Jamie's Home Cooking Skills

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Skills / knowing when food is cooked

Knowing When Food Is Cooked

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Boiled eggs with dippy soldiers

Boiled eggs and soldiers are one of the best things ever. Whether you like them hard-boiled or soft-boiled, it’s easy to get your eggs just right.
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Fruity flapjacks

Flapjacks make a great breakfast if you’re in a hurry, and the best thing about them is that you can put whatever fruit you like in them.
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Porridge

Porridge is an absolute classic British breakfast. There are loads of things besides milk and sugar you can add to porridge before serving to make it extra tasty, but here’s the basic method for making porridge to get you started.
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Bacon sarnies

You can’t beat a good bacon sarnie. This is my favourite way to make one and if you stick to this method you won’t go wrong.
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Spring vegetable and bean soup

This is a lovely soup – very simple and traditional. It’s sort of like minestrone which you see sold pretty much all over the place.
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Garlic and rosemary focaccia

Focaccia is my favourite type of Italian bread. I's not too hard to make and you can take it in loads of different directions by changing the toppings. I've gone for good old garlic and rosemary here but you could try combos like cherry tomatoes and basil or three cheese. Just keep it light and you'll be onto a winner.
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Classic tomato spaghetti

What’s great about this recipe for beginner cooks is that once you’ve done it a few times you can add other simple ingredients to your basic tomato sauce to completely transform it.
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Brilliant broccoli

Broccoli sometimes gets a bad rap but, like anything, if you give it a bit of love and cook it just right, it's going to taste delicious.
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Jacket potato with prawns and Marie Rose sauce

There is nothing better when you’re hungry than a hot, steaming, fluffy jacket potato. Even simply served with a knob of butter or a drizzle of olive oil, it is one of the most comforting things to eat.
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Potato wedges

With just a splash of oil and a pinch of salt and pepper, you can turn the humble potato into delicious home-made wedges.
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Vegetarian chilli

This is a lovely alternative to traditional chilli con carne. It's packed with good stuff so is a great choice for veggies and meat eaters alike.
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Meatballs and pasta

Meatballs are fantastic! They're perfect like this, with a one-minute homemade tomato sauce and spaghetti, but you could also try them with rice, mashed potatoes, polenta or simple chunks of fresh crusty bread.
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Good old chilli con carne

I think chickpeas are perfect in this dish, but butter beans or even cubed potatoes will work well in their place. Feel free to pep up this dish with more chilli depending on your taste.
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Bolognese sauce with pasta

The classic pastas to serve this with are spaghetti, tagliatelle and penne, but this sauce can also be used for many other things, like filling cannelloni or layering up a lasagne.
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Vegetable jalfrezi

The great thing about this curry is the slightly sweet and sour flavour from the peppers.
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Lamb stew

This is a good recipe for a basic stew. You’re going to love it because it's so simple and gives consistently good results.
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Fluffy rice

Here’s a basic recipe for getting perfect rice every time – you’ll be amazed at the light and fluffy results.
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Baked white fish with olives and a simple tomato sauce

I’m a great believer in a simple tomato sauce. The recipe I’ve given you here can be used with all sorts of dishes.
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Summer tray-baked salmon

This is one of those great dishes that you can really make your own by using whatever vegetables are in season.
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Salmon baked in a foil parcel with green beans and pesto

This is so simple to put together – a portion of salmon, a handful of green beans, a dollop of good-quality pesto and a little squeeze of lemon juice. Such a great combination.
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Minute steaks

Minute steaks are quite cheap and very easy to cook. They make the best steak sarnies.
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How to cook sausages in the oven

Cooking sausages in the oven is the easy way to do it. You don’t have to worry too much about browning them on all sides as you can let the oven do the work.
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How to cook sausages in a frying pan or on a griddle

The nice thing about cooking sausages in a frying pan or on a griddle is that you can put other ingredients in the pan with them and they’ll pick up lots of extra flavour from the sausages as they cook.
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Everyday crispy chicken with sweet tomatoes

