The Six Skills Every Cook Really Needs

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When the Royal Society of Chemistry wanted to find the perfect gravy recipe as part of their 2009 Year of Food project, they went to Yorkshireman and chemist John Emsley. He uses all the elements of a traditional roast to make his gravy, from the meat juices to the water the vegetables are boiled in, which add nutrients as well as flavour. The perfect way to do the Sunday meal is with gravy from the joint. Why waste the nutrients? he says.

Start by cooking the joint on a bed of halved onions, carrots and celery, which juices from the meat will slowly trickle on to. When the meat is cooked, remove it from the roasting tin along with the vegetables. Sprinkle a small amount of plain flour over the meat juices and fat.

Stir to form a dough - or roux - by gradually adding the water you've boiled your accompanying vegetables in. John says it works best with cabbage water. If you boil things like cabbage, you lose nutrients into the water. Using that water in the gravy adds an extra little depth - it's a way of putting that back into the meal.

Stir the gravy until all the meat juices and Marmite-like deposits on ...
... the bottom of the roasting dish have dissolved. Add iodised salt to taste and a teaspoon of soy sauce. Perhaps a surprising addition, soy sauce is a crucial ingredient because it reaches our fifth taste, what the Japanese call umami. Simmer to reduce the liquid to the right consistency, stirring occasionally, and then pour all over your traditional roast.

Soufflé

Penny Lewis, who runs cookery courses at The Culinary Cottage near Abergavenny, South Wales, which deal with supposedly tricky dishes, is confident that anyone can make a soufflé that is lovely and light. Most people are just frightened of it, she says. You do need a good whisk, and a clean bowl. Have it all in place before you start, and the oven at the right temperature - having the right equipment and ingredients to hand is important so you can time it right.

Preheat the oven to 200C. Generously butter a 15cm soufflé dish and coat with finely grated parmesan. Separate four large eggs. Melt 30g butter in a saucepan, stir in 30g of plain flour, half a teaspoon of mustard and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Cook for a minute or two, remove from the heat and stir in 225ml of full-fat milk. Return it to the heat, whisking until thickened, and continue to cook for a few minutes while continually whisking.

Remove from the heat. Then stir in between 85g and 110g of either strong cheddar or gruyère cheese, followed by the egg yolks and salt and pepper.

Whisk the egg whites in a very clean bowl until they are stiff but not dry. Gently fold in the cheese mixture with a metal spoon, and pour into a soufflé dish. Run your thumb around the top edge of the dish, for the ‘top hat' effect, suggests Penny. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until it is golden brown and well-risen. To check if your soufflé is ready, open the oven door slightly (but not before 20 minutes has elapsed) and give the dish a gentle shove - if it just wobbles, it's ready; if it is very wobbly, allow five more minutes.

But the real key to soufflé success is to eat it quickly. Penny's final rule? Make sure your guests are at the table and ready to eat when you get your soufflé out of the oven.

drive from www.independent.co.uk