Our culinary guide to cooking techniques includes how to make marmalade, a swiss roll, make bread, make chutney, make ice cream, how to joint a chicken and much more...

Grouse

How To roast grouse

If you are lucky enough to have a butcher who stocks game birds, you will no doubt know that grouse is in season from 12 August, known as the Glorious 12th. The price of prepared grouse tends to be lower in September.

BBQ

Barbecuing hot tips

Don’t be afraid of your barbecue – just follow our easy dos and don’ts, be sensible, and go in for the grill!

Barbecuing fish and shellfish

More BBQ tips

The 10 golden rules of barbecuing

Consign chaotic back-garden grilling to history with these fail-safe tips from Tim and Nigel, the two grill-meisters behind Blistering Barbecues, a select outdoor catering company.

Salad dressings

How to make salad dressings

Creating a good salad dressing is a complex business: which oil to use for which salad, and what kind of vinegar? Our guide will smooth things out.

Gravadlax

How to make gravadlax

Learn how to make home-made gravadlax. This Scandinavian classic isn’t just for Christmas. It can be prepared ahead and served on rye bread, in salads, tarts and pasta dishes for outdoor entertaining or a light lunch.

Carrot cake

How to make carrot cake

The delicious. food team went through a rigorous process of in-depth testing in our kitchens to create a carrot cake recipe that’s nigh-on perfection. And here it is – the recipe and a step-by-step guide.

How To make cakes from vegetables

Thai

How To make Thai

Don’t be afraid to try your hand at Thai cooking. With this simple guide, you’ll soon be wowing loved ones with authentic-tasting dishes.

How to make pad Thai

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.

Squid

How To prepare squid and cuttlefish

Tom Norrington-Davies teaches us not to fear cephalopods – it is not a dirty word (it's just a hard one to pronounce).

Demystifying fish

Julian Biggs’ guide to cooking fish

The head chef of the Hix Oyster & Fish House in Lyme Regis demystifies piscine cuisine by sharing some tried and tested methods for cooking fish.

Choux pastry

How To make choux pastry

If you’re afraid of making choux pastry – the classic buns used for profiteroles and éclairs – don't be; it's simple.

Jam

How to make jam

You don’t need any special culinary skills for this: making jam is a wonderful task and a relatively simple process.

Jam recipes

Marmalade

How To make marmalade

Making marmalade is a pure joy and brings with it that warm feeling of having several jars sitting in the larder to see you through the year. As well as giving a luxurious start to the day, it’s as cheap as chips to make.

Danish pastries

How to make Danish pastries

Follow our step-by-step guide to mastering the art of how to make Danish pastries – they’re well worth the effort. As you bite into the warm, butter-rich dough, crisp with almonds or melting with vanilla custard, you’ll thank us.

Crab

Cooking with crab

Whether you can visit the harbour for the new season’s crab catch, or you rely on your local fishmonger, don't be afraid to crack into these crustaceans yourself – learn how to remove crab meat then try some divine crab recipes.

Mexican

How to make Mexican

Here's our definitive guide to the best chilli con carne, chicken fajitas, chipotle lamb, and essentials for a fiesta, including a divine Margarita recipe. Plus our quick guide to chillies and Mexican ingredients.

Tagine

How To make tagine

Central to North African cuisine, tagines are easy to make but use ingredients that may be unfamiliar to you. Our simple guide unlocks the mystery of this Moroccan classic.

Granola

How To make granola

Bring out your inner earth mother by whipping up a batch of wholesome granola. Many ready-made versions are high in fat and sugar, but a few simple tweaks make ours a healthier but no less special breakfast.

Soufflés

How To make soufflés

Soufflés can strike fear into the most accomplished cook, but follow our step-by-step guide and once you know the rules, they’ll rise to the occasion every time.

Herbs

How to keep picked herbs fresh

Debbie Major, wing woman to Rick Stein and regular delicious. food writer, explains how to keep herbs fresh. Plus we share some of our favourite herb recipes.

Biryani

How To make biryani

Biryani is an aromatic oven-baked, pilau-style Indian dish with meat or vegetables. It requires overnight marinating to achieve its wonderful flavour but it’s well worth it.

Compote

How To make compote

Around autumn, make the most of the ripe, soft fruits that abound at this time of year by preserving them as gorgeous compotes.

