What makes a good cook? The flavour? The textures? The plating? Well, it is certainly a combination of all these factors, but what makes a great cook is cooking from scratch. Our MKRSA contestants often show off their skills and whip up items from scratch. The kitchen is a great playground and we thought it would be great to share some of these easy recipes with you for cooking from scratch. 

Making your own ice cream is fun!
No ice cream maker? No problem. You can simply mix a can of condensed milk, a tub of whipped cream, and any filling of your choice such are chocolate chips, crushed blueberries, or crushed strawberries, the choice is endless. Drop the mixture into a plastic container and freeze for about six hours. And voila, you've just made homemade ice cream. Serve it in a cool bowl of your choice and remember the sprinkles! For a vegan option, you can use two cans of coconut cream and coconut condensed milk instead of condensed milk and fresh cream.

Mayo on the go!
Whisk egg yolks in a bowl, add mustard, and whisk together. Gradually add a little oil and continue whisking continuously for a few minutes until thickened. Whisk in one tablespoon of vinegar and one tablespoon of lemon juice, and you've got yourself some mayo on the go! You can store it in a glass jar and it can stay fresh for up to a week. There are so many dishes you can serve with mayo from homemade breadsticks to a light and delicious chicken salad, and not forgetting the famous egg salad we South Africans use for a braai. Your guests will appreciate fresh mayo a lot. 

Try making monkey gland sauce
Contrary to the name, rest assured there's no monkey business involved here! Monkey gland sauce has strong South African roots and many of us grew up with this at the dinner table. There are various recipes for it, but here's our spin. Mix up Worcestershire sauce, some vinegar, tomato sauce, and chutney to make this delicious sauce. It is a great accompaniment with burgers, hot dogs, and braais – some even like it on their Sunday roast. 

Homemade butter is better!
Okay, you're gonna need a strong arm for this one. Grab the whisk and a tub of fresh cream and drop it into a bowl. Add a pinch of salt and start whisking. The cream will first start foaming and become whipped cream, but do not stop there. As you continue to whisk you will see the cream split, and it will suddenly start looking a bit watery. Continue to whisk until it starts to form clumps of butter. You can now have your bread buttered on both sides, 'cause you made it!

Got any foods you make from scratch? Share them with us using #MKRSA. Catch more great cooking on Sundays with My Kitchen Rules SA at 18:00 on M-Net 101.

Check out Tim and Shereez's cool hack.