This recipe takes just minutes to put together, and gives you beautifully crisp skin as well as sticky, tender meat that should just fall away from the bone.
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Chicken fajitas

Fajitas are basically Mexican-style wraps. A griddle pan gives the nice, charred effect you want with fajitas, but you can also use a large pan or wok.
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Stewed fruit crumble

Stewed fruit is the perfect base for a lovely home-made crumble. The crumble topping takes just minutes to prepare, then you let the whole thing bubble away in the oven until the top is all crunchy and delicious.
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Barbecued chicken

Everyone loves barbecued chicken. Here’s how to make it crisp on the outside and cooked in the middle, just the way it should be.
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Vegetable and halloumi kebabs

Halloumi cheese is great vegetarian option for barbecuing because it's firm enough to hold its shape as it cooks. The saltiness of the halloumi balances out the sweetness from the peppers and cherry tomatoes.
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Barbecued burgers

It’s always worth making your own burger as then you can control exactly what goes into it. These ones can be cooked on the barbie or on a griddle so are great all year round.
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Chocolate brownies

The real trick with these brownies is to make sure you don’t overcook them as you want them to be all soft and squidgy inside.
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Lemon butter biscuits

These lovely light biscuits are really easy to make and taste delicious.
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The perfect simple omelette

Omelettes are tasty and super-quick to knock together. A simple omelette is delicious and brilliant for breakfast, lunch, or even a quick and light supper.
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$Summer veg and goat\'s cheese frittata$

Summer veg and goat's cheese frittata

Think of a frittata as a posh omelette. They're delicious hot, but just as good cold so you can even try popping a wedge in your lunchbox.
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Poached eggs on toast

A perfectly cooked poached egg is one of the most brilliant things in the whole world! They can be a little tricky to get right, but if you make sure you use the freshest eggs you possibly can, you shouldn’t have any problems.
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Banana and blueberry French toast

I like to think of this as a posh eggy bread sandwich. It’s a bit of a treat so don’t have one every day, but now and then won’t do you any harm.
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Porridge and toppings

Once you’ve made a batch of your basic porridge, you can take it whichever way you like by adding different ingredients.
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A healthier full Monty

It's fair to say that a lot of fry-ups aren't necessarily healthy, but if you remove the fat from the bacon, use high-meat-content sausages and leave out buttering your toast, you'll be amazed how healthy they are in comparison to things like muffins, pastries and croissants, which can be very calorific.
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Sausage rolls

Once you’ve had a home-made sausage roll, you’ll never want to eat a shop-bought one again.
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Tomato, mozzarella and pesto toastie

Creamy mozzarella and lovely ripe tomatoes are great friends and always work brilliantly with a bit of beautiful basil thrown in. Try making your own pesto to make this one of the best toasties ever!
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Superb squash soup with parmesan croutons

This fantastic soup is best made with varieties of squash that have dense, orange flesh, such as butternut or onion squash.
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Proper chicken caesar salad

With my own versions of the classics, like Caesar salad, it's not about changing things entirely; it's about respecting the original while bigging up the flavours and textures where I can. My twists for this salad are to use chicken legs, smoky pancetta and lovely rustic croutons to suck up all the juices. It's a lovely little salad with just a hint of attitude.
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Smoked trout, horseradish and new potato salad

I'm pretty sure that smoked fish and new potatoes are a match made in heaven, but there are a few extras that can turn it into something even more memorable and comforting.
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Root vegetable salad with grilled chilli dressing

Though you might not expect it, root vegetables work really well in a salad. As long as you finely slice or speed peel everything so it’s not too chunky, it’ll be delicious.
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Pizza margherita with different toppings

When it comes to topping a pizza, the only thing you need to remember is: less is more. Keep your combinations simple and don’t overload it with toppings.
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Basic pizza dough

Pizza is probably one of the most famous dishes in the whole world. This is a really simple method for making your own pizza dough.
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Basic bread

You can’t beat the smell of freshly baked bread wafting through the kitchen! Baking your own loaf is such a rewarding, therapeutic, tactile thing and you'll be so proud of yourself once you've cracked it.
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Veg in foil

