Tag Archives: Food

I Tried The ‘Correct’ Way To Eat Strawberries And I Regret To Inform You We’re All Doing It Wrong

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Before I start, let me make one thing clear: I do not enjoy a pointless “proper” extra step when it comes to my food.

For instance, I am alright eating chocolate digestives the “wrong way” (according to McVitie’s). I will go choccie-up like a non-industry normie, thanks very much.

But sometimes, much to my annoyance, the pros are onto something.

Brie, for instance, loses its unpleasant ammonia tang after being brought to room temperature. Leaving it out for half an hour actually is worth your while.

And even though I do think fridge-cold strawberries are beautiful as is, berry producers Driscoll’s said those should come out of their chilly home long before you eat them, too.

So, I tried the tip this afternoon – and I’m so sorry, but they’re completely right.

Strawberries on pistachio cream on the left; on their own in a bowl on the right

Amy Glover / HuffPost UK

Strawberries on pistachio cream on the left; on their own in a bowl on the right

How long should you leave strawberries out of the fridge before you eat them?

Per the berry company, you can refrigerate strawberries in their original container for up to five days if you keep them dry.

But they “taste best at room temperature, so remove them an hour or two before you plan on eating them,” the company claims.

You should also rinse them just before eating them to get rid of any germs without risking making them soggy.

I’ll be honest; I thought the advice was a little too fussy for my liking. But Driscoll’s isn’t alone in recommending the method.

Southern Living go by a 30-minute warm-up rule.

BBC Good Food, meanwhile, puts it at an hour.

Even Worcestershire County Council weighed in, suggesting we “remove them from the fridge and bring to room temperature before eating”.

So, I thought I’d bring my punnet of this year’s beautifully sweet harvest out of my fridge an hour before my usual post-lunch snack to see for myself.

It does make a difference

I get it; I have been diving straight into the fruit the second I remove it from the fridge all week.

But, sorry to say, the inconvenience of bringing them to room temperature really does transform their flavour (not least because that wonderful fragrance is so much more noticeable).

This may be because, as America’s Test Kitchen (ATK) shares, strawberries don’t actually have that much sugar; the smell is a big part of why we perceive them as sweet.

“Just a little bit of heat is enough to coax [the smell] out of the fruit and into the air,” Dan Souza shared in an ATK video, adding that cold temperatures suppress sweet flavours.

No wonder the ones I’d left out had more of that signature scent and mouth-wateringly sweet flavour, too – it was a night and day difference.

Personally, I’m never going back. And even if you don’t adopt the habit every single time you crave the berry, I recommend trying it at least once.

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So THAT’s Why Restaurant Soup Is So Much Better

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We’ve written before at HuffPost UK about how the pros nail everything from mashed potato to chips and even poached eggs.

But after a recent trip to a great cafe near me, I started to wonder if I’ve been making soup wrong at home, too.

Something about restaurant soup just feels more… soup-y, don’t you think? The flavours are more concentrated, the texture is silkier, and they rarely contain that unpleasant aluminium tang that tinned soup can bring to the table.

Thankfully, ex-professional chef Matt Broussard shared some answers on his Facebook page, revealing his secrets to the perfect tomato soup.

How do restaurants make soup taste so good?

He shared that the secret to a “creamy, luxurious soup” starts off with using both butter and oil as fat before sweating off your onions and garlic.

“The oil is going to help raise the smoke point of my butter,” which has “all that delicious flavour, but it can burn by the time I’m ready to get my onions in there and start sauteeing them,” he said.

He also tosses his spices in with the fat as the onions cook.

This, the ex-chef said, is because “spices love to be reconstituted, reheated, to get that dispersion of flavour”.

Fat absorbs that flavour and goes on to coat everything in the soup, Broussard added.

Another top tip is to use tomato puree before deglazing the pan; doing so after you’ve added liquid will prevent delicious “caramelisation”.

He also waits until the soup is fully blended before seasoning it with salt and pepper; you won’t know what baseline you’re working with otherwise.

Simmering your soup after pureeing it can provide that restaurant-level “silkiness,” Broussard continues, though he admits that nothing beats a “high-powered blender” for truly luxurious smoothness.

He blends his tomato soup for five straight minutes: “You’ve got to let it go for longer than you’d think… that’s going to make all of the difference.”

Lastly, the ex-pro serves his soup in a warm bowl, which he says is a game-changer.

