'You know what? You can cook!' - Nick Nairn Cook School

Nick Nairn's recipe for a cook school took many years to perfect. Here the award-winning chef explains why he wants to inspire the nation to get cooking and shows us how it's done

I set up the Nick Nairn Cook School in April 2000 with one very simple aim: to give ordinary people the skills necessary to turn raw ingredients into great food.

The idea had been in my head for about 15 years, ever since I began teaching classes in the small, sweaty kitchen of my first restaurant, Braeval. But having a good idea and turning it into a reality are two very different things, and what I needed was a catalyst. In the end I got two: the availability of premises – an old piggery on my family's estate – and the opportunity to work with wonder-chef John Webber.

John and I come from vastly different culinary backgrounds, but what we have in common is a real passion for food and a desire to share that passion with the wider world. Neither of us knew exactly how to set about it, and when the school first opened everything was done on a very small scale. But even with only a few hundred customers, the results were astounding and we soon learned that even the most unpromising toast-burners nurtured a hidden foodie passion.

That fact was a great comfort, as for many years I'd been noting with concern our society's shift away from the experiences offered by 'real food'. Issues of seasonality, regionality and freshness all seemed to have been subsumed by a desire instead for 365-day availability, and an ever-advancing tide of ready-meals and convenience foods. To me it seemed we no longer had knowledge of where our food was coming from, nor the requisite skills to prepare it.

It's a far cry from the days when cooking skills were passed on from generation to generation, and the result, I think, has been disempowerment. Our lack of culinary ability means that big food companies now take care of how our meals are prepared, and unlike our parents and grandparents they don't always have our best interests at heart. Relying heavily on this processed food means that not only does our diet suffer and obesity rates soar – with all the associated illnesses – but we also start to lose the huge benefits that come with communal cooking and social eating. People also become so tied into the 'fast food', non-cook lifestyle that they actually believe themselves incapable of creating meals from scratch. It's something we hear all the time at the school: "Sorry, I can't cook."

You know what? You can cook! All budding chefs really need is encouragement, a few skills and some basic knowledge – and at the Nick Nairn Cook School this was something we could offer. We created a warm, friendly environment where like-minded people could come together and share a fantastic experience of food, a little wine and a lot of fun and start to re-awaken their inner cook. The same toast-burners who came in believing they couldn't cook were soon walking out of the kitchen with a plate piled high with their delicious creations, and grinning from ear to ear at their achievement.

The question was: once we had these people fired up to cook, how could we physically teach them? We couldn't treat them like chefs. Chefs learn to cook by repetition; a combination of constant observation and trial and error. They quickly develop an instinctive style of cooking that necessitates making continual small changes to the elements affecting the outcome of the dish. It becomes second nature, as does using their senses to help deliver perfect results. For example, when cooking a piece of meat, a chef will listen to the sizzle in a pan, smell the degree of caramelisation, see the colour developing and feel tension in the meat grow as it cooks and go as it relaxes. We had to tell people about this.

Learning how to get the instinctive, sensory, years-of-knowledge thing across was daunting. We had to adopt a non-intimidating, non-threatening approach and develop a language that would allow people to understand the complex nature of good cooking without being terrified by what was involved.

As we grappled with these big questions, the school continued to grow. Soon, our few hundred customers became a few thousand and John and I were joined in the kitchen by Alan Mathieson. Together, we continued to gather a unique insight into what people need to know in order to make cooking at home a success, and we also began to find a teaching style that really seemed to work.

A pinch of this and a handful of that was no longer sufficiently accurate. We learned to weigh, measure, time and check the temperatures of every single one of our dishes in order to explain exactly how to recreate them. After all, if we didn't totally understand a dish, how could we possible teach anybody to prepare it? So, out came the scales, the measuring jug and the thermometer. We started a logbook to record the critical stages in every dish, and as we taught, we allowed our pupils to teach us what they really needed to know.

That in-depth, seven-year process has brought us here: the Nick Nairn Cook School Book. It has been a joy teaching the 20,000-plus eager students who've passed through our doors since 2000, a real pleasure watching as individuals experience those dawning moments of culinary realisation and clarity. But, now it's time to write it all down and pass it on to an even wider audience.

Three steps to heaven

Base your cooking on these fundamental elements and you'll soon be a culinary star, writes Nick Nairn

AT the Nick Nairn Cook School our philosophy for creating great food is based on three fundamental elements: produce, technique and harmony, or as we refer to them, PTH. Whether you're making a five-course gourmet meal or a cheese sandwich, these are the areas you need to focus on, as each will dramatically affect the outcome of your cooking.

