Can I leave a cake to cool completely in the tin?

Recipes always say to allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes or so in the tin before removing. Does it matter if you leave the cake to cool completely in the tin before you take it out? I am lazy and this tends to be what ends up happening. – A. McQueen

Try this. "Road rules say I should stop at amber lights if possible, but I am in a hurry and so hoon through traffic lights even if they are about to turn red!" Good god, woman! This is how accidents happen. One day you are going to have a severely cracked carrot cake. Straight from the oven a cake still has not set. It is quite delicate. As it cools it becomes more structurally sound. After five to 10 minutes the fat is also still liquid and lubricates the cake out of the baking tin. After that, the fat begins to solidify and can actually hinder the cake from sliding out from the tin. Do as the recipe says. And drive safely.

What is the secret to a good restorative broth? – K. London

Patience. Patience and spending money. You can't make a great broth from scraps. You need to start off with good ingredients. Broth is a liquid meal in itself of simmered bones and flesh that gives succour to the ill and vigour to the well. The Jews' chicken soup is a great example. I was taught to make a great broth by a Barcelona butcher. My young daughter was ill and could not keep down anything solid.

The butcher made a parcel of mixed meat and bones laid out on a sheet of waxed paper like a Chinese herbalist weighing out roots and bark. In it went the back half of a free-range chicken, a hand-sized piece of pork ribs, a piece of the sternum of a vealer and a piece of veal topside no bigger than a pack of small envelopes. He topped this off with piece of jamon bone the size of an espresso cup. His instructions were to place these in a large stockpot, cover with plenty of water and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. For the next 3½ hours I carefully removed the scum and fat from the top with a slotted spoon. If you simmer fat in a stock it emulsifies, resulting in a cloudy broth. I now had an almost perfectly clear broth that was silky on the lips and helped revive a young girl. To feed the rest of the family, I stripped the flesh from the bones, chopped it and added it to the broth with some chopped vegies. For the record, the leftover broth set in the pot in the fridge like a transparent rubber Frisbee.

Can I freeze kaffir lime leaves? – P. Leberman

Yes. Place them in a resealable plastic bag and expel as much air as possible. They will be good for six months. If you have a tree, pick leaves at the end of summer when the leaves are harder. Young leaves haven't developed enough oil, are too tender and will blacken. Older leaves can be slightly bitter along the stem, which can be removed before cooking.

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