Any other tips?

Yes! Speaking to Mashed, James DiBella, head chef of Link & Pin and The Cellar, said restaurants use way more onions than we tend to at home.

Chef Olivier Koster added that restaurants usually only let one or two ingredients “shine” too, refusing to muddy the flavour with conflicting, strong-tasting ingredients.

And lastly, a classic – chef Bernhard Mairinger told the publication that restaurant soups definitely contain more butter than homemade soups, too. We wouldn’t expect anything less.

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I Went To Prague And Discovered Tartar Sauce On Chips – Here’s What Other Countries Swear By

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I just got home from Prague and there were two huge revelations for me: homemade raspberry lemonade should be on every drinks menu, just as it is in the Czech capital, and tartar sauce goes SO well with chips.

I know, it doesn’t sound like it would fit and to be honest, when my partner and I were offered some for our sides, I politely declined. My partner didn’t, though, and I bravely pinched some for a sample.

I am so glad that I did.

The hot, salty chips we were served combined with the tangy tartar sauce made for a taste sensation. It is a match made in heaven and I can only apologise to the great city of Prague for my oversight.

It did get me wondering though. am I missing out? And what do people around the world prefer to have with their chips?

What people have with fries around the world

Australia

In Australia, chips are often served with chicken salt. On their website, The Chicken Salt Co says this is a mainstay in Australian takeaways and has been for 50 years: “Originally developed in the 1970s by two Europeans living in Adelaide, chicken salt was used as a seasoning for rotisserie chickens to add flavour and colour.

“Chicken shop owners would also add chicken salt to chips (known as hot chips) and it’s popularity spread to all corners of Australia.”

It’s surprisingly not made with chicken and is instead a blend of paprika, sugar, garlic and onion. It is DELICIOUS and I am fully obsessed.

Belgium

According to Belgian Smaak, which is a website and podcast about Belgian beer, Belgian culture, and Belgian beer culture, Belgians eat more fries per capita than any other nation and it’s the world’s biggest exporter of frozen fries.

While Belgians also enjoy tartar sauce with their chips, Belgian Smaak explains they often have Andalouse sauce, which is “essentially mayonnaise made with tomato paste and mixed with crushed, roasted red bell peppers.”

Canada

Canada is home to poutine which is a delicious dish made of fresh-cut french fries topped with cheese curds and gravy.

It. Is. Incredible.

Iceland

According to Icelandic food store Topiceland: “This spice is absolutely essential on French fries. It’s also great in various potato dishes, gratins, sauces, and stews.”

The popular seasoning includes MSG, onion, paprika, spice mix, herb protein and glucose syrup. Sounds amazing.

Netherlands

This one is a constant in our house.

Home cook Kinfolk Recipes explains: “In Holland we like to add fritessaus to our french fries. Fritessaus is a sort of mayonnaise. It is similar to mayonnaise, but with at most 25% fat, it is leaner and usually sweeter than mayonnaise.”

Ingredients include lemon, mustard, and chives.

Romania

In Romania, chips are most often enjoyed with mujdei: a creamy, very garlicky sauce.

According to Romanian food and folklore blog From Dill to Dracula, this sauce contains a whole head of garlic, sour cream, salt, pepper, and vegetable oil. Sounds delicious and utterly pungent.

Scotland

Here in my home of Scotland, we have something called chippy sauce. Only sold on the east coast and very controversial to some people, this sauce is a mix of brown sauce and vinegar. The ratio of each part changes depending on where you are, but in Edinburgh, this tangy treat is available in every chippy and always piques the curiosity of tourists at the Fringe.

The rest of the UK

The UK takes condiments very seriously and in fact, preferences change from one region to another. A 2023 survey found that in northern England, ketchup is the preferred condiment with chips.

In Northern Ireland, people most often opt for gravy and in Wales, a good dousing of curry sauce does the trick.

Vietnam

Food Republic reveals that in Vietnam, “it’s common to enjoy french fries, called khoai tây chiên, with an almost dessert-like dip made of a small scoop of butter with a side of sugar.

“People eat the sweet and buttery combo by dipping crisp fries into the softened butter and then granulated white sugar.”

Honestly? Sold.

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So THAT’s Why Easter Eggs Are So Expensive This Year

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Tough news for fellow chocolate lovers – consumer advocacy publication Which? says that Easter eggs are up to 50% more expensive this year.