PRODUCE

Let's start with the most important of the three. I know what you're thinking: yawn, yawn, another chef piping on about 'fresh seasonal produce'. But for me, produce really is king, and is the single most important part of the journey towards creating great food. If you start out with fabulous raw materials there is a real chance you'll be able to create something tasty and memorable. Cook with produce that's substandard, and the results are never going to be spectacular.

The first step is allowing yourself to be inspired. Wherever you're shopping, look for the best produce and allow this to influence what you're going to cook. It might be tempting to choose your recipes after looking at the enticingly glossy pictures in magazines and cook books. But when you do that, it's easy to get a fixed idea in your head of what you're going to create – say turbot with shrimp cream – and become blinkered to all the other produce available. That beautiful image of the finished dish leads you to walk past fantastic herring and spanking-fresh mackerel, because for you only turbot will do, even if it's been hanging around the fishmonger's slab for a few days.

Try to turn things around in your head: buy first, then decide what dish you're going to make. There are hundreds of fish recipes in the world. If you can get something like really fresh mackerel and then bake it, roast it or fry it, then it'll be head and fins above that old bit of turbot. Adapt to what's available and seasonal rather than shopping with fixed ideas. If you can put 25% of your effort for a dish into finding the right produce first, you won't go far wrong.

Another basic thing to consider is where your food has come from. Good quality produce will be selected, handled and cared for with skill. That skill takes effort, time and expense, all of which usually translates into a higher price for the consumer. But we should be paying more for our food. In the 1950s, the average UK household was spending about a third of its income on food. Now it's closer to a tenth. Be prepared to spend a bit more on better produce – it's well worth it.

TECHNIQUE

It's not enough to buy fabulous raw materials, you also have to cook them properly to get the best results. After all, there's no point in buying a really fresh piece of fish and then baking it to death. Likewise, you don't buy a piece of Aberdeen Angus beef fillet and then poach it or steam it for an hour or two, as you're not going to get the best flavour out of it. What you need to do is fry it or roast it. Get a hot pan and caramelise it on the outside, get a nice crust on it – that's where the flavour is. Then you need to go through the process of relaxing the meat, as during the hot cooking process the fibres shrink and force all the juices to the centre. The meat has to be left in a warm place to allow the fibres to relax and the juices to redistribute throughout until it's tender and succulent and flavoursome.

Important cooking techniques like these aren't complicated, and in fact the simplest things in the kitchen, such as adjusting the heat of a pan, can make a huge difference to the outcome of every dish. For example, how do you chop an onion so that all the pieces are the same size? Should you allow your vegetables to sweat or caramelise? How do you stir a risotto? What's the best and quickest way to whisk egg whites?

These are the basics that will revolutionise the way you cook. The techniques may slow you down at first, but once you've mastered them you'll cook with more confidence and achieve far better results.

HARMONY

Take any plate of food, either in a restaurant or on your own dinner table, and ask yourself why everything is there. Does it all have a purpose and bring something to the party? Can it put its hand up and say: I'm here because I provide the protein; I'm here because I provide the balancing carbohydrate; I'm here because I provide some nice vegetable flavour and texture; I'm here because I provide the sauce that gives the dish succulence, and surrounds it with interest and subtlety and complexity?

What you don't want is something that's there because it looks pretty (like a physalis dipped in caramel that's expensive and time-consuming to make) or trendy (like a foam that's badly made and adds nothing to the dish).

Some ingredients have a natural harmony and want to be together on a plate – tomato and basil, lime and coriander, vanilla and cream, lamb and rosemary, for example. On the other hand, there are some combinations you should stay clear of, such as chocolate and red wine, or fish and mint.

So challenge yourself: find great produce, cook it properly and combine it with what it gets on with so that the flavours and textures complement and enhance one another. I can't lie: doing all this will take more effort than a weekly supermarket shop, but I know these techniques can provide you with all the basics you need to make creating great food much easier.

Give this philosophy of PTH a go, even just for one meal, and your culinary world will begin to change forever. The 20,000-plus who have spent time at the school can't be wrong.

The Cook School chefs

Nick Nairn

"Good cooking comes from knowledge, experience and confidence," says Nick, "but everybody has to start somewhere, so just go for it and I promise you'll surprise yourself. If you're going to continue to improve, it's vital to move out of your comfort zone of familiar dishes once you've mastered the basics. We can all cook – and yes, that means you!"

Nick first discovered a love of food while travelling the world with the Merchant Navy. In 1986 he opened his first restaurant, Braeval, through which he won his first Michelin star, and in 1997 he opened Nairn's restaurant in Glasgow.

