Helen Graves

6 days ago | sainsburysmagazine.co.uk | Helen Graves

Barbecue expert Helen Graves shares the expert cooking skills that will transform your next coal-fuelled menu Be patient!‘It’s a golden rule of barbecuing – wait for the flames to die down so that what you’re cooking over is hot embers, rather than a raging fire. You’re just going to burn everything if you cook over flames.’ Go for two-zone cooking‘This means you’ll have a cooler side and a hotter side of the grill.

Mar 3, 2025 | theguardian.com | Helen Graves

A banana split is so kitsch and joyful it’s hard to resist, particularly when the bananas are rendered golden from the grill and topped with a miso-turbo-ed nutty, crunchy crumble that’s full of butter and sesame.

Dec 2, 2024 | theguardian.com | Helen Graves

This was born from the need to answer an important question: how can I combine crab and crisps on the same plate? These are show-off nachos, no doubt about it. But why not? The crema and pickled red onion can be prepared several hours in advance. Store the onions at room temperature and the crema in the fridge.

Aug 18, 2024 | theguardian.com | Killian Fox |Ana Ortiz |Helen Graves |Genevieve Taylor

Ana OrtizThe secret to great barbecue is … Photograph: Harry Borden/The ObserverConstant heat is key. At home, I would light the barbecue 20 to 30 minutes before cooking. Normally I use charcoal and logs – charcoal for heat, logs for smokiness. Make sure you use plenty of charcoal. You want the coals to get super hot and then to turn grey before you start cooking your food. To maintain a constant heat, keep topping up the coals as you go.

Jul 29, 2024 | theguardian.com | Helen Graves

Here’s a salad dressing that will never let you down. It’s creamy with avocado and yoghurt, savoury with fish sauce and really fresh with lots of herbs. It clings to salad like a limpet to a rock and it’s also fabulous as a dip or a sauce for grilled meat, fish or veg. You’re welcome. Sometimes I’ll add cooked tenderstem broccoli to this salad, or you could do a charred green salad with quartered little gem and sugar snaps.