Iconic Asian food

Bacon’s deliciousness has led it to be overused by chefs, so it’s time to explore other porky treats. Bak kwa, the Chinese sweet-salty snack similar to pork jerky, would surely make a more interesting alternative.

Salt is a major part of cooking pasta, and some European chefs insist on it tasting like seawater, but Asian cooks would never boil rice or noodles in heavily salted water.

As temperatures drop, people start firing up their barbecues and celebrating with friends and family. Every barbecue has its own expert, and offers the chance to eat food that is raw and burnt at the same time.

YouTube chefs and food bloggers have some weird ideas, and are always telling us how to improve dishes, but you'll get much more satisfaction by sticking to tried and trusted recipes.

MasterChef would have you believe the extent of Asian cooking is sweet and sour pork – and Andrew Sun wants to know: when is actual Asian food going to be represented on these cooking programmes?

Given global warming and the emergence of pseudo meats, more of us should be replacing the Thanksgiving turkey with meatless alternatives. Meanwhile, China’s meat prices have surged on its pork crisis: a chance for pseudo-meat makers to enter the world’s biggest meat-eating market.