Raymond Blanc believes becoming a good cook is all about mastering the basic techniques. Raymond taught himself to be a Michelin-starred chef. But first, he had to understand what happens to food when you cook it different ways. Once you know what is happening when you roast, fry, poach etc then you can cook anything. After 40 years of trial and error, Raymond wants to share what he has learnt. Each week he takes a different technique and shows five delicious dishes using that technique. The recipes range from simple to ambitious and Raymond delivers it all in his easy, warm, inimitable way.

This first episode is all about slow cooking, a great technique that has meltingly delicious results. See what happens to a tough cut of meat with his Asian flavoured beef shin with papaya salad and the fabulous merging of flavours with a squid and chorizo stew. But simplest of all is an amazing compressed apple terrine. Show less