Thanks to all of you who sent in your cookery questions. Here are my answers to some that were sent in, check to see if yours is included. Sorry I couldn’t answer them all, but keep them coming in.
Brenda from Surrey asked:
Are there certain dishes you create NOT suitable for freezing? I’m about to make your lamb Tagine & chickpeas, can leftovers be frozen?
Dishes like this are ideal for freezing, I wouldn’t freeze rice or pasta dishes.
Stuart from Leeds asked:
I purchased some dry beetroot pasta and have no idea what to accompany it with. Any ideas of dishes I could make with it, please?
Anything you like really, the beetroot only adds a mild flavour to the pasta, it’s more for colour than flavour. I would suggest using it for ragu and meatier dishes.
Chloe from Holyport asked:
I want to try making caesar salad dressing rather than using the shop bought stuff. How do I go about it?
Homemade Caesar dressing tastes amazing, it’s well worth the effort. Check out the recipe on my website.
Mary-Anne from Bradford asked:
I had the best paella in a restaurant, but I can’t get the consistency right when I make it at home, how do I stop it from being soggy?
Simple, add less liquid. You are over saturating the rice, you just need to balance it up a little more.
Steven from Stoke asked:
Hi Tom! Which herbs and spices are OK to buy dry, and which do you think are worth buying fresh?
It all depends on what you are using them for, if you are using as base flavours, I would use dried spices and herbs. On the other hand, I would use fresh herbs to finish dishes to release the aromatic freshness.
Tony from Ledbury asked:
My wife prefers well-done steaks. How do I cook a quality steak to the well-done stage without drying the meat out?
The best thing to do is rest it up for half the cooking time this is to allow the juices to flow back into the steak.
Lisa from Nottingham asked:
Hiya Tom I really don’t want to have to buy all new knives but mine have become really blunt, do you have any tricks to avoid this?
Check out my knife care video on my YouTube channel it’ll show you how to make sure your knives are perfectly sharp.
Eloise from Peterhead asked:
Tom my kids are really fussy and don’t eat any vegetables, do you have any recipes that hide veg well?
Check out my Full Time Meals recipes on my website or on the Full Time Meals Instagram page theirs loads of family-friendly meals that incorporate hidden veggies.
Tom from Birmingham asked:
I smoked a tomahawk ribeye the other day. I saved the bone and all the trim/leftovers. Now that I have all of this wonderful flavour set aside, I’m at a loss of direction. I want to be able to use this for stews, soups, and sauces. What would you recommend?
I would make a smoky beef stock that you could freeze and use when needed. This would be the best way to use it as a base for those dishes that you would like to create.
Please keep you questions coming in.
