1. Use Sunflower Oil Spray – it saves messing with butter, try using the low-fat cooking spray which will get into the corners of the tin if you have no liners in stock.

2. Add 2 tablespoons of salad oil to your cake mixture, as this can keep the mixture moist and less crumbly.

3. Take your butter out of the fridge in advance so it’s nice and soft, NEVER use it straight from the fridge.

4. Grease pans using a piece of paper towel, rub a small amount of shortening, butter or margarine evenly over the bottom and on sides of pans if directed.

5, Prevent sharp edges on muffins, bar cookies or quick bread by greasing the muffin cups or pans only on the bottom and halfway up the sides so the batter is higher than the grease line. This is one time you might not want to use a pan spray.

6. Low fat spreads have high water content and give poor results in conventional recipes.

7. Cakes are usually made by the creaming method. In the creaming method, the fat is beaten with the sugar until it becomes light, fluffy and pale in colour.

8. For the best flavour in cooking, use unsalted butter and add small amounts of salt only as needed.

9. The main differences between extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) and other olive oils are taste and processing.

10. To reach “flaky” perfection in biscuits or pie crusts, use a solid fat like butter, lard, or vegetable shortening.