Kitchen 103

What do you do when you're reading a recipe and it calls for things like minced garlic, thinly sliced onions or cabbage and things like a broiling pan? You improvise right?! So here are a couple of my favourite tactics when it comes to improvisation.

1. The Grater! All recipes that state to use minced garlic or onions mean I need to use the medium side of my grater. It can be a little messy at times and I really miss my garlic crusher in London when I have to grate garlic as it can be quite clumsy and you have to be careful not o take the skin off the tips of your fingers which takes me to tip number....

2. Use a fork when grating small items like garlic, ginger, turmeric. It'll save your fingertips and you'll have little pieces of these root condiments to add to your tea or stockpot! Did I mention I love a bit of ginger or turmeric in my lemon tea? Yummy stuff!!

3. Broiler Pan! Who needs one when you can use a simple rack in a deep baking tray? Don't have a rack that fits comfortably into your baking tray? Line a tray and set it under the oven rack and make sure you place your meat or chicken precisely above the tray so you don't lose all the jus that makes such yummy gravy!

4. Food Processor! Seriously guys, I get so irate when the food processor is mentioned as I don't have one in my kitchen in Dubai and I've refused to accumulate gadgets here only to have to '86' the lot or forgo packing light...nightmare scenarios for me tbh! SO!! I have a brilliant little mill that came with my blender and although a painful process having to do breadcrumbs and make sauces in batches, it does mean I get the same consistency as when I use a food processor!