Soften an onion: cook gently without burning

Prepare the next ingredient to stay by the hob

Slice the onion and prepare what follows it. For tomato sauce, open the tin before heating so you can add it at the right moment. Keep a suitable spoon nearby too.

Put the specified fat in the pan, add the onion and begin over medium-low heat following the cookware instructions. Spread the pieces over the base rather than in a thick pile. Stir regularly and watch the edges as well as the centre.

Respond to the signs of cooking

If the onion has blackened, start that base again rather than trying to hide the flavour beneath tomatoes. Do not add water to smoking fat. This technique uses a small amount of fat; it is not a deep-frying method.

• The pieces soften and turn translucent: keep cooking gently to the stage required.
• The edges colour too quickly: reduce the heat and stir to redistribute the pieces.
• Smoke or an acrid smell appears: turn off the heat and carefully move the pan off the ring only if this can be done safely.

Add garlic when the next ingredients are ready

Finely cut garlic colours quickly. Add it after the onion, stir briefly, then add the planned tomatoes or liquid. Have everything ready so you need not leave the cooking at this point.

There is no universal setting: hob, pan and quantity change the heating. The tomato and chickpea pasta puts this movement to use; the carrot and red lentil soup starts similarly, keeping the onion pale.