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Why does anyone buy stockpots and pasta pots costing $100-200 [£70-150] when a cheap one, costing less than a third the price, does the job just as well? Richard

Waitrose has the best wine selection of any supermarket in the UK, and the best cheese selection. Anyone who has a Waitrose nearby would be foolish to go another supermarket. But please don't neglect your local shops! They need your business. Richard

...Get the stockpot heating up on full blast 'just for a minute.' The phone will ring, or I'll pop upstairs to get something, and I will forget that the pot's over a high heat. And 45 minutes later I will return to the kitchen to find that the water has turned into a cloudy, bitter slurry instead of a clear, sweet broth. Richard

related question, as long as we're confessing our hygienic deficiencies: my big all-clad sauteuse, which i've had for about 15 years and use at least 2-3 times a week, has a layer of black scum on the bottom (outside) of the pan. this comes from teh days when i didn't have a dishwasher and was less thanrigorous about getting all the grease off the outside of the pan before re-using it. any ideas for how to get rid of it? ---- If the outside of the pan is stainless steel, it can also - in addition to the other methods suggested - just be scoured with a metal pad. Either Brillo or, better still, one of those pads made of something resembling razor wire. Wear a rubber glove when using one of those things - they can cut your hand to shreds if you're applying serious pressure. If the carbonized gunk on the outside isn't burning, however, it can just be left where it is. This doesn't look as nice as sparkling steel, but it is definitely the lazy cook's preferred option. Richard

Is it worth investing a large sum of money in a roasting pan if it's only used a couple of times a year? Advice would be appreciated. No! I use a cheapo enameled pan for all meat, and it works just fine. Keep the bottom wet [i.e., dump in some water periodically] so the meat juices don't cook away and scorch. Watch the heat when deglazing. And that's it. Those expensive pans are a waste of money. Richard

Despite featuring in Savuer magazine, are we really sure that Jay Rayner is the best person to answer the question, "why are British restaurant critics so crap?" ←

At bedtime, proceed as follows. Put a mug of water in the microwave and get it cooking for 1 minute or maybe a bit more. In the meantime, cut off a thick slice of lemon and get out a pot of honey. Fill a glass with cold water and take 2 Ibuprofen. When the water is hot, stir in a teaspoon of honey and squeeze in the juice from the lemon. If you want to be sure of comprehensive relief, add a shot [25ml] of good but not top-drawer Scotch or Bourbon. Drink it in bed, getting up only to brush your teeth [if you stay awake that long]. Works for me every time. Richard

I wonder what Gary Regan, one of the pre-eminent writers on cocktails and the bartender's craft, thinks of this drink. Richard