By this time he had also begun a television career with appearances on the BBC's Ready Steady Cook, and his own series, Wild Harvest and Island Harvest. Further shows included a winning appearance on Great British Menu, which resulted in him cooking lunch for the Queen on her 80th birthday. He also presents the rural affairs programme Landward for BBC Scotland.

In 2007, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in recognition of his outstanding contribution to Scottish cuisine and his work in promoting healthy eating. He's married to Holly and has two children.

John Webber

"There is a saying that luck is when preparation meets opportunity. That's also a perfect description of cooking," says John, the school's head tutor. "Good cooking is 50% preparation and 50% taking advantage of the opportunities presented while you cook."

John trained at the Dorchester in London under Anton Mosimann, and his four decades in the catering industry mean his culinary knowledge is second to none. His career has taken him from Gidleigh Park in Devon, where he won his first Michelin star, to Perthshire's Kinnaird Country House, where he won a second. He has taught at the Cook School since it opened in 2000.

John is married to Caroline, who also works at the school, and has three children.

Alan Mathieson

"Cook with passion and don't be afraid to experiment. Some of the best dishes are ones that have come from mistakes," says Alan, the school's senior tutor.

His distinguished career has included the position of head chef at Edinburgh's Atrium and on the Royal Scotsman train, as well as sous-chef at Greywalls. He has also spent time in the United States working for Charlie Trotter, Wolfgang Puck and Michael Mina. Alan worked with John for almost three years at Kinnaird House, and with Nick at Nairn's Executive Dining. He joined the school in 2004.

Alan lives with his partner, Joanne, and has two children.

Slicing and dicing onions

If we were to do a survey of the most common 'lightbulb' moment at the school, chopping an onion would top the poll. It's amazing how a simple technique can transform the cooking experience. This method stops the onion falling apart while chopping and results in pieces all of the same size. One of the questions we are often asked is: "How do I stop onions from making me cry?" There is no definitive way, but we recommend getting it over with as quickly as possible, good ventilation and possibly sticking your tongue out!

1 Start by chopping the onion in half from root to stem. Cut off the stem end, leaving the root end intact. Remove the skin and first layer of the onion. This underskin is usually a little tough, making it difficult to cut through and to chew.

2 Hold the knife as shown with your thumb resting on top of the blade, and your fingers underneath the handle.

3 Start at one side and place your knife so that the blade is sitting over the onion with the point level with the root. Carefully slice down towards yourself. You should find that, because of the curve of the blade, you don't cut right through the root. Use the natural lines on the onion as a guide to where to slice.

4 When you're finished, the onion should look like this. Notice that it is still holding together at the root.

5 Position the onion so that the root is pointing to the left, and carefully chop through the slices horizontally. Do not cut right through, but make sure you leave the root intact. If the onion is very large, make two evenly spaced horizontal cuts.

6 Change your grip back to normal (with your thumb at the side) and dice the onions. All the pieces should come out roughly the same size. Discard the root.

FRENCH ONION SOUP

Serves four

75g unsalted butter
500g medium white onions, peeled and sliced (not Spanish onions: those are too sweet)
1 tsp caster sugar
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed in a little salt
1 tbsp flour
900ml hot brown chicken stock (see page 24)
1 bouquet garni of bay leaves, thyme and parsley stalks
1/2 tsp light soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp cabernet sauvignon vinegar
Maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 slices of baguette, 1cm thick
1 whole garlic clove, peeled and lightly crushed
150g Gruyère cheese, coarsely grated

Set a pan on a medium heat and add the butter. When the butter is melted and foaming but on no account browning, add the onions. Cover and cook for five minutes, stirring only occasionally to stop them sticking, and allow them to cook evenly. Cooking with the lid on traps the steam inside the pan and helps extract the juices and vegetable sugars from the onions. When you remove the lid, the onions should look quite moist and translucent, but not coloured.

Increase the heat slightly, remove the lid and stir in the sugar. The moisture in the pan will now evaporate and the onions will start to caramelise. Cook and stir steadily for another 20 to 30 minutes until the base of the pan is covered in a rich, nut-brown caramelised film and the onions are golden brown. Keep a close eye to make sure they don't burn.

Now add the crushed garlic and the flour. Mix well and cook for a couple of minutes. Next add the stock slowly, mixing well. Once all the stock is in, bring the soup to a simmer and add the bouquet garni and soy sauce.

Simmer for 15 minutes before adding the vinegar. Simmer for a further five minutes, taste and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

While the soup is bubbling away, toast the baguette slices under a preheated grill until crisp and brown. Then rub the surfaces of the toast with the bruised garlic clove.

