Explainers

From crusty sourdough knots to glossy light-as-air buns, who will rise to the top?

Private beaches and deckchair-dominated concessions are part of beach and lakeside life in Italy. ANNA HART presents the GT survival guide to this uniquely Italian institution.

Following in the footsteps of craft beer and specialty coffee, Australia’s bean-to-bar chocolate movement is beginning to thrive, explains LUKE OWEN SMITH. With it comes a vast new flavour landscape for chocolate connoisseurs to explore.

Veiled beneath the Long White Cloud, New Zealand’s wine scene is growing more interesting by the day, writes ALEX MITCHESON.

Nine in 10 Australians say that they are concerned about fish sustainability, but only a fraction of us put our money where our mouth is. Here’s how to be a better fish eater, writes ALEXANDRA CARLTON.

Chocolate meets coconut over soft vanilla sponge, the lamington is an antipodean icon. ALEXANDRA HARRIS asks chefs and bakers to reboot the recipe to put their signature on the classic sweet.

The ideal entertaining snack, these are the olives we turn to for finishing the perfect Martini or grazing on a summer’s afternoon.

Sommelier SAMANTHA PAYNE raises a glass to the new wave of Japanese drinks coming to the fore. Kanpai!

ELLIOT BAKER finds out the coolest hospitality hacks to have on your radar this summer.

Pop the tops on these craft sodas that favour flavour.

How to store ham for freshness and flavour weeks after Christmas Day.

Viva la México!

We taste-test a stack of cucumber pickles to find the pick(le) of the bunch.

Loved across cuisines from Chinese to Italian, a good, chunky chilli oil is hot-ticket pantry essential.

Cuisine or construct? RUSHANI EPA retraces the history of the saucy, spicy dish across the Indian subcontinent and its diaspora.

In theory, Australian olive oil should have the same prestige as its European counterparts. We’re well on the way.

These five egg noodles deliver with bounce and bite.

In Treviso, the probable birthplace of the famed Italian dessert, DIANNE BORTOLETTO discovers the origins of tiramisù are trifled.

How well do you know your types of steak?

From tortellini to cavatelli, amp up your knowledge of the Italian staple with this chefs' guide to pasta shapes and styles.

We ask a jamón expert to explain everything about the cured delicacy that is Spanish ham.

Thanks to a new wave of Australian producers, vermouth is returning to drinks cabinets as the sexy sidepiece in a Martini or simply to enjoy solo, writes sommelier SAMANTHA PAYNE.

We ask the experts to give us a crash course in all things crustacean, including the most common varieties found in Australian waters and what to look for when you hit the fish markets.

Because spice begets spiciness, ANNA MCCOOE looks at the traditional aphrodisiacs, which are still seducing diners today.

Across continents and cuisines, there are few places untouched by chilli’s lovely heat. Find out the origins.

Umami is more than just a culinary buzzword. We take a deep-dive into what umami means, our “fifth taste”, and how best to achieve it.

For some, choosing the right glass to pair with a wine is as critical as the wine itself.

Lee Ho Fook chef-owner Victor Liong reveals his step-by-step guide to prepare a delicious pullet chicken dish

An easy sorbet recipe to follow, resulting in frosty, fragrant peach sorbet, plum sorbet or strawberry sorbet.

We ask three American chefs to share their pumpkin carving secrets.

MoVida's Frank Camorra guides us through making his famous Catalan potato bomba.

Made with tempura flour, this grilled Japanese pancake snack can be dressed up or down with your favourite toppings.

This French classic is the perfect dinner party dessert. Add a little finesse and voilà, a light, decadently rich showstopper.

For when you have more lemons than you know what to do with.

A smoky-sweet cake with a tell-tale scorched top. The Ester chef shows how it's done.

Few know the art of baking like Lorraine Godsmark of Lorraine's Patisserie. She shares her method for making light, fluffy sponge.

This classic olive oil-drenched Italian bread is surprisingly simple to make at home. Chef David Lovett shows how it’s done.

The alchemy of turning sugar and honey into crunchy, bubbly burnt-toffee heaven is surprisingly simple.

Because good things come in small packages.

The mass-produced kombucha market has exploded in recent years, but this refreshing drink is surprisingly easy to brew at home.

A good, crisp coating for your fish goes a long way. We show how it's done, step by step.

A little know-how equals better lasagne, cauliflower cheese and croques monsieur. Chef and doyen of French cooking Jacques Reymond shows how to achieve that silky-smooth result.

Cheesemaker Kristen Allan gives us the 101 on how to make ricotta from scratch. The result? Fresh curds for days.

Not much goes better with chocolate than salted caramel. Pastry chef Lauren Eldridge walks us through the process.

Chef Michael Ryan shows how to make the kombu-based stock, a cornerstone of Japanese cooking, and how to use it in chawanmushi.

Casey Wall of Melbourne's Bar Liberty and Capitano shares his recipe for pancakes inspired by the American South.

Your one-way ticket to silky smooth results.

With the final glut of summer stone fruit in grocery stores, now is the perfect time to make jam so you can savour the sweetness year round.

The Hispanic world’s gift to sweet tooths everywhere, this rich caramel in the cupboard is a dessert waiting to happen.

It’s big. It’s bold. It’s an occasion in itself – the classic plateau de fruits de mer is a thing of joy. Here's what's needed to do it justice.

Flaky pastry, spiced mince, and please, don't forget the tomato sauce. Here's how to get the party started.

Pavlovas seem simple enough, but they reward care and patience. Baking extraordinaire Nadine Ingram whisks us through the essentials.

This semi-hard, unripened cheese is easy to make at home, and even easier to devour.

Sugar and spice make for a very nice treat when combined to create this flourless cake.

And how to use the sweet alliums in a French onion soup.

Your guide to keeping your ingredients looking good, and minimising food wastage.

This classic recipe is an excellent introduction to baking.

And importantly, can you replace one with the other when baking? GT investigates.

A look at the Korean health product popping up in menus across Australia.

“The spread of spores through our population doesn’t have to be a dangerous thing."

The secret to fast Asian cooking is keeping an arsenal of flavourful ingredients at your fingertips.

Fresh pasta tastes better than the supermarket stuff, and making it is far simpler than it seems. Anna Eoclidi, of Pasta Emilia, gives us the low-down.

Executive chef Chase Kojima talks us through the precise art of draping finely cut slices of seafood over hand-pressed rice.

Kenny Yong Soo Son shows how it's done.

Need an icy refresher for summer? Lisa Featherby shows how to make this fruity dessert, step by step.

Cocktail king Michael Madrusan, of The Everleigh in Melbourne, prides himself on precision and principles, which also form the foundation of a great drink. Here are his golden rules.

Let the experts give you a helping hand.

Curing fish is a simple technique that's all about minimal effort and maximum reward. Bennelong's Rob Cockerill runs us through the age-old process.

Follow these tips from seafood expert John Susman and you’ll be on your way to perfectly shucked oysters every time.

Perk up your poultry knowledge with this explainer on the humble chicken and its best cuts.

Crisp, spiced, addictive – these party stalwarts have humble origins.

Shaken or stirred, cocktails are the word.

It’s back to school with Sweet Envy’s Alistair Wise, who takes part in a little biscuit experimentation in the name of science.

Nicolas Poelaert of Choux Patisserie is a master of éclairs. Here, he talks us through an essential component.

We explain hong shao, a common Chinese braising technique that adds rich flavour and a red-tinted finish.

The Saint Peter chef lifts the lid on spanner crab to show how to get the most out of this sweet crustacean.