Retired Buxton chef publishes reference book to answer kitchen questions

London Road resident Robert Stordy, 72, has stirred together all the wisdom of more than 50 years in the industry and education and poured it into the self-published Food and Cooking Explained.

He said: “It’s not really intended as a cookery book with recipes. I wanted to write more of a reference book, or a kitchen aid, for when things go wrong in the kitchen – something you can turn to for pointers on how to avoid mistakes, or to answer questions not found in a recipe.

“There’s a gap not covered by many other books. Nothing I’ve read felt like it was in the same category as the book I wanted to write. Some are so technical that they almost require a degree in physics or chemistry to understand. Others try to put a science spin on it but aren’t actually that informative.

“They all just seem to miss that extra bit of information, or that unanswered question, that would leave the reader thinking they still didn’t understand.”

He added: “I taught at the University of Derby for many years, and had a cookery school where anyone could come along, and there would always be umpteen questions about why a dish turned out the way it did.”

“I know from experience with students, and myself, that sometimes when you download a recipe from the internet bits of it might be vague or confusing, and when it doesn’t work out it’s disappointing.

“The first thing to realise is that all the ingredients have their own way of working within a recipe. It’s helpful to know why flour produces a biscuit texture in one dish, and sponge in another. The book gives some technical detail on that kind of thing, with a bit of food science thrown in.”

Though it is not intended as a traditional recipe book, Robert does offer instructions for some of the basics elements of many dishes, like pastry, which cooks can master and then add their own touches to.

Robert says he began formulating the book while teaching, but it draws on the knowledge which took him from school to catering college, the kitchens of the Savoy by age 18 and then jobs all around the world.

He said: “The most enjoyable part in writing it was the research, going through hundreds of other people’s takes on a recipe, deciding which was most reliable and then translating it into something a reader can understand.

“It’s aimed at anyone who enjoys cooking, whether it’s the young professional starting out, or someone who doesn’t even spend a lot of time in the kitchen but likes thinking about food.”

Stretching to around 500 pages, the book’s is arranged in chapters covering the likes of stocks, soups and sauces, seafood, fruit and vegetables, meat, poultry and dairy.

There are also sections on preservation techniques such as smoking and curing, and methods such as boiling, braising, roasting and pressure cooking, and an indispensable guide to kitchen equipment and the use of gadgets like air fryers and multi-cookers.

Food and Cooking Explained is available via Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions at https://tinyurl.com/2p97d6p5.

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