12 times cooking was way easier than expected

If the thought of making your own pastry has you running from the kitchen, we've got you. We know for a fact that cooking most things is far easier than running...

Orange and pistachio bundt cake with saffron syrup Source: Alan Benson

Good food is so wonderful that we often over-complicate it. In our heads, at least. So many recipes are straight-forward, easy-to-follow and rather basic, but we insist on thinking that we couldn't possibly tackle them. 

But first, the power of the 'measure & mix' method.

Not true! With a bit of preparation, most recipes will take you less time to knock up than it takes to wait for home delivery. A few tips to make anything far easier:

1. Prep your ingredients - ensure you have everything you need on hand and group ingredients together in your pantry or fridge by category. This makes it so much easier to find everything you need when you're ready to cook.

2. Keep things neat - start with all your ingredients on the bench, measure out what you need and - here's the kicker - put things back away as you go. It's far nicer cooking in a clear, organised kitchen than one where a bomb has gone off (that bomb is, ahem, you).

3. Read through the recipe - you would be surprised at how often people plough straight into a recipe without actually knowing what comes next. Or you might not. It's definitely best to read straight through to the end before you start chopping, grating or stirring anything.

Most recipes will take you less time to knock up than it takes to wait for home delivery

Righto, we are ready to go with the simple recipes that result in elaborate things to eat.

Pastry, especially flaky

Recipe ideas for using this simple flaky pastry are below - don't miss the Finnish fish pie! Source: Alan Benson

Put your hand up if you've never used store-bought pastry rather than tackle a recipe? Good, you'll need both hands for whizzing through this 15-minute flaky pastry recipe.

Fancy biscuits

Wonderfully crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, these bickies are truly addictive. Source: Alan Benson

You may not wish to know how easy some of the most complicated-seeming biscuits actually are, for you will be making them all the time. For example, these Danish macaroons use just five ingredients and only take 15 minutes to pull together. Dangerous combination!

Bread in all forms

This focaccia is studded with olive and rosemary, making it a meal unto itself (but also fab with soup and cheese!). Source: Alan Benson

Some breads indeed require more time than others (we're looking at you, sourdough), but others are actually very straightforward. You can't go wrong with most flatbreads, and this Italian focaccia is quickly pulled together.

Tarty things

The combination of fig, honey and almonds is a well-loved one. Source: Alan Benson

Put anything into a tart shell (especially one you've made yourself) and you're instantly a chef.* Once you've nailed the pastry (see above), it's really just a matter of assembly. Get started with this pretty fig, honey and sage tart.

* With respect to actual chefs who toil away for years to earn their chef title.

Pizza

This sourdough pizza base is chewy and flavoursome with a golden, crisp crust. Source: Alan Benson

With an entire industry built around someone else making pizza for us, you'd be forgiven for thinking it's tricky to make. It's not.

Complicated-looking cakes

Cocoa and vanilla cake batters spooned alternatively into the tin create this fun zebra pattern. Source: Alan Benson

This glazed number looks like fun baked into a cake. The swirly, marbled pattern looks impressive, but is super-simple to achieve. The whole cake will take you just 25 minutes to prepare.

Loaded muffins

Muffin magic: mix your dry ingredients, mix your wet ingredients and then combine them gently together. Source: Alan Benson

If you're not whipping up a weekly batch of muffins, you're missing out. Even though they are generally loaded with goodies, muffin making demands less of you - less fussing, less mixing and less cooking time than a cake. This banana, coconut and berry recipe is also dairy-free, gluten-free and trouble-free.

Crackers, definitely those thin ones

When you DIY crackers, you can add in whatever you fancy to make them your own. Source: Alan Benson

Once you've made your own crackers, you can never go back to store-bought. Mainly because they taste so good, but also because they are ten times easier to make than schlepping to the shops.

Airy eggs

Light but incredibly flavoursome, this French classic is truly memorable. Source: Alan Benson

While a soufflé is never going to be called dead-simple, it's definitely within range of most cooks. What it lacks in ease, it makes up for in wow-factor, so it's worth working through a step-by-step recipe like this one here.

Brownies, any kind

For a particularly wicked dessert, serve it drizzled with warmed extra dulce de leche and topped with a generous scoop of vanilla ice-cream. Source: Alan Benson

Brownies taste so good we imagine they must be difficult to bake. The truth is: they are ridiculously easy instead. Yep, even a masterpiece like these dulce de leche brownies.

Pretty cakes

Looks impressive but is really a one-bowl mix done in a food processor. Source: Alan Benson

If you want maximum bang for your bake, use a bundt tin. You can get them in all kinds of gorgeous patterns and they instantly turn a standard cake into a celebration. The bright saffron syrup takes this one-bowl orange cake straight into 'extra' territory.