Rick Stein answers your questions on his kitchen essentials, air fryers and his favourite fish

And which dish is most popular in your restaurants? Boris, North West

This is interesting. It’s an Indonesian seafood curry. The reason it’s so popular is the Indonesian spice mixture of galangal, ginger and garlic. It’s slightly scented with the flavours of the East and everyone loves it.

Most underrated fish and most overrated fish? Judith, Scotland

There is a fish called a megrim sole, which is now called Cornish sole to make it a bit more popular. But it’s a flat fish local to Cornwall, which I think is excellent.

I wouldn’t say there are any overrated fish. It’s just that some fish have been slightly ruined by their popularity. Fish like plaice, haddock or cod. They are beautiful fish but unfortunately because of the pressure of popularity, they are slightly under threat. But with new conservation methods, certainly cod is coming back.

What advice you would give to a younger version of yourself starting out? Tim, South West

When you’re young, you’re lacking in confidence in your own abilities. My advice would be don’t panic, relax. It will be alright and your qualities will come through as you get older.

What is your most used piece of kitchen equipment? Anonymous, London

Boringly, it’s my knives. I think a lot of the time you tend to pick up kitchen gadgets and end up putting them away, keeping them in the garage. Because actually, most things you can do with a knife, and it’s just a lot easier.

Air fryer or no air fryer? Kenneth, East of England

I’m not that keen on air fryers. I have one but I don’t use it much. An ordinary convection oven does the same job, albeit it uses up a bit more energy.

How has your time in Australia informed your menus in the UK? Kevin, London

Australia has been a great influence on me, right back to the early 80s when a revolution happened there with them suddenly realising cooking was a good thing to go into.

Because they had no big traditions of food, they just borrowed from all sorts of cultures that had arrived in Australia, like Greek, Italian, Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai. The whole idea of fusion cooking became second nature and exciting.

Which country has impressed you the most with its food? Helmut, South West

It’s really difficult to answer that one. There are so many countries with great cuisine. India springs to mind, particularly as we filmed there for quite a long time and I love everything about Indian food.

I haven’t filmed extensively in China but I love Chinese cuisine. Japan, because of the philosophy behind their cooking.

Italy, of course, and Greece. Greece was a late arrival for me. Early in the 1970s when I started going to Greece, the food, certainly for tourists, wasn’t brilliant, but of late it’s just come into its own. Great ingredients, simply cooked.

At what age did you really consider you had made it? Justine, Wales

It’s difficult to say, really. For me, the most important thing in my life was actually my first book, called English Seafood Cookery. It won a prize called the Glenfiddich prize, in those days. Now it’s the Fortnum & Mason prize or the Observer prize. I won a Glenfiddich for my first book. I couldn’t believe it.