The celebrity chef is no stranger to giving tips to transform even the most basic dishes into culinary works of art and his latest hack is no different
TV chef Jamie Oliver has dished out a nifty tip for sprucing up simple frozen dinners – and it calls for a touch of creativity. The culinary maestro is famously adept at transforming basic dishes into tasty masterpieces with his no-nonsense approach.
In February, he shared his secret to making “delicious, melt-in-your-mouth” sirloin – by replacing oil with one natural ingredient – while in January, he unveiled his recipe for “reliable and easy” spaghetti bolognese with a twist. But now, his latest, easy-to-follow hack promises to transform mundane frozen meals into “unbelievable” delicacies – and the trick lies in a little inventive thinking.
Speaking to the Metro, the chef – who marked his 50th birthday a week ago – showed how making beef bourguignon extraordinary is as simple as adding puff pastry on top to create a pie.
“You can create an amazing dish using a frozen meal,” he said with confidence. “Take the bourguignon, you could use it as a pie base and top with some puff pastry.”
But Jamie did not just confine his transformational techniques to a delicious pie. He went on to suggest that the French classic could transmute into an authentic Italian ragu by serving it as “a lovely pasta sauce because it’s got onions, red wine and herbs in, plus lots of veggies”.
“Get it nice and hot in the oven, in a pan or on the microwave, then stir it into your favourite pasta and top with grated parmesan,” he explained. “This takes it from a stew to a really unbelievable Italian-style ragu.”
Not content with just transforming frozen meals into delectable feasts, Jamie shared his kitchen essentials. He explained how having one particular ingredient could elevate the appearance of a dish to appear “super posh” – and it’s an ingredient he always keeps in his fridge.
“I pretty much always have a roll of filo pastry and puff pastry,” Jamie divulged, before clarifying: “Store bought, not homemade.”
He continued: “Filo pastry is almost impossible to make if you’re a normal person, and puff pastry is the same. Having them in the fridge or freezer is a really good hack, you can literally put a little puff pastry lid on top of a dish and it instantly looks super posh.”
However, Jamie drew the line at ready-made alternatives for certain items: “I wouldn’t have ready-made shortcrust pastry in the fridge, though. I would never buy it. I’d make my own.”
Beyond his cooking endeavours, what’s Jamie’s choice of snack alongside a glass of his favoured whisky? He confessed that it’s nothing less than “pure, decadent filth” he seeks during his downtime.
“I take some amazing cheddar – Pitchfork or Westcombe – and I slice it up on a board. Then I get some Hula Hoops, and for me it has to be the salt and vinegar flavour,” he added.
“You take the round receptacle, and you have to penetrate the cheese with it to create what inevitably will be a little mouthful of pure, decadent filth.”
If the thought of having cheese-covered Hula Hoops is enough to make you run for the shops to buy a bag, Jamie offered this piece of advice and it’s one he claimed could make all the difference.
“Just make sure you get the regular Hula Hoops, not the flashy new big ones,” he insisted. “The crisps need to be small and firm, not large and airy, in order to cut through the cheese. If I have a little drink of an evening, like a glass of single malt whisky, there’s a dirty snack I have with it.”