Ladle the soup into four heatproof bowls and float a piece of toast on top of each one. Sprinkle the cheese liberally over the top and set the bowls on an oven tray. Place under the preheated grill until the cheese is starting to brown and bubble, but don't allow it to burn.

Carefully remove the bowls from under the grill and serve immediately while the soup is piping hot – watch out for burning-hot onion strands!

Mise en place: Make the whole thing ahead of time and reheat with bread and cheese.

Nick says: "I like to use cider in this recipe instead of the vinegar. I add it after softening the onions, allowing it to reduce down and add a strong base flavour to the soup. You are looking for an even caramelisation of the onions – you don't want white onions stewing in a pool of liquid, and conversely no burnt edges."

BROWN CHICKEN STOCK

Makes 1.25 litres

4kg raw chicken carcasses
1 pig's trotter, split
4 carrots, diced
3 onions, diced
3 sticks celery, diced
half a fennel bulb, diced
1 garlic bulb, cut in half across the equator

Trim the chicken carcasses of any excess fat and discard the fat. Place the carcasses in a roasting tin and roast in a hot oven until golden brown, but don't allow them to burn or they'll taste bitter.

Place the roasted chicken bones and the pig's trotter in a large pot (tall, narrow pots work best for stocks). Add all the vegetables, except the garlic, to the roasting tin. Roast in the oven (or place on the hob over a high heat) and brown the vegetables, stirring occasionally until golden and caramelised but on no account should they be burnt. Remove the vegetables and set aside.

Deglaze the roasting tin with 1 litre of water. Mix well, scraping the bottom of the tin with a heat-proof spatula to release all the caramelised debris from the bottom of the tin.

Add the browned vegetables to the bones in the pot with the halved garlic bulb and top up with enough water to leave 5cm of bones showing above the water level (these will shrink down as the stock cooks) and bring up to a simmer.

Cook the stock for two and a half hours, skimming occasionally, then strain through a colander into a clean pot.

John says: "Stocks are one of the building blocks of modern cookery, so get into the habit of making your own at home."

SEASONABLE VEGETABLE STEW

Serves two

230ml marinated vegetable stock
(see below)
40g butter
50g baby carrots, peeled and thinly sliced, diagonally
half a garlic clove, peeled and very finely chopped
3 baby leeks, very finely sliced
8 thin asparagus spears, trimmed and sliced into 5cm lengths
50g baby courgettes, diced
30g mange-tout, sliced
2 tbsp fresh or frozen peas
1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
30g spring onions, sliced diagonally
8 cherry tomatoes, halved
finely grated zest of half a lemon

Place a large pan over a medium heat. Add the butter and vegetable stock, whisking until the butter is fully incorporated. Add the sliced carrots and garlic and cook for one and a half minutes.

Next add the baby leeks, asparagus and courgettes – you may need to add a little water here if the sauce has reduced too much. Give this a further one and a half minutes to cook.

Now add the mange-tout and peas and cook for about 20 seconds. Add the parsley, spring onions, tomatoes and lemon zest. Stir well, bring to the boil and serve immediately.

Mise en place: Prepare all the vegetables: nothing more, otherwise it will lose its delicate flavour.

Nick says: "Add some sliced monkfish or scallops to the stew and cook until opaque for a fresh, delicious starter."

MARINATED VEGETABLE STOCK

Makes about 1.2 litres

1 medium onion, peeled
4 celery sticks
2 large carrots, peeled
1 small leek
1 fennel bulb
1 small garlic bulb
300ml dry white wine
zest of 1 orange
10 coriander seeds
2 star anise
10 pink peppercorns
1 sprig each of thyme, chervil, chives and tarragon
1 bay leaf

Wash and trim the vegetables. Cut into even dice about 1cm square. Place the vegetables in a heavy-based pan with 1.8 litres of water, the white wine, orange zest, coriander seeds, star anise and peppercorns.

Bring the mixture to the boil, skimming carefully, then turn down to a very low heat for about eight to ten minutes to allow slow infusion of the vegetables.

Add the herbs and simmer for another four minutes.

Remove from the heat, cool and allow to infuse in the pan in the fridge for 48 hours. Once marinated, it can be used immediately, refrigerated (unstrained) or frozen (strained).

To use, strain the stock through a fine sieve, lightly pressing the vegetables and herbs to extract maximum flavour. The liquid may now be used for vegetable cooking, fish poaching or as the basis of light sauces and soups.

Nick says: "Make big batches of this useful stock. It freezes well for up to three months."

John says: "Leaving the vegetables to marinate for a couple of days and then straining off the stock gives a wonderful rich, sweet flavour that works well with most fish dishes."

Alan says: "The stock can be sweet, so add lemon juice for balance."

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