BY THE BOOK

WHILE Stephanie Alexander’s The Cook’s Companion remains the go-to cooking bible in seemingly every Australian kitchen, sitting alongside it on thousands of shelves is Campion and Curtis’ In The Kitchen, an equally weighty tome first published in 2002.

But while the recipes remain as user-friendly for the home cook today as at the turn of the century, what we now eat at the end of a long day has changed. “There’s no kale or quinoa in the original book,” laughs Michele Curtis. “I’ve changed the way I cook a lot since then.”

Michele has recently updated the book, including some tips that will have you cooking like a pro in no time:

Get a good knife, and keep it sharp. Choose a knife that sits well in your hand and that you feel comfortable with.

Make your own stock. “Generally speaking, supermarket packaged liquid stocks are high in salt. They can range from 600mg to 1300mg per 250ml, even the low salt varieties.” Make a large batch and freeze it in portions.

For cafe-quality scrambled eggs, always cook with butter, not oil, and over a really low heat. Add some cream to the egg mix before adding to the pan.

Cut things to a similar size to ensure even cooking.

Every dish needs a balance of tastes and textures, think salty, chewy, crispy, sweet and a fresh burst to clean the palate. Toasted pumpkin seeds are an easy way to add flavour.