Lamb chop

Pat them dry, season, then sear in a hot pan with a little oil for about 3–4 minutes per side for chops around 2.5 cm thick. For a straightforward safety target, cook the centre to 70 °C for 2 minutes, then rest the chops for 3–5 minutes.

They can be served pink when the centre has reached a safe temperature: use a thermometer and check that it reaches 70 °C for 2 minutes. Colour alone is not a reliable way to judge whether the meat is safely cooked.

Keep raw chops covered on the bottom shelf of the fridge and cook them within 3–5 days; freeze them sooner if you will not use them in that time. Refrigerate cooked chops within 2 hours and eat them within 3–4 days.

Rosemary, garlic and lemon are classic with lamb. Serve the chops with roast potatoes and vegetables, or with couscous, flatbread and a minty yoghurt sauce.

Loin chops are meaty and cook quickly, while rib chops have a strip of meat around the bone and often a little more fat. Choose chops of similar thickness so they finish cooking at the same time.

Yes; pork chops work in the same kinds of pan-fried or grilled meals, but their flavour is milder. Pork chops have 164 kcal and 9.3 g fat per 100 g, compared with 262 kcal and 22 g fat in lamb chops.

The names can overlap, but a cutlet is usually a small, tender chop taken from the rib or loin, often with a neat bone handle. Lamb cutlets have 333 kcal per 100 g, compared with 262 kcal in lamb chops.