If, like me, you have been watching Hong Kong drama serial Heart of Greed (a production about a family that owns a sea-products store) and constantly feel hungry as a result of seeing all the food featured in the show, check out these food preparation tips for whipping up your own meals:

• Acid tends to harden beans during cooking, so be sure to add condiments such as lemon juice, vinegar, tomatoes, ketchup or wine only towards the end of cooking a dish with beans in it.



• Before placing meat in an oven dish for roasting, grease the dish and place two large pieces of sliced onions in it. This ensures that the meat doesn't touch the bottom of the dish and most of the fat gets drained. The roast flavours the onions too, so you can use them as a tasty garnish.



• Cheese melts and blends better when you shred or cut it into small pieces.



• To keep cheese from becoming tough, cook it at a low temperature and only add it to the pan when you're about to finish cooking the dish.



• Sprinkle fruit-flavoured gelatine powder over your pudding to add flavour and enhance its looks!



• Don't buy oysters with broken or damaged shells. If you open an oyster and find that the meat is dry, dispose of it. Fresh oysters should be plump and have a fresh, mild, saltwater tinge.



• To minimise tearing and sniffling when peeling or slicing onions, chill them first.



• Leftover pasta? Add diced raw vegetables and Italian dressing for a refreshing salad.



• Don't trash leftover beef or chicken - it can be used to make pot pies or tortilla wraps.



• Freeze leftover bread to make into croutons, crumbs or stuffing at a later date.



• Place a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of an ice cream cone to help prevent drips (and add a surprise)!



• For a refreshing twist and added oomph, stir one or two teaspoons of mint jelly into an iced drink.



• Enhance the flavours of nuts by toasting them before using them in your cooking.



• Sprinkle a little flour on potatoes before frying to make them crispier.



• Instead of throwing them away, fry leftovers (herbs, chopped vegetables, ham, or sausages) into an omelette for a delightful treat.



• Almonds have a unique flavour that gives food extra punch. They can convert basic cooked rice into a tasty pilaf, for instance.



• Freeze leftover coffee or tea into ice-cubes to jazz up iced coffee or tea drinks.



• Remove fat from a soup or stew by dragging a slice of bread across the surface to soak up as much grease as possible.



• Use an egg slicer to slice fresh mushrooms in a jiffy.



• To crush nuts quickly and easily, place them in a self-sealing bag and run a rolling pin over the bag.



• Wrap celery in aluminium foil before placing it in the refrigerator; it will keep for weeks.



• If you accidentally over-salt a dish while it's still cooking, drop in a peeled potato to absorb the excess salt.



• When a recipe calls for oil, garlic, and onions to be added to a pan, always add the garlic last. This keeps it from burning and tasting bitter.



• For perfectly clean-cut slices of cheesecake, briefly run a thin-bladed slicing knife through an open flame, then cut. Wipe the blade and reheat between cuts.



• When ice cream is rock-hard, dip the scoop in hot water to make scooping easier.



• To perk up a wilting lettuce, add lemon juice to a bowl of water and soak the vegetable in it for one hour in the refrigerator.



• Instead of boiling vegetables, steam them to retain more nutrients & crispiness.



• Do not place potatoes and dry onions together as each gives out a gas that will shorten the life of the other.



• Store tomatoes with their stems facing down, and they will stay fresh longer.



• Bread, muffins & cakes should be removed promptly from their pans after baking to prevent steam from making them soggy.



• Concerned about your health? Reduce calories by using low-fat soured cream instead of milk or full-fat cream to enrich home-cooked sauces and soups.



• To keep marshmallows from turning hard, store them in the freezer. When they thaw, they feel and taste perfectly fresh.