Most of us have a Gordon Ramsay-style idea of how to cook a steak: take it out of the fridge, salt it, wait a little, and fry it in a sizzling pan, basting it in butter. Then let it rest.

Hey, I’m not against that. I’ve tried his method and loved it.

But according to some culinary experts, there’s a counterintuitive way to cook a perfectly medium-rare steak that’s got a rich brown crust from edge to juicy edge. And it’s known as “reverse searing”.

When cooking steak, most people expect to sear the protein at the start, when it comes into contact with a very hot pan. The rest of the cooking is done at a lower temperature to allow the meat to actually cook.

But “reverse searing”, well, reverses that.

You slowly, gently cook the steak at first, then sear it at the end. The idea is to avoid that brown-outside, raw-middle problem that happens all too often with “regular” searing.

It also ensures the middle is evenly cooked. And because a nearly-cooked steak is drier than a raw one, reverse-seared steaks have less moisture, according to chef and food writer J Kenji López-Alt, which means that achieving a satisfying crust is much easier.

And lastly, as the enzymes that have been paralysed by your fridge have had a chance to get back into play by the time you’re ready to sizzle your “reverse-seared” steak, it’ll likely turn out more tender.

Reverse searing works best for thick steaks. “Ribeye, New York, and filet mignon are great cuts that would provide great results in reverse searing,” chef Sam Shafer told The Takeout.

And writing for Serious Eats, López-Alt wrote that the method is best used on steaks thicker than 3.8-5 cm.

The steps are pretty simple.

• Take your steak out of the fridge, season it, and put it in the oven at anywhere from 93-135°C. The higher the temp, the more “done” your steak will be.
• Wait ’til it’s just under your ideal temperature (54°C for a medium-rare steak, and 60°C for a medium steak). The time this takes will depend on the thickness of your steak; it can be 20-40 minutes.
• Take it out of the oven and put it into a ripping hot pan with oil. Cook until seared all over.

Another bonus? You don’t have to rest reverse-seared steaks (I’m sold).

Ever since I’ve learned that some Italians add baking soda as well as sugar to tomato sauce to lessen its acidity, I’ve never gone back. The same goes for “salamoia Bolognese,” a herb mix that put my “Italian seasoning” to shame.

And while I’m very much on the pro-garlic side of Italy’s allicin divide, I’m pretty sold on the country’s subtler “aglio in camicia” approach in some dishes.

The technique, which literally translates to “in a shirt”, involves frying garlic with its skin still on.

Then, you remove the clove after it’s imparted the olive oil with its flavour.

It gives the cloves a “delicate, sweet and smoky flavour” (Iand saves you time), Roman chef Emiliano Amore shared on Instagram Reels.

In Italian food vlogger Ilaria’s TikTok video, meanwhile, a cook said, “The garlic is useless if you don’t put it with the skin. The skin has all the flavour”.

Because the flavour is gentler and less bitter, it can’t overwhelm dishes like seafood.

Chef David Rocco said it’s perfect for cooking garlic at higher temps, too.

Speaking to cookware company Ruffoni, he said the skin “covers the garlic so it doesn’t get burnt”, calling it “the best way to get that garlic flavour, but not that bitter… burnt flavour”.

Italian restaurant Angelini Osteria called the technique a “classic Italian cooking method”.

Simply add garlic cloves to olive oil over medium heat (bash them first for extra flavour if you like) and cook for five minutes, until golden brown.

This can happen while you’re cooking meat for at least the amount of time it takes for the garlic to turn brown, too.

Some like to eat the insides of the cooked cloves separately. But for the dishes themselves, the flesh never becomes a part of the dish; garlic skin infuses the oil instead.

If you don’t want the flavour of garlic to overpower your food, the method is perfect.

That may be the case for seafood (Angelini Osteria uses the technique for an octopus dish), but it works for simpler dishes too.

It makes for a pretty great spaghetti dish, for instance. One recipe relies only on oil, a garlic clove, spaghetti, red peppers, and salt for a satisfying meal.

And because of that protective skin, it works when you’re searing meat, fish, or veggies, too.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Pancake Day (which falls on 17 Feb) is the best holiday of the year.

It involves no fiddly etiquette, no obscure hints as to what your loved ones really want, and no £50+ pressies: the rules are to make pancakes, eat them, and then, maybe, make more.

But for all the welcome simplicity of the holiday, the actual food can be hard to perfect. Mine all too often end up a little rubbery (though I have learned some tricks for fluffier, crispier American kinds).

Still, it’s a good thing chef Paul Foster of Michelin-starred restaurant Salt has shared some tips for pro-level pancakes.

The culinary legend, who’s paired with British Lion eggs, said: “By following some simple guidelines, anyone can make perfect pancakes.”

Here are his top 10 tips:

This makes gluten build up, which creates “tough, chewy pancakes”.

This makes the batter runnier, which allows it to “spread further and thinner” in the pan, Foster said. “The extra protein will help the pancake to set, so it is a better option than adding more milk.”

This helps to “achieve a smoother batter when hand mixing”.

Once you’ve mixed the batter, leave it to rest for 20-30 minutes, “as this will allow the flour to absorb the moisture from the egg and milk, so you achieve the desired consistency”.

It can also help your pancakes to cook more evenly, as the ingredients are better incorporated.

Usually, the more fat, the better when it comes to flavour. But for pancakes, Foster noted if you use too much oil “the batter will fry, and not brown properly”.

“It should be almost like a dry bake in the pan.”

It might sound obvious, but this “will help you achieve evenly cooked pancakes, as well as it not sticking”.

A high heat will “give a darker colour and bitter flavour”, while medium heat ensures an even cook, advised the chef.

A pinch of salt in your batter can transform its flavour, said the pro. “It won’t make it savoury, but will help to balance the flavour.”

One of the main reasons many people find flipping so tricky, Foster said, is that they don’t wait long enough to allow one side to set.

“Wait until there is no more liquid on top before flipping – or just turn them with a spatula for a safer option!”

Even chefs face the first pancake curse, apparently.

But this doesn’t have to be a bad thing: Foster said you should see it as a tester.

“This is the best way to gauge the correct temperature of the pan. It also means that the cook gets the first taste for doing all the hard work!”