PRUE’S TRICKS & TIPS

TOMATOES

TO PEEL a tomato, make a 1cm nick in the skin with a sharp knife. Bring a pan of water to the boil, remove from the heat and drop in the tomato. In about 10 seconds the skin will start to lift where you made the nick and the tomato will be ready to peel. Cool under cold water before peeling.

TOASTING NUTS

TAKE nuts, such as peeled almonds, and put them in a frying pan without any fat and toss or turn them over medium heat until they are pale brown. Tip out immediately onto a plate. If you leave them in the pan they will continue to cook. If you are toasting a lot of nuts, do this in a medium oven, spreading them out on a baking tray. But be very careful: after 5 minutes, check every minute and keep turning them to stop some browning more quickly than others. Nuts can burn in a flash. I’ve lost so many over the years. Maddening and expensive!

FREEZING FOOD

FREEZE mash, stew, blanched veg or prepared pie fillings in big bags and press flat — the thinner the better. They stack well in the freezer, and you can break off bits as you need them. They also thaw much faster than they would in a big round lump. I usually have raw, home-made sausages in the freezer. I make lots, and freeze them on cling-film-lined baking trays. This way they don’t stick to each other as they freeze. When frozen, I transfer them to plastic bags. If I want a few for supper I put them in a small sealed plastic bag and sink them in cold water, weighing them down if they want to float. They’ll soften within 20 minutes or so.