The crucial mistake we're making with sausages – because we don't like to wait

Get your butter out

You probably thought we were here to talk about eggs . Not this time. Today is about sausages .

Unless you're a vegetarian, sausages are vital to a dinner of bangers and mash, or a plump and tender toad-in-the-hole.

They're best in a sandwich. Aren't they? Or as part of an English breakfast. What is a fry up without two – possibly three, depending on your level of hangover – sausages? It's nothing. It's just bacon and eggs.

You might grill your sausages. Fine. You perhaps oven cook them – absolutely if you're doing a goulash or immersing them in batter. But it's where frying's concerned that we have new information.

It's all a question of time and heat with sausages. There's nothing wrong with a quick fry if you're in a rush, but if you want to extract the most flavour and ensure your sausages live up to their full potential, you need to drastically reduce the heat, and be patient.

For the best possible bangers, frying gently, in unsalted butter and on a low-medium heat for around 30 minutes, is a winning method, TheWhyChef explains.

Doing so brings about extra flavour, and a softer texture. Butter, rather than oil, is advisable – because it better compliments the pork, TheWhyChef believes. You don't need salted butter with sausages – they're salty enough.

You still need to occasionally turn the meat – but the crucial thing is biding your time and not whacking up the hob. You might be hungry, but your breakfast will be all the better for a longer pan-fry.

TheWhyChef says: “The higher the heat, the less the fat renders, the faster the skins burn, and the less likely you are to have a cooked centre before the outer edges start to get tough.”