How to avoid dry roast chicken

• Bill Granger's tomato tart
• Neil Perry's roast chicken with cider vinegar, baby leeks and hazelnuts

I find that my roast chicken is dry. N. Kohl

Have you tried brining your chook? It involves making a spiced sugar and salt solution that is absorbed by the muscles in the chicken. Start with 1¼ cups of your favourite salt and a cup of brown sugar with half a dozen bay leaves, a small handful of fresh thyme and six crushed juniper berries in a large saucepan filled with five litres of water. Place over medium heat and simmer for 15 minutes then allow to cool completely. Immerse the cool chook in the brine, making sure it is completely covered. Use a weight if necessary. Place in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours. Drain and allow to dry. Roast as usual but remember the pan juices are generally too salty to make a palatable gravy without diluting. This method makes a great Christmas variation on roast chook.

​​I have trouble with soggy tomatoes leaking in my flan. M. Taumata

Tomatoes are 94 per cent water. The water is held inside tomato cells, some of which have thicker, stronger walls than others. When a tomato is heated in an oven some of the cells collapse, releasing water from the tomato, which leaks into the egg mix creating a layer of liquid. An old-school method for avoiding the issue goes like this. Start with a tomato and a very sharp knife. Place the tomato in a pot of very hot water for a minute or so. Remove. Cut out the stem. Peel the tomato. Cut into slices. Remove the seeds. Salt one side of the slices. Place them salted side down on a drum sieve or similar surface that will allow liquid to drain away. Salt the upper side. Set aside for 30 minutes as the salt draws water from the tomato. Dry with a clean dishcloth. They are now ready to use in your tomato flan.

Letters

S. Hayman writes, "Last week you mentioned giving a someone a knife. l was informed that you should never gift knives as it's bad luck. I was also told the way around this is to exchange say 50¢." Superstitious people will give a coin when giving a knife as knives are meant to "cut" the relationship. By giving a coin, then asking for it back it becomes a financial transaction and not a gift. I have to admit it, S. Hayman, I am a bad luck denier. I am more evidence-based and did an experiment with this many years ago. A close friend was getting married to a girl from the Lower Hunter. I gave the couple a set of rather excellent knives. I did not attach a coin. The couple separated a year later. This would have less to do with the lack of a coin being given and more to do with the fact that she started sleeping with their next door neighbour.

Send your vexing culinary conundrums to brainfood@richardcornish.com.au or tweet to @realbrainfood.