Keen cooks may want to take advantage of multi-function ovens - usually aimed at the top end of the market. As well as traditional cooking, fan or fan-assisted cooking and grilling, these ovens offer up to nine further functions. These include: Top element only (browning), bottom element (final cooking of pastry dishes or pizzas), fan and bottom element (delicate cooking), fan only (thawing).

While some may consider this a bit on the gadgety side, I think it is a must as dressings do not stick to water-logged salad greens.

When cooking chicken pieces, start with the dark pieces and then add the white chicken. The dark takes longer to cook than the white, so starting the dark first will assist in the white and dark getting done close to the same time