I didn't cook that much as a kid. My mother was cooking, and I was her helper. We made dishes together.

I've had the privilege of having a lot of amazing people cook for me.

Repeatedly opening the oven - or worse, taking out the turkey to baste it - slows down the momentum of cooking.

Sometimes I look up a recipe for chicken and tomatoes and end up cooking pork. The inspiration gets lost in translation.

I love 'The Gourmet Cooking School Cookbook' by Dione Lucas. A huge source of information and inspiration. The book is organized by menu, and the recipes are unusual and exciting.

A splash of red wine vinegar can pull things together like a pinch of salt.