Harissa

How To make harissa

This Moroccan chilli paste is very popular now, and is used to add flavour and kick to tagines and stews, and as a condiment. There are several brands but none as good as your own.

Skinning peppers

How To skin peppers

Peppers are wonderfully versatile, whether raw in a salad or cooked in a dish, but searing them and removing their skins takes them to another level – the flesh becomes soft and charred with a slight smoky flavour.

Roast tomatoes

How to make roast tomato sauce

Knock up a batch of intensely flavoursome roasted tomato sauce and use it to produce a variety of dishes.

Pasta by Giorgio

Make pasta the Giorgio Locatelli way

"When you make fresh egg pasta at home, you have the satisfaction of knowing all the ingredients that went into it.”

Preserves

How to make tomato preserves

Fill your shopping basket with the last of the season’s plentiful glut of rich, ripe tomatoes and preserve them for a taste of summer sunshine throughout the year.

Christmas

A guide to Christmas techniques

Whether you want get ahead, cook the best turkey in Christendom, make mouthwatering mince pies, or flame the pud, these tips and techniques are just the thing to take the stress out of Christmas.

Steak

How to cook the perfect steak

Jason Atherton, executive chef of Gordon Ramsay's Maze Grill, shares his secrets on how to cook the perfect sirloin steak and accompaniments to make it into a magnificent meal.

Great steaks

White sauce

How To make white sauce

Step-by-step we'll show you how to master culinary techniques, such as perfecting a white sauce. Knowing how to create quick creamy sauces is a godsend for regular cooks.

Mayonnaise

How to make mayonnaise

Learn how to make velvety home-made mayonnaise. It's simple and quick to make, and is vastly superior to most shop-bought stuff. Follow our method for perfect results every time.

Hollandaise

How To make hollandaise sauce

Hollandaise sauce is a great trick to have up your sleeve. The ingredients are likely to be loitering in your fridge and store cupboard.

Chutney

How to make chutney

Commercially produced jars of ‘English-style’ chutney have been known to put people off for life, but a proper homemade chutney will have you hooked (and never fails to impress). Check out this step-by-step guide.

Pickles, chutneys and relishes

Bread

How to make bread

Nothing beats homemade bread, and it’s a lot easier to make than you might think. Master the basic white loaf, then try the easy flavoured breads. Before you know it, you'll be giving Delia a run for her money!

Home-made bread recipes

Cheese for a party

How To pick cheese and drinks for a party

From creating a cheeseboard to serving stilton, from choosing which colour wine to drink to lifesaving tips for warm whites, we have the advice you need to effortlessly impress your guests.

Egg custard

How To make egg custard

Otherwise known as creme anglaise or 'posh custard'...

Ice cream

How to make ice cream

Nothing says summer more than melting scoops of ice cream, so learn to make a batch of classic vanilla, and once you’ve got the knack, adapt the recipe by swirling in luxurious flavourings.

Pancakes

How To make pancakes

Once you learn the basic rules, you’ll be able to create perfect wafer-thin crepes every time.

Swiss roll

How To make a swiss roll

Swiss roll is an ingenious cake: it has the ‘ah’ factor worthy of the most elaborate gateau, yet it’s simply a light-as-air sponge rolled up with jam. Like a lot of good things, less is more, and it requires just four everyday ingredients – caster sugar, plain flour, eggs and jam. But it’s how you use them that counts.

Vegetable cakes

How To make cakes from vegetables

Carrot cake is such a popular recipe we thought we’d give you the ultimate version, plus more moist and moreish cakes – all using garden vegetables. Don't knock them until you've tried them.

Chocolate tips

How to choose the right chocolate, melt it, pipe it, and make chocolate curls

Have no fear, delicious. is here to dish out chocolate advice. Here are some golden rules.

Chocolate cakes

Fish stew

How To make fish stew

We love the way Mitch Tonks of FishWorks – and restaurateur of the charming seafood restaurant, The Seahorse, in Dartmouth – makes fish stew.

Poultry

How To buy poultry and understand ethical eating terms

What do the words on the label mean? Go to the chiller cabinet in any supermarket, and you’ll be faced with an array of descriptive words on chicken packaging. But some phrases can give a misleading impression of the conditions a bird has been kept in. Here's how to decipher the words on the packaging.

Roast chicken