10 vital recipes every cook should know

We've put together a list of 10 vital recipes every cook should know. They're versatile, easy to make,  and can be made over and over again.

10 vital recipes every cook should know
Classic white sauce

Classic white sauce

An easy recipe for white sauce - or roux, as the French call it

Basic white rustic loaf

Basic white rustic loaf

This basic loaf is a cinch to make. It’s best eaten on the same day or used for toasting the following day. For delicious variations, go to How To... make bread in the Know How section.

Shortcrust pastry

Shortcrust pastry

Shortcrust pastry is versatile and as it's a crumbly pastry with a high butter content it's ideal for pies, tarts and turnovers.

Basic curry sauce

Basic curry sauce

This is a great home-made curry sauce, which can be frozen in batches and transformed into three different curries: Creamy chicken korma, Lamb rogan josh, and Prawn madras – ideal for entertaining or feeding the family.

Vegetable soup

Vegetable soup

It's a classic for a reason! This healthy comfort food is the perfect winter-warmer.

Best-ever egg and chips

Best-ever egg and chips

Treat yourself with this classic supper.

Beef ragu lasagne

Beef ragu lasagne

Make up a batch of our beef ragu recipe, freeze it, and then defrost so you can rustle up this easy lasagne, which is perfect for the family or entertaining.

Chestnut and chocolate torte

Chestnut and chocolate torte

This easy chocolate recipe requires overnight chilling, so it's a perfect weekend dessert.

The easy roast: legless chicken with posh 
stuffing and veg

The easy roast: legless chicken with posh stuffing and veg

This roast chicken recipe is great to cook for housemates at the weekend. Removing the legs stops them drying out during cooking and cuts the roasting time by a third.

Classic beef casserole

Classic beef casserole

You can vary the flavourings in this inexpensive, low-calorie casserole by replacing the red wine with a rich, tasty ale such as Guinness. Or you could try lamb leg steaks, cut into cubes, instead of beef.


More great recipes

Ultimate tomato sauce

Ultimate tomato sauce

Autumn sees a glut of ripe, juicy tomatoes. Use them to make this rich, flavoursome sauce that can be the base of three great dishes to fill your freezer: Pasta Quattro stagioni; Sausage and bean casserole; and Spanish cod and chorizo stew.

How to make rice (and a perfect pilau)

How to make rice (and a perfect pilau)

Boiling rice is deceptive in its simplicity. Plain, boiled long grain rice should be a cinch but how many people have ended up with a pot of sticky glue more suited to making sushi? Perhaps it’s because it seems like such a simple task that we throw rice on to cook without giving it much thought.

How to make sushi

How to make sushi

Sushi is more fashionable than ever, and makes a great starter or canapé. With Japanese ingredients now easily available, you can impress friends by making your own.

Carbonara-style penne pasta

Carbonara-style penne pasta

This new variation on a favourite pasta recipe is comfort food fast at the end of a long day.

Chicken and leek pie

Chicken and leek pie

An easy Irish recipe, which is a traditional family favourite during the colder months.

 

Comments

(You have to be registered and signed-in to make a comment)

Sign in
Sign in

Forgot password ?

Why sign up?
Save recipes, enter exclusive competitions and upload you own recipes!

Register for free now
Find the delicious. suppliers all in one place! Find the delicious. suppliers all in one place! The delicious. news & recipes straight to your inbox The delicious. news & recipes straight to your inbox
May events 2012
May events
Seasonal food
May seasonal foods
Perfect picnics
Picnic recipes
Cost conscious suppers
Top 10 budget recipes
Vegetarian ideas
Top 10 vegetarian curry recipes