Recipes How To Reviews Chefs News Inspiration Sign In

Why grandma was right: unforgettable tips for everyday cooking

Grandma DOES know best
46. Use lard for perfect pastry
45. Make soda bread if you need something speedy
44. Use a wooden spoon
43. Roast potatoes in hot fat
42. Use leftover pastry for cheese straws
41. Keep your vegetable scraps
40. Don't cook fresh herbs
39. Never boil stew, soup or stock
38. Use cheese ends in mac ’n’ cheese
37. Cook your pasta in stock
36. Try flour for the crispiest bacon
35. Transfer sugar into airtight containers
34. Don’t overdo the cheese
33. Separate the eggs for fluffy flannel cakes
32. Cook bruised apples in pies
31. Slice sprouting stems from garlic
30. Top dishes with crushed crisps
29. Embrace instant mash
28. Keep butter in a butter dish
27. Don’t ditch your stale bread
26. Bake with room-temperature eggs
25. Line cake tins to prevent sticking
24. Use buttermilk to brine fried chicken
23. Let cheesecake cool in the oven
22. Melt chocolate over a pan of water
21. Keep food warm in the oven
20. Add bread to your sugar jar
19. Grow your own herbs, tomatoes and chillies
18. Save chicken bones for stock
17. Keep records
16. Make your own jams and chutneys
15. Add more of what you need
14. Weigh your eggs for the perfect sponge
13. Roll lemons before squeezing
12. Get some colour on meat
11. Add vegetables towards the end of a stew
10. Sift air into cakes
9. Thicken sauces with cornflour
8. Skim fat off the top
7. Dry chicken to help it brown
6. Invest in a cast iron pan
5. Use juices from meat to make gravy
4. Serve food on hot plates
3. What grows together, goes together
2. Save your fat
1. Make more than you need
1 of 47
Jozef Polc/Alamy Stock Photo ; AS Food Studio/Shutterstock

Grandma DOES know best

We could all take a leaf out of grandma’s cookbook from time to time. Generations that survived wartime rationing and previous cost of living crises are likely to have some stellar cooking advice to share, whether it’s on avoiding food waste, whipping up exceptional loaves of bread and cakes, or feeding a crowd for less. Here, we've ranked the old-school tips and handy hacks that prove grandma always knows best. 

Click or scroll through our gallery to discover 46 timeless cooking tips we should never forget, counting down to the most useful of all.

Gallery view |
List View

Natasha Lovell-Smith

06 May 2025

Inspiration

See more on this topic

Share the love