Ingredients
What’s the difference between Manchego cheese and halloumi cheese? Do you know the best way to cook langoustines? And what about samphire – what even is it? In our Ingredients section, we explain every ingredient you’ll ever find on the shelves, and how to cook with each one.
72 articles
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Kaffir lime leaf
Kaffir lime leaves are often used in south-east Asian cooking – most commonly Thai cuisine They have an aromatic, citrusy flavour and make an excellent addition to curries, soups or stir-frys.
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Star anise
Star anise is a dried, star-shaped spice with a mild but aromatic flavour, often used in both Chinese and Indian cooking.
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Clarified butter
Clarified butter is rendered butter once all the milk solids have been removed. When butter is melted, it separates into three layers. The top layer is a white frothy foam (the whey), to be skimmed and discarded. The bottom layer is the milk solids.
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Lemongrass
Lemongrass is a citrusy herb, commonly used in Thai cooking. It looks a bit like a spring onion, but is much firmer, and has a woody texture.
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Shiitake
Shiitake mushrooms are a Japanese mushroom with a white stem and flat brown cap, which keeps its shape well when cooked.
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Vacherin
Vacherin mont d'or is a cheese made from cow's milk with a creamy, rich texture. It's best eaten warm – after being baked – with a spoon.
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Acidulated water
What is acidulated water? Find out in our delicious. cook's dictionary
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Butterfly
To butterfly is a French technique used when a piece of meat is too thick to cook through without it drying out, or simply to reduce the cooking time of the meat.
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Blanching
Blanching is a cooking technique in which vegetables are boiled briefly before being plunged into cold water to halt the cooking process.
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Emulsion
An emulsion involves whisking two liquids, that normally can't be combined, quickly in order for them to mix or blend, as very small droplets of each are dispersed in each other.
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Piri piri
Piri piri is the name of both the African bird’s eye chilli and the marinade, made from oil, cayenne pepper and salt, for the Portuguese chicken dish.
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Jalapeño chilli
Jalapeño chillies are commonly used in Mexican cooking and praised for their slightly sweet and smoky flavour. They are often used in salsas or sliced and used to top nachos and pizzas.
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Asafoetida
Asafoetida is a resin with a strong and unpleasant smell. Despite its unusual scent, asafoetida imparts an onion-y flavour to cooking, and is thought to aid digestion and reduce flatulence.
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Aduki bean
Aduki beans are a small, reddish bean that originates in east Asia. To cook the dried variety, soak overnight then bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes until tender.
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