Making a little foil parcel of vegetables with a nice bit of seasoning is a great way to cook veg on the barbecue.
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Lasagne

The secret to a meaty lasagne lies in the Bolognese sauce – get that right and you'll be laughing. This dish is a bit of a treat, so don't eat it too often and make sure you serve it with a lovely big green salad.
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Butternut squash and sweet leek lasagne

Butternut squash and leeks make a lovely veggie filling for lasagne, and to be honest, this one is so delicious meat eaters will love it too.
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Baked French potatoes

This is my take on a classic French recipe. It's a great dish; once it’s assembled you just leave it in the oven while you get on with other jobs.
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Roasted vegetables

When you roast vegetables, something amazing happens; they become so sweet and delicious.
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$Shepherd\'s pie$

Shepherd's pie

Shepherd’s pie is a classic British dish which pretty much everyone I’ve ever met has their own way of making. This is my way which I’ve kept really simple and I reckon you can’t go wrong with it.
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Lamb stew with a mash topping

Turn your stew into a posh and meaty kinda shepherd’s pie by adding a lovely topping of mashed potato.
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Italian pan-seared tuna

The great thing about this meal is that it all happens quickly, in one pan. Remember, tuna should be cooked quickly on a high heat so it's still a little blushing in the middle.
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Italian spaghetti with prawns

There’s something about the combination of tomatoes, prawns and spaghetti that just works.
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Fish pie

You can use whatever fish you like in this pie, making it as luxurious as you want it to be. If you like your fish pie to be creamy, feel free to add a few tablespoons of crème fraîche to the fish.
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How to cook chops in the oven

If you're a bit unsure of your cooking skills, cooking chops in the oven is pretty much a foolproof way to ensure they're cooked through properly.
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How to cook chops in a frying pan or griddle

The nice thing about cooking chops in a frying pan or on a griddle is that you can put other ingredients in the pan with them and they’ll pick up lots of extra flavour.
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Perfect roast chicken

Roast chicken is one of those classic things that everyone loves, but not everyone has the confidence to cook. Once you’ve learnt how to check your chicken is properly cooked and tasted how delicious a home-cooked bird is, hopefully this will be a recipe you’ll use for life.
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Stewed fruit crumble

Stewed fruit is the perfect base for a lovely home-made crumble. The crumble topping takes just minutes to prepare, then you let the whole thing bubble away in the oven until the top is all crunchy and delicious.
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Apple pie

Obviously apple pie is one of the all-time classic desserts. The best apple pies I've ever made are from apples bought at farmers' markets where you can pick up lots of different varieties.
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Good old bread and butter pudding

Bread and butter pudding is one of those old English recipes that everyone loves. The addition of marmalade brushed over the bread makes it fantastically crisp, with a zingy orangey bitterness that just makes the whole thing superb. Try not to overcook it because you want to have the soft insides contrasting with the crispiness on top.
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Baked apples

This is an absolutely classic dessert – it's so simple, and a great way to use up cooking apples.
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Marinated lamb kebabs

You’ll see that there aren’t a huge number of ingredients here, but because you’re marinating the meat, you’ll still get amazing flavours.
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Classic Victoria sponge with all the trimmings

This is a classic cake recipe that is perfect for birthdays, special occasions or simply for afternoon tea.
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Tea-party fairy cakes

These fairy cakes are made using a simple sponge recipe, but then you can take the basic cakes in so many different ways by making a variety of icings and toppings.
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Butternut cupcakes with a frosty top

You might think I’m mad using butternut squash to make cakes, but it’s really just like using carrots as the two vegetables are very similar – I've simply swapped carrots for squash. The skin of a butternut squash goes deliciously chewy and soft when cooked, so there's no need to peel it off. Give these cakes a go – they're a perfect naughty-but-nice treat.
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Chicken noodle stir-fry

This is a really quick and easy dish. If you want to, you can cook the noodles and prepare all the veg and chicken in advance, then keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to cook.
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Veg in foil

Making a little foil parcel of vegetables with a nice bit of seasoning is a great way to cook veg on the barbecue.
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