Ramsay in 10

What this book expects from you…

If you want to cook good food fast, there are a few rules. This might sound bossy (who, me?), but I want to make it easier for you to get great results in a short amount of time. If you follow these instructions, I guarantee you will be quicker and better in the kitchen.

TO BUY GOOD INGREDIENTS

When cooking at speed, every ingredient matters. The better the produce, the less hard you will have to work to make it taste great. Try to buy the freshest fish, the most flavourful meat and the ripest fruit and vegetables in season and you will be more than halfway there before you even start cooking.

TO GET HELP

Not with the cooking, but with the ingredients. Get your butcher to spatchcock the chicken and your fishmonger to butterfly the trout. These professionals will take seconds to do something that will take you much longer. And take advantage of all the shortcuts offered by supermarkets these days – chopped vegetables, grated cheese, ready-cooked pulses, etc. They are a godsend when time is tight.

TO READ THE RECIPE BEFORE YOU START

This will be the most valuable minute you spend. Knowing what to expect from a recipe will really help you to execute it more smoothly, and you won’t be slowed down by unexpected instructions.

TO PREHEAT THE OVEN/GRILL/GRIDDLE PAN

Most ovens take about 15 minutes to get to temperature, but can differ wildly. Ten-minute cooking only works if the oven, grill (broiler) and griddle (grill) pan are ready to go when you are, so switch the heat on first.

TO GET ORGANISED

Ninety per cent of this is preparation. Once you have read through the recipe and turned the oven on, it’s time to assemble and weigh out the ingredients. I have tried to put as much of the prep into the method as possible so that you make the dressing while the meat is cooking, for example, but in some cases that couldn’t be done. Therefore, look out for prep instructions in the ingredients list because they need to be tackled before you start. Being organised will make the cooking a doddle.

TO HAVE THE RIGHT KIT

Throughout this book, I’ve tried to avoid using specialist equipment, but the following five items will definitely be useful over and over again, and will help you keep to the time limit:

TO KEEP YOUR KNIVES SHARP

The old saying tells us ‘A workman is only as good as his tools’, and a sharp knife is obviously more efficient than a blunt one. It’s also less dangerous because it requires less pressure and is less likely to slip. You should sharpen your knives with a steel at least once a week, depending on how often you use them.

TO FOCUS ON THE MATTER AT HAND

If you watch any of my ten-minute challenges on YouTube, you will see that I am 100 per cent focused on the cooking. Okay, not quite 100 per cent – there are plenty of interruptions by Oscar, Tana and the girls – but my point is that I’m not checking my phone, the TV isn’t on in the background, and I’m not listening to the radio… Cooking at speed is fast-paced, and getting rid of distractions will help you to concentrate.

TO FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS

I’ve written these recipes with maximum efficiency in mind at all times, so follow the instructions! Feel free to make ingredient substitutions and increase the quantities, but if you want the dish to turn out perfectly, go through the method one step at a time until you know the recipe well enough to make your own modifications.

TO GET BETTER AND BETTER WITH PRACTICE

The first time you cook a recipe, everything is unfamiliar and will take longer – just finding your place on the page and checking the instructions repeatedly will slow you down significantly. But each time you cook a dish, the less you have to check and the more confidently you can go from one step to the next. Before long you will nail it in ten minutes every time.

Quick-fix flavours

If you don’t have time to let flavours develop slowly during cooking, it is very useful to have a cupboard and fridge full of pastes, sauces and spice mixes that can inject complexity and interest into your food in an instant. Here is a list of some of the quick-fix ingredients from this book that you might not be very familiar with.

CHIPOTLE CHILLI PASTE

Chipotle chillies are actually jalapeños that have been allowed to ripen fully on the plant, then wood-smoked to give them a sweet smokiness while retaining a mild to medium heat. Used a lot in Mexican and Tex-Mex food, this versatile paste also works in dressings, marinades, soups and even chocolate sauce (see here).

DUKKAH

Dukkah is a Middle Eastern mixture of spices (usually cumin and coriander), sesame seeds and ground hazelnuts that is often served with bread and oil as a dip, but can also be used to inject flavour and crunch to vegetables and salads.

FURIKAKE SEASONING

This Japanese seasoning is made from toasted sesame seeds, seaweed, sugar, salt and dried shrimps (vegan versions are also available), and it’s used to add a hit of salty umami to whatever it’s sprinkled over. In Japan, this is usually rice, but it works well with fish, tofu and vegetables too.

GENTLEMAN’S RELISH

This punchy anchovy paste is as old-fashioned as it sounds. It has been made in England since 1828 and is delicious spread on toast or stirred into sauces and dressings for an intense salty hit.

GOCHUJANG CHILLI PASTE

Unique among chilli pastes and sauces, gochujang is fermented, which gives it a distinct pungent flavour and manages to be sweet, savoury and very hot all at the same time. It is a cornerstone of Korean cooking, and can be stirred into sauces, stews and marinades.

HARISSA

An aromatic chilli paste from North Africa, which adds instant depth and heat. The ingredients vary from country to country, and even region to region, but it is always hot, earthy and fragrant, especially if you buy rose harissa, which is made with dried rose petals.

KECAP MANIS

This Indonesian soy sauce is sweetened with palm sugar, which means it’s thick and treacly but still salty. It’s used in all the most famous of Indonesia’s dishes, such as nasi goreng, mie goreng and gado gado (see here).

MIRIN

Mirin is a Japanese rice wine something like sake, but sweeter and less alcoholic. It is usually paired with soy sauce to give that distinct sweet and salty tang to Japanese sauces, broths and marinades like teriyaki.

NDUJA

Nduja is a very fiery spreadable salami from the Calabria region of southern Italy, where they serve it with bread and cheese. It can be bought in thick tranches, or in smaller quantities in jars, and is amazing stirred through pasta sauces or spread on pizza.

NORI

The dried seaweed used to wrap rice for sushi can also be used as a garnish or vegetable in its own right. It brings a satisfying hit of briny umami and plenty of nutrients to rice, ramen and other noodle dishes.

POMEGRANATE MOLASSES

Sticky pomegranate molasses is made by reducing pomegranate juice down to a thick, tangy syrup, which gives a mildly sweet but mostly sharp fruitiness to dressings, sauces and marinades.

PORCINI POWDER

Made by grinding dried porcini mushrooms to a powder, a sprinkle of this will boost the umami levels of both meaty and vegetarian dishes, giving them depth and richness in an instant.

Short-cut ingredients

When time is tight, clever shopping can really help. There are so many labour-saving products available in supermarkets these days, but stick with simple, unadulterated ingredients that have just been chopped, cooked or frozen, avoiding anything that has been heavily processed with artificial flavours, emulsifiers and preservatives. In addition to the pastes, sauces and spice mixes mentioned here, the following are some of the helpful ingredients you have my permission to stock up on.