Frequently Asked Questions
What's Cooking tells all...
Where can I download your recipe collection?
What are your favourite kitchen tools?
Why do you interchange US and British English spellings in your recipes?
Why do you call yourselves cooks and not chefs?
Do you grow your own vegetables?
Can I come to dinner?
Why do you use so much garlic in your recipes?
Who has been the biggest influence on your cooking?
What are your favourite kitchen tools?
Our favorite kitchen tools... tools we would want if we were marooned on a
desert island would have to be a wok, a chopping board and a chef's knife. All three are indispensable in our cooking.
The wok is the most versatile "heat delivery system" available. We have found variations of the wok in almost every culture.
Our preference is a well seasoned carbon steel wok .
A wok can be used for stir frying, deep frying, braising, steaming and boiling.
We even use a lightly oiled wok as a griddle for cooking Mexican tortillas.
Because of the high heat required for some recipes we do not use or
recommend a man-made non-stick surface.
Our weapon of choice as the best food processor around is a good quality/sharp chef's knife and a substantial wooden cutting board. 
We have found that a sharp knife is safer by far than a dull knife.
The best cutting technique is to angle the business end of the blade away from the hand and
ALWAYS keep fingers and thumb tucked under. A good chef's knife and cutting board will finish the job before you can
get the Cuisinart out of the box! top
Why do you interchange US and British English spellings in your recipes?
Half the What's Cooking team is American, and the other 'alf is English...
British English - "The flavour of the chick pea is determined by the colour at the centre."
USA translation - "The flavor of the garbanzo bean is determined by the color at the center." top
Why do you call yourselves cooks and not chefs?
That is a very sensitive subject, but the main reason is:
We noticed that top chefs have a habit of screaming
and yelling at the kitchen help. As a husband and wife team, we are just too sensitive for that kind of behaviour...
we decided that we are just plain "cooks"! top
Do you grow your own vegetables?
Yes indeed we do! Someone once said, "there are only two things that money can't
buy... love and home grown tomatoes". We grow a variety of tomatoes mainly in a greenhouse
(beefsteak, big boy, Italian plum, sun gold, Alicante to name a few).
We also like to grow onions, courgettes (zucchini), lettuce and garlic.
But... we get the most enjoyment from growing our own herbs. It's easy to do, and you can harvest many
herbs all year round. Favourites are chives, basil, sage, cilantro (coriander), marjoram and oregano.
Try growing herbs in pots on the patio, balcony or windowsill for the freshest taste and maximum enjoyment. top
Can I come to dinner?
Maybe, when we get to know you better. top
Why do you use so much garlic in your recipes?
Garlic is the most healthful vegetable around, and garlic has been known and
appreciated for centuries for it's medicinal properties. And... it tastes good too! top
Who has been the biggest influence on your style of international and ethnic cooking?
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