Cooking your favourite dishes to perfection is easy when you have a few tricks up your sleeve. Explore seven of our favourite cooking hacks that will help you achieve perfect food every time. From crispy fried chicken to succulent steaks, juicy chicken with crispy skin to mouthwatering pork crackling, we will uncover the secrets behind these culinary delights. Whether you're a seasoned chef or a beginner in the kitchen, these hacks will elevate your cooking skills and impress your taste buds. So, let's dive in and discover how to create culinary masterpieces with these cooking hacks.

1. How to cook crispy and golden fried food

You don’t need a frying machine to make delicious fried food at home. Use temperature as your secret weapon to produce crunchy fried chicken and golden battered fish with tender meat inside. Follow the tips to give it a go.

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2. How to make your jam set perfectly

There’s nothing like a batch of homemade jam. There are a few things to know before whipping up a pot if you want it to be perfectly set, like when or when not to use jam sugar and what temperature to take it up to. Watch the video to prepare yourself for some jam making.

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3. The essential trick for perfectly cooked meat every time

We cooked two half legs of lamb, one to temperature and the other to the time suggested on its packet instructions. The results were pretty different. Check out the video to find out which lamb was better.

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4. How to cook a succulent steak just how you like it

Oh, steak. So good when it’s right, so bad when it’s wrong. Follow our simple and foolproof method to get every steak spot on.

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5. The secret to juicy chicken with crispy skin

Thermapen ambassador and MasterChef 2021 runner-up Mike Tomkins adds a couple of sneaky steps into his weeknight chicken traybake to make the meat super juicy and the skin perfectly crisp. Watch the video to try out his method.

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6. How to master pork crackling

Pork crackling is a work of art, and if anyone has mastered it, it’s BBQ legend The Smokin’ Elk. Follow his guide to make your own incredible pork chops with crackling.

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7. How to cook lamb like a steak

If you want to cook lamb quickly without it being tough, The Smokin’ Elk has the answer: butterflied leg of lamb. Flattening out the meat is the key to getting juicy results fast. And cooking to temperature too, of course. Watch the video to try his recipe. 

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