Meguzagil Kitchen

Simple, low-cost home cooking for busy weeknights, with notes on what can go wrong.

Everyday meals

Quick meals made from cupboard staples.

• An easy chicken and vegetable traybake

  A one-tin dinner of chicken thighs, potatoes and vegetables roasted together, with clear steps for handling and cooking chicken safely.

• Cooking fluffy rice on the hob

  A reliable absorption method for fluffy basmati rice in a saucepan, what to do when it goes wrong, and how to store leftover rice safely.

• Using up leftover vegetables in a frittata

  How to turn cooked vegetables and a few eggs into a quick frittata on the hob and under the grill, with ideas for fillings and safe storage.

Baking

Breads, cakes and biscuits for beginners.

• Baking your first white loaf

  A plain white loaf for beginners, with clear steps for kneading, rising, shaping and baking, and how to tell when the bread is done.

• A basic sponge cake for beginners

  An easy two-layer sponge cake made by the creaming method, with tips for a light texture, checking it is baked and storing it well.

• Three-ingredient shortbread biscuits

  Crumbly, buttery shortbread made from just butter, sugar and plain flour, with tips on handling the dough, even baking and storage.

Preserving

Jams, pickles and freezing food safely.

• Freezing fruit and vegetables at home

  How to blanch vegetables, open-freeze berries, label bags and thaw produce safely, so spare fruit and vegetables don't go to waste.

• Quick fridge pickles for beginners

  How to make crisp pickled cucumber, red onion and carrot in a jar with vinegar, sugar and salt, and how long they keep in the fridge.

• Making a small batch of strawberry jam

  A small batch of strawberry jam made with jam sugar, with steps for preparing clean jars, finding the setting point and storing it safely.