If you've forgotten to take your butter out of the refrigerator and need to soften it in a hurry, here's the best and safest way I have found. Put a stick of butter in a gallon zip top bag. Next, take a rolling pin or other implement and beat the living tar out of the butter. After a very short while, the butter has become pliable and room temperature.

"Posted by SharpHouse"

When I bake my granny's wholewheat breakfast buns I give them a few brushstrokes of Nigella's chili & garlic oil on top and sprinkle some crushed thyme, rosemary or oregano on them before they go into the oven. The kitchen smells wonderful and the buns taste great with cheddar cheese, ginger marmalade or whatever.

"Posted by Cougar"

Use spray oil for cake tins to stop the batter sticking to the pan. Also good for making scrambled eggs in the microwave just spray the measuring jug and they turn out perfectly.

"Posted by bossylady"

Add a handful of choc chips to the batter and cook in the usual way for something a little different and a tad sinful. They are delicious.

"Posted by Jetski"

Instead of sugar in pikelets (or pancakes) use Golden Syrup to give them a lovely flavour boost! I also use a teaspoon of cream of tarter and a half-teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda rather than baking powder as that also seems to make them nicer.

"Posted by JaneMaldives"

If you happen to have an evening where you decide to relax and make this divine recipe from Nigella's Kitchen book, and you find yourself in a situation where (for the first time ever) your banana bread, well, crumbles into a thousand pieces as you are trying to fee it from its mold, I suggest the following: don't panic, taste the bread while it is crumbled all over your kitchen counter, when you realize it is AMAZING, take a round glass pie dish, scoop the banana bread into it, go whip some glorious cream (with a hint of vanilla) and serve it....in my house last night, it only yielded 4 servings!

"Posted by trifunovici"

Great way of checking if your cakes are ready is to dip a coctail stick into the middle. Usual rules appy - gooey stick means it's not quite done, once it comes out clean they're ready! Cheap and convenient!

"Posted by kaycake"

If you want to start baking 'right now' but your butter's in the fridge, there's an easy way to get it quickly to room temperature. Pull out your old box grater. Grating the butter on the coarse grate side will have it at room temperature in no time.

"Posted by Coby"

To enhance the taste of the drizzle, try adding 2 x 5ml tsps of Gin!! It's delightful!

"Posted by JimSpiers"

When baking choux pastry always use a greased tin never baking parchment or greased glass as the eclairs will stick to it. Also when the tray is greased put a drop of water on it and swirl it around before you pipe the pastery out as to create more steam, which will help the choux rise more.

"Posted by Cara-Davey"