Cooking tips from our dads

My dad is a master pancake-maker and -flipper… his tip was “patience” because I was always too eager to flip, instead of waiting for the pancake to start curling up around the edges as he advised. I still can’t get it right – patience was never my strong suit – so I just leave it to the experts. Or I visit my parents when I have a pancake craving! – Lee-Anne Spurdens, assistant editor

Find more pancake recipes here.

When cooking rice: bring it to the boil, reduce the heat, cover and walk away. Don’t stir it, don’t look at it too often. – Lynda Ingham-Brown, senior copy editor

Discover more recipes featuring rice here.

Twice-monthly Sunday lunches at my paternal grandmother’s house in Wellington were an institution; as was her rotation of authentic German dishes, including schnitzels, rolladen and sauerbraten. After she passed away, my father continued cooking these dishes, albeit with his own recipe tweaks. When I asked him how to make sauerbraten (wine-braised beef), he told me he finishes the gravy off with something you call “sossen fix” (kind of an instant sauce mix) and that you can thicken the sauce further with crushed ginger biscuits. Oh, and that you should keep the good red wine for drinking and put the less fancy wine in the dish. – Annette Klinger, features writer

View more brisket recipes here.

My dad showed me how to make the perfect Irish coffee. He taught me how to carefully pour the cream off the back of a teaspoon onto the coffee so there would be no mixing. – Abigail Donnelly, food editor

Find more recipes featuring coffee here.

My dad didn’t do much cooking but he did give me an appreciation for simpler meals, particularly meals on toast! He is a huge fan of canned baked beans (I like to make my own home-made version). I also share his love for all things butterscotch! – Amy Ebedes, online editor

Discover meals-on-toast recipes here.

My dad was fond of making chicken liver pâté from scratch and took great care in making it – braising the onions and getting the flavours just right. He didn’t always make it as a starter while entertaining, he’d often make bigger batches and freeze them to put on a sandwich for his work lunch. – Melissa Scheepers, online content producer

Discover more pâté recipes here.

Find more ways to celebrate dad this Father's Day here.