I learned how to cook perfectly juicy salmon every time - takes 3 seconds

I love eating salmon, but until very recently, I avoided cooking fish full stop. With fish being so expensive, it felt wrong for a perfectly good fillet to be wasted in my hands. Whichever way you cook it, salmon should be tender, juicy, and - this part is crucial - easy to pull off, or else I won't bother.

And so I didn't, until a recent discovery. If you've cooked salmon before, you may be familiar with the white goo that doesn't bode well for your supper. That substance is called albumin, a liquid protein that solidifies during cooking. And while it's flavourless and safe to eat, if it's oozing out of the salmon, it's a sign you've overcooked it. One surefire way to avoid it and never cook chalky, dry salmon again is as easy as poking it with a stick.

Ten years ago, I bought a meat thermometer and have never looked back. Not another kitchen gadget, you may be groaning, but it deserves its spot in the kitchen drawer. If you're someone who cooks meat, it's a foolproof way to cook it exactly how you want it.

It's been indispensable for weeknight steaks as it has been for Christmas turkey, as I am equally loath to give food poisoning to my nearest and dearest. A meat thermometer saves time and money - no more second-guessing or forcing yourself to eat meat that's become stringy and dry.

The one I've owned all these years is Thermopop, a quick-read thermometer that takes a few seconds. Whilst that version isn't readily available in the UK, this £16.99 Thermapen on Amazon has a similar look.

As much as I sing the praises of a meat thermometer, I had never thought to use it on fish, which was very silly indeed.

Having picked up a good deal on a 500g salmon fillet from Lidl and not wanting to ruin a good thing, I finally incorporated it into the cooking process. I ended up cooking salmon that was melt-in-your-mouth tender in 20 minutes.

Minimal fuss, maximum flavour is my motto for weekday cooking. It's nice that salmon, something that intimidated me for years, has come to encapsulate this approach.

For starters, fish is cooked and safe to eat when its internal temperature is 63°C, according to the UK Food Standards Agency. A bit of poking around on Google revealed that some chefs cook it to 50-55°C for a juicier result.

Use your own judgment, but I've found the magic number to be 50°C. This works if you've roasted it, popped it in the air fryer, or pan-fried it - just stick the thermometer in the thickest central part of the fish.

Once the fish is out of the oven, I leave it to rest for about five minutes and let the carry-over heat do its work. The result is salmon that's opaque but buttery-soft, tasting as if it comes from a restaurant. No white goo, just perfectly cooked salmon.