Endive is a vegetable that is extremely underrated and often given the cold shoulder in our cooking repertoire. This is incredibly unfair, and I was reminded of this by a Belgian acquaintance at the weekend, who authoritatively informed me that endive is Belgium’s national vegetable.

Good quality endive should be a creamy white colour and feel crisp and firm to the touch. For best results it should be stored in the refrigerator and used reasonably soon after purchase because it can easily turn bitter to the taste after too much light exposure.

Endive hails from the same family as Chicory. It is low in calories and rich in nutrients, such as vitamins B, A and C. It also contains iron, calcium, amino acids and fibre, which makes it great for slimmers. It’s also fantastic for people with skin problems or anaemia.

I asked my Belgian acquaintance how endive is usually served in his home country. Apparently, endive au gratin is extremely popular. Simply sauté one head of endive per person and place in an ovenproof dish. Wrap each head in a slice of Belgian ham, smother the lot in a béchamel or cheese sauce and bake until the dish is brown and bubbling.

My twist on béchamel is to make a classic white sauce using cornflower for thickening, season with plenty of salt and ground black pepper, and add a few tablespoons of parmesan cheese to give it a kick. Traditionally béchamel is flavoured with a bay leaf and the use of parsley or thyme, but these are optional and you’ll need to experiment which flavours work well with endive if you want to make the traditional Belgian dish – I’d probably go for a little parsley every time.

If you enjoy cooking Asian and Oriental food, then you’ll love using a traditional bamboo steamer.

They really set the scene for adventurous, authentic cooking and they look great in a working kitchen as well. Traditionally, dishes can be brought to the table in the bamboo steamer, which makes a great impression with guests and cuts down on the use of serving dishes and trays.

Bamboo steamers are circular shaped with a tight, bamboo lid and a strong frame. They create a more authentic and tasty end product as well as offer true Oriental ambience. The steamer fits easily into a wok and is easy to use - simply fill the wok with water and place your ingredients in the steamer.

Steaming your food is always the healthiest choice. There is no need to use fat or oil and steaming retains a greater proportion of the vitamins and minerals in the food in comparison with boiling, whereby many of the nutrients are lost.

Placing a layer of greens, lettuce or greaseproof paper at the bottom of the steamer should avoid the problem of sticking. You can also easily keep control with steaming, and you can choose to cook your ingredients well or to serve them with a slight crunch.

Bamboo steamers can be stacked – the lowest tier should contain the foods that take longest to cook. What’s more you can re-use the water you’ve placed in your wok as a flavoursome base for a sauce or stock, especially if you’ve added some spices to it prior to cooking.

It is advisable to maintain separate steamer tiers for meat, fish and vegetables if you’re going to regularly use a bamboo steamer. This means that future dishes won’t be tainted by strong flavours as the bamboo has the tendency to absorb them. You should also ensure that you wash your bamboo steamer well with warm, soapy water soon after use to keep it hygienic and fresh.

One of things I enjoy about going to In ‘N Out Burger is watching the employees make the French fries from whole potatoes. This cutter from Chef’s Catalog makes perfectly sliced, thick or thin French Fries from one potato with a single press of the handle. You can also use it for other root vegetables.

Made from natural stone and shaped by nature, each granite wine cooler is unique in shape, color, and structure. Whether you plan on buying one (or more) for yourself or as a gift, these coolers will make for great summer entertaining.

Freeze the cooler overnight. Keep your wine chilled for hours while you’re having fun. Available at RedEnvelope.com.