THIS MONTH IN THE delicious. KITCHEN…

While the delicious. food team are testing recipes they often debate the best ways to do things, as well as answering cooking questions that arise in the test kitchen – questions such as “Is it possible to colour batters and icings without resorting to artificial colourings?” And “What’s the equivalent of pork belly when you’re buying lamb?” It’s the kind of information you won’t find anywhere else, and it will take your cooking to the next level.

MAKE THE BOUNTY LAST

CRAB

British brown crab is in its prime for the next few months. Turn to p55 for Lottie Covell’s gorgeous crab recipes. And if you’ve never tried freezing fresh crab, it’s worth giving it a go.

FREEZECrabmeat can be frozen for up to three months. Brown meat freezes well, simply packed in a freezer bag, but white crabmeat tends to lose its texture. Pack it in plastic bags, spreading it into a thin layer and squeeze out as much air as possible. Or put the white meat in a freezer box, add just enough milk to cover, put the lid on and freeze. Strain off the milk once defrosted.

PRESERVE: POTTED CRAB

Potting crab is a centuries-old method of keeping it, and ground mace adds a wonderful flavour. It’ll keep for up to a week, or you can freeze it for up to three months. Weigh the brown and the white crabmeat separately. Mix each with half its weight in melted butter. Season the brown meat with pepper, ground mace (or nutmeg) and lemon juice. Season the white crabmeat with pepper and a whisper of grated lemon zest. Spoon half the brown meat into ramekins, add the white meat in a single layer, then top with the rest of the brown meat. Pour over a layer of melted ghee or clarified butter, covering the top completely, then chill or freeze (see above). Serve at room temperature with toast and lemon wedges. One small crab with about 120g total meat is enough for two people as a starter.

COOK’S TIP

To skin tomatoes, cut a small cross in the skin at the base of each tomato, then drop into boiling water for 1 minute. Lift out using a slotted spoon, then put in a bowl of iced water for 1 minute. Peel off the curled skin from the cross, then use in a recipe such as Thane Prince’s vongole dish on p35.

3 SUMMER DIPS

Supermarket dips are fine but homemade versions taste even better

1 SOURED CREAM AND ALLIUM

Mix 100g soured cream and 100g crème fraîche. Add 2 tbsp lemon juice, a good pinch of salt, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 2 finely chopped spring onions and a big handful of snipped fresh chives and stir together.