If you’ve overcooked the crème anglaise (or any other custard-type sauce) and you have a slightly curdled texture, try quickly whisking the sauce with a wire whisk. If this doesn’t work, sometimes the sauce can be blended to a smoother consistency with the help of an immersion blender, regular blender or food processor.

If you glance over at the stove-top and notice a pot that’s just about to boil over, if you can get there quickly just blow on it: the cooler air rushing over the top surface will cool things down just enough to keep it from boiling over. You then have time to adjust the cooking temperature to prevent this from happening again.

If a look into your brown sugar reveals that it has gone hard as a brick, try this trick: place the sugar in a microwaveable bowl with a couple of apple slices or a few drops of water, cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 1/2 minute or so. If still hard, try another 1/2 minute in the microwave. This will usually soften the sugar enough to work with it.

Green beans look best when they are green. To help them stay this way, blanch them in very salted water (it should taste like seawater). When they have reached the desired stage of doneness, remove them from the water and place directly into a cold water ice-bath. This will halt the cooking and will help preserve a vivid green color. Don’t worry about the beans being too salty, a lot of the salt will leach out into the cold water bath.