Readers may already be familiar with chef Péter Pataky, as we owe him many great recipes in our Kifli Chef section – the profession recognizes him as a respected expert, restaurant consultant, and co-owner of a sous vide meat factory. With Easter approaching, we interviewed him to reveal the secrets of the perfect ham-egg and food decoration.

How is good Easter ham made? What are the characteristics of quality ham ingredients and what cooking methods and tips do you have?

The best ham is always traditionally cured, smoked, and aged.

If we choose leg ham, it's worth knowing that it will always be drier than, say, a tied ham made from shoulder or a good smoked neck. Cook it slowly in just enough water to cover it. It doesn't even need to boil; keeping it just below boiling point is enough.

If we cook traditionally cured ham, it may be saltier, so it's worth soaking it in cold water overnight before cooking. The other extreme is cooking quick-cured ham, which will be almost unsalted after cooking; in this case, we can add a little salt to the cooking water, but this is rare. We can add an onion, garlic, peppercorns, bay leaves to the water, but don't over-season it.

Everyone swears by different methods for boiling eggs, such as putting them in cold or hot water, boiling them for a certain number of minutes, etc. What is your tried-and-true method for making hard-boiled eggs?

Yes, that's a very good question! Hard-boiled eggs don't mean we can boil them indefinitely, as the result will be the same after a few minutes. If we boil them too long, the yolk will turn greenish-gray around the edges, which is not nice and will be very dry.

I put them in cold water, boil them for two minutes from the point of boiling, then turn off the heat and leave them in the water for another 8 minutes. This way, they will be sliceable but not gray and dry.

In an Easter presentation, aesthetics are also important. Do you have any tips for beginner housewives on how to quickly, easily, and beautifully present food? And what should they do with fresh vegetables on the plate, such as a bunch of radishes or spring onions?

It's well known that we eat with our eyes first, but it's also true that the inner quality is more important than the appearance. If every component is excellent, the presentation almost doesn't matter because the quality and love are evident.

You can enhance everything with a bunch of parsley, chives, spring onions, or salad, but only decorate with something edible and part of the concept. So don't decorate with rosemary, for example, because it can't be eaten raw, and an orange slice is not suitable for an Easter platter.

Personally, I believe less is more, so I slice everything evenly, place it on a platter, add vegetables, sprinkle with freshly chopped herbs, and it's done. It's worth trying grated horseradish, either from a jar or freshly grated. Spend the energy on selecting good ingredients and preparing them properly!