Kitchen guides
Cataplanas, olive oil, tinned fish and salt cod: what to buy and how to use it.
Kitchen guidesPortuguese TablewareBordallo, Costa Nova and More
A guide to Portuguese tableware - what Bordallo Pinheiro, Costa Nova, Casafina, Vista Alegre and Cutipol are known for, how to spot real pieces, and care.
Kitchen guidesPortuguese SpicesThe Short List and How to Use Them
The Portuguese spices and seasonings that matter: garlic, bay, colorau, piri-piri, coriander, parsley, cumin and cinnamon, and how cooks combine them.
Kitchen guidesPortuguese SeafoodThe Fish and Shellfish on Every Menu
A Portuguese seafood guide: the fish and shellfish on menus, their English names, how they're cooked, why prices are per kg, and what's in season.
Kitchen guidesPortuguese RiceArroz Malandrinho and the Classic Dishes
Portuguese rice dishes explained: the wet malandrinho style, arroz de marisco, de pato, de tamboril, de cabidela and de tomate, and which rice to buy.
Kitchen guidesPortuguese Pantry15 Staples and What Each One Makes
A Portuguese pantry in 15 staples, from olive oil, bacalhau and tinned fish to carolino rice, Maria biscuits and port, with the dishes each one unlocks.
Kitchen guidesPortuguese Ingredient SubstitutesWhat to Use Abroad
Portuguese ingredient substitutes for cooking abroad: what to use for chouriço, presunto, queijo da serra, massa de pimentão, bacalhau and carolino rice.
Kitchen guidesPortuguese CorkWhy It's Special and How to Use It
Why Portugal produces about half the world's cork, how cork is harvested every nine years, and how to choose and care for cork placemats and trivets.
Kitchen guidesPortuguese Clay Pot CookingCuring, Heat and Care
How to use a Portuguese clay pot: red vs black clay, curing a new pot, using it on gas or electric, cleaning it, and the best dishes to cook in it.
Kitchen guidesPortuguese Air Fryer RecipesAll 13, With Times
All 13 Portuguese air fryer recipes on Mesa de Portugal in one list, with times and temperatures, plus which Portuguese foods work and which don't.
Kitchen guidesPiri Piri SauceOrigins and a Homemade Portuguese Recipe
What piri piri sauce really is in Portugal, where the chilli comes from, how to make the oil-based molho de piri-piri at home and handle chillies safely.
Kitchen guidesMassa de PimentãoHow to Make Portuguese Red Pepper Paste
What massa de pimentão is, how to make the salted red pepper paste at home in three days, how long it keeps, and how to use it in pork dishes.
Kitchen guidesIs Portuguese Food Healthy? An Honest Look at the Atlantic Diet
Is Portuguese food healthy? The good (fish, olive oil, soups, beans), the less good (fried food, salt, sugar) and what the Atlantic diet means.
Kitchen guidesHow to Use a CataplanaStep by Step, Heat and Timing
How to use a cataplana: layering, heat level, how long to cook, when to shake it, opening it safely at the table, and cleaning copper vs steel.
Kitchen guidesHow to Reheat Pastel de NataCrisp Again in 5 Minutes
How to reheat pastel de nata so the pastry crisps and the custard stays creamy: oven and air fryer times, why to skip the microwave, storing and freezing.
Kitchen guidesHow to Grill SardinesThe Portuguese Summer Method
How to grill sardines like the Portuguese: buy them fat in summer, salt them whole and ungutted, grill over hot charcoal and eat them on bread.
Kitchen guidesHow to Cook OctopusTender Every Time, the Portuguese Way
How to cook octopus so it's tender: freeze it first, simmer it slowly by weight, test with a skewer, then grill or roast it the Portuguese way.
Kitchen guidesHow to Buy BacalhauSalt Cod Grades, Cuts and Labels
How to buy bacalhau: what the salt cod grades mean, which cut suits which dish, dry vs wet cure, ready-soaked frozen cod and where to find it abroad.
Kitchen guidesFlor de SalPortugal's Hand-Harvested Finishing Salt
What flor de sal is, how it's harvested in the Algarve and Aveiro salt pans, and how to use it compared with coarse salt in Portuguese cooking.
Kitchen guidesChouriço vs ChorizoThe Real Differences, and Substitutes
Chouriço vs chorizo: how Portuguese and Spanish sausages differ in spices, texture and use, when to swap them, and how to flame chouriço at the table.
Kitchen guidesChouriço AssadorHow to Flame Chouriço Safely at Home
How to use a chouriço assador: how much aguardente or alcohol to use, where to put it, how long it burns, the safety rules, and no-flame alternatives.
Kitchen guidesBacalhau Recipes15 Classic Portuguese Ways to Cook Salt Cod
The 15 classic bacalhau recipes Portugal cooks most, from à Brás and com natas to Gomes de Sá and pataniscas, with which cut to buy for each one.
Kitchen guidesAir Fryer TipsCrisp Portuguese Fried Classics at Home
Practical air fryer tips for Portuguese food: crisping pastéis, rissóis and croquetes, oil, preheating, liners, temperatures for fish and pork, reheating.
Kitchen guidesCataplana Buying GuideCopper vs Stainless Steel
What a cataplana is, copper vs aluminium vs stainless steel, which size to buy, whether it works on induction, and how to look after one.
Kitchen guidesPortuguese Tinned FishA Beginner's Guide
Why Portuguese conservas are worth buying, which fish to start with, how to read the tin, and simple ways to eat sardines, mackerel and octopus.
Kitchen guidesWhich Air Fryer Size for Portuguese Cooking?
Basket, dual-drawer or oven-style? How to pick an air fryer size that fits pastéis de bacalhau, piri-piri chicken and a tray of natas for your household.
Kitchen guidesPortuguese Kitchen EssentialsThe Starter Kit
The tools a Portuguese kitchen relies on, from cataplana and clay chouriço grill to cork trivets and good azeite, and which ones you can skip at first.
Kitchen guidesHow to Soak BacalhauSalt Cod Without the Guesswork
How long to soak each cut of salt cod, how often to change the water, how to tell it's ready, and how to freeze it. The step every bacalhau recipe depends on.
Kitchen guidesPortuguese Olive OilA Buyer's Guide
Why Portuguese azeite tastes different, the regions and olive varieties to look for, what the labels mean, and how Portuguese cooks use oil at the table.