Chicken mince

Because it is lean, avoid cooking it for longer than necessary. Mix in finely grated onion or courgette, or a spoonful of yoghurt, and cook just until no pink remains and the centre reaches 75 °C.

Break it into small pieces in a hot pan and fry for about 6–8 minutes, stirring often. Check that it is steaming hot throughout, with no pink pieces, and reaches 75 °C in the centre.

You can, but it cooks more evenly if you thaw it in the fridge first. If cooking from frozen, use a covered pan over a low heat to loosen and break it up, then uncover and cook until it reaches 75 °C throughout.

Keep it sealed in the fridge and use it within a day or two, or freeze it soon after buying. Thaw frozen mince in the fridge, not on the worktop, and use it promptly once thawed.

Use it for meatballs, burgers, koftas, lettuce wraps or a quick chilli. It also works well in dumpling fillings and in sauces such as a chicken mince bolognese.

Turkey mince is the closest swap in many recipes and cooks in much the same way. Minced pork or beef can also work, but they are usually richer, so you may need less added oil.

Chicken mince has 6.8 g fat per 100 g, compared with 10.9 g in minced beef; the exact difference depends on the cut and mix used. Both provide protein: chicken mince has 22 g per 100 g and minced beef has 20 g.

Yes: both names mean chicken meat chopped finely, though packaging may use one term or the other. It is not the same as a seasoned chicken burger mixture, which can contain salt, herbs or other ingredients.