in a layer above the precious meat juices.  Pour or spoon off most of [...]

Beurre Manie – Cookery technical terms de-mystified

Beurre Manie (French, pron. burr man-ye, and meaning ‘kneaded butter’)
Beurre manie is simply a mix of equal quantities of flour and butter and is used to thicken sauces and gravies, giving a lovely glossy finish. 
To use: in a bowl, mix flour and butter (say an ounce of each), mashing it together with a fork or [...]

De-glaze – Cookery terms de-mystified

De-glaze
When you cook something like meat in a pan or roasting tin you may notice little caramelized bits of goodness sticking to the bottom of the tin.  This is like cooking ‘gold-dust’ and in order to make the most of it and incorporate it into a sauce or gravy you should ideally ‘de-glaze’ the pan.  [...]

Turkey Roasting Times

The safest way to cook turkey and stuffing is to cook them separately as a stuffed bird may not cook as evenly.  Cook the stuffing in a separate little casserole dish therefore. 
If you’re going to ignore me (!) and stuff the bird anyway, you’ll need to calculate cooking times by weighing your bird after it’s stuffed – [...]

Turkey giblet stock

Don’t throw away that unpromising bag of turkey giblets that is often tucked away inside the turkey.  These ’spare bits’ of bird (for want of a better way of describing them) make great stock -way better than anything that is commercially made and the smell that fills the kitchen as they cook is just wonderful. 
Here [...]

Bird? What bird?

What size of bird (turkey) should you buy for you and your guests?  Aim on 1 pound of turkey for each adult guest (1-1/2 if you’re aiming to have leftovers).  Many people just go ahead and buy a great behemoth of a bird, regardless of this calculation – it’s no wonder they get sick of [...]

Thawing a frozen turkey

THE GOLDEN RULE: Never thaw a frozen turkey at room temperature.
By far the best method is to thaw the bird in the refrigerator (set no higher than 40F)  and, be warned, this will probably take 3-4 days, depending on the size of bird you are dealing with. 
To do this: Leave the bird in its original wrapping and [...]