That’s despite the fact that many of the seasonal treats have actually gotten smaller.

Chocolate prices have risen by a mammoth 16.4% in the past year, compared to an average 4.4% increase among other supermarket food and drink, they add.

So, we spoke to the former VP of International Trade at Barclays and current founder of personal finance platform Generation Money, Alex King, and Mark Owen, chief chocolatier at Pembrokeshire-based chocolate factory Wickedly Welsh Chocolate, about what was really going on.

It’s partly down to growing conditions

“Easter egg prices are noticeably higher this year, and unfortunately it’s not just a case of retailers hiking up costs – the entire chocolate industry is feeling the impact of a global cocoa crisis,” Mark told us.

“Cocoa prices have more than doubled since 2023, and we’re still paying over twice what we were just two years ago.”

Alex agreed, explaining that “Cocoa prices shot up in 2024 to record highs after three poor harvests in a row for cocoa producers in the Ivory Coast and Ghana – the world’s two largest cocoa-producing nations.

“This has had a direct impact on the price of Easter Eggs this year as cocoa is obviously a major ingredient in chocolate production.”

Dairy costs have also risen by 18%, the trading expert added.

And as if that wasn’t enough, “at the start of 2024, we also saw hedge funds pour into the cocoa market with bets that the price of cocoa would continue to rise – which it did throughout 2024.

“Although these hedge funds weren’t the main driver of increased prices, they helped to spike already, increasing prices even further.”

Oh good. Anything else?

Yup, unfortunately. Alex says energy and transport costs have risen too, affecting the supply chain and, by extension, retailers.

“Another factor hitting supermarket prices more generally in the UK is the rise in National Insurance in April, just before Easter,” he suggests.

“Retailers will have begun to increase prices in advance of this to cover the extra NI cost, so that’s another reason we’re seeing higher prices – not just in easter eggs.”

Worse news: Mark told HuffPost UK he doesn’t expect the problem to go away any time soon.

“With global stocks at an all-time low and no bumper harvest expected in the coming months, supply remains incredibly tight,” he shared.

“The reality is that chocolate makers of all sizes are being squeezed. As a small, independent factory, we’ve had to absorb as much of the cost as we can, but there’s no avoiding the fact that Easter eggs are more expensive to produce this year than ever before.”

Here’s hoping 2026 is a little easier on our wallets…

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So THAT’s Why Restaurant Rice Is So Much Better

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Did you know the size of your frying pan can seriously affect the texture of your omelette?

Yup – pros swear by a medium-small option to get the right mix of thick curds and fully cooked fluffiness.

These are the kinds of secrets chefs keep under their white sleeves when making restaurant-level food, and the sort I’m always keen to learn about.

So, you’d better believe I tuned in when former chef (and current YouTuber) @SenpaiKai9000 began his video by describing “why rice tastes better in restaurants.”

Why DOES rice taste better in restaurants?

The chef explained that, as with so many other gourmet “secrets,” chefs simply start off with “better-quality” rice.

It might surprise you to learn that not all rice is created equal. Lower-quality rice contains more blemishes, has more broken grains, contains the right amount of starch, and is the correct length.

The YouTuber says he prefers higher-grade basmati and jasmine rice “because they have so much more flavour” than other kinds.

Then, the former cook says it’s important to rinse rice in three to five times as much cold water to remove excess starch, “otherwise it can taste gummy or tacky.”

When cooking, he uses one part rice to 1.25 parts water and – a true chef’s trick – chucks butter into the pan.

If you’re cooking rice in a pot, allow it to boil, then let it simmer for 15 minutes and rest for at least a further five minutes with the lid on. That way, the steam continues to fluff up the rice.

But “really good restaurants will cook [rice] in the oven or rice cooker,” he added.

To cook it in the oven, the ex-chef covers a baking dish with foil and bakes the water, rice, butter, and salt together for 40-45 minutes.

“This allows the rice to cook way more evenly, because the heat source isn’t just coming hyper-aggressively from the bottom.”

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Why does butter work in rice?

The addition gives rice a fuller, richer flavour, which it then imparts onto other food,

Tasting Table says

.

But that’s not the only advantage of the added fat – the experts say that including it in your rice cooker or pan can also improve its fluffiness.

That’s because, as with greasing a baking dish, it prevents the starches from sticking to the sides of the pan.

So, you’ll be left with more evenly-cooked, richer-tasting grains (don’t mind if I do).

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