Tuna Pasta

Ring-pull lids have razor-sharp edges once open.

1. Pull the ring slowly and steadily towards you, keeping fingers away from the lid's edge.
2. Don't press food down with your fingers inside an open tin — use a spoon.

Plenty of salty, fast-boiling water and a taste near the end are the whole secret.

1. Use about 1 litre of water per 100 g of pasta. Bring it to a rolling boil, THEN add salt — about a level teaspoon per litre.
2. Add the pasta and stir for the first minute so it doesn't stick together. No oil needed.
3. Start tasting a piece 1–2 minutes before the time on the packet. 'Al dente' means soft but with a slight firm bite in the very middle.
4. Before draining, scoop out a mug of the cooking water. A splash of it makes sauces glossy and helps them cling.
5. Drain, don't rinse, and mix with the sauce straight away.

The trick is to leave the root end on while you cut — it holds the layers together so the onion does not fall apart.

1. Cut off the pointed top (not the hairy root end). Halve the onion from top to root.
2. Peel off the papery skin and the first tough layer.
3. Lay one half flat side down. Make a few cuts from top towards the root, stopping about 1 cm before it.
4. Turn the knife flat and make one or two cuts parallel to the board, again stopping short of the root.
5. Now slice across the first cuts with the claw grip. Small squares fall off. Bin the root end.

Ready when: Pieces about the size of a pea (finely chopped) or a fingernail (chopped).

Softening cooks the raw sharpness out of onions and turns them sweet. It is the start of most sauces, stews and curries.

1. Heat the oil over medium heat, add the onion and a pinch of salt (it draws out water and speeds things up).
2. Stir every minute or so. You want a gentle sizzle, not a loud fry.
3. After about 5–8 minutes the pieces go glossy, floppy and see-through at the edges. That is 'softened'.
4. Keep going another few minutes and they start turning golden — sweeter still. Only do that if the recipe says 'golden'.

Ready when: Floppy, shiny and slightly see-through, with no raw crunch when you taste a piece.

Letting a sauce bubble with the lid off lets water escape as steam, so it gets thicker and tastier.

1. Take the lid off and keep it at a lively simmer.
2. Stir every minute or two, scraping the bottom — it catches more easily as it thickens.
3. Season at the END, because the salt concentrates as the liquid goes.

Ready when: It coats the back of a spoon, and a line drawn through it with your finger stays clear.