How to Cook Halloumi

Halloumi is one of those foods that's genuinely hard to get wrong and genuinely easy to get slightly wrong, rubbery instead of golden, squeaky instead of soft in the middle, or stuck fast to the pan halfway through turning it. None of that is down to the cheese itself. It's almost always down to the pan, the heat, or both. Here's how to get it right every time.

Why halloumi behaves differently to most food you'd griddle

Halloumi has a much higher moisture content locked into a fairly dense structure, which means two things happen at once when it hits a hot surface. The outside needs to dry out and colour before it'll release cleanly, while the inside is trying to hold onto its moisture rather than melt the way a softer cheese would. Rush that first stage, or cook on a surface that's not hot enough to begin with, and you get halloumi that steams rather than sears, which is where the squeaky, slightly rubbery texture comes from.

A ridged surface actually works in halloumi's favour here, more than it does for some other food. The raised ridges make firm, direct contact and colour fast, while the moisture that halloumi releases as it cooks runs down into the channels rather than pooling underneath the cheese. That's the difference between halloumi that's properly seared on contact and halloumi that's been quietly sitting in its own liquid the whole time. The Pep Griddle Pan with removable handle handles this well, since the ridged surface does the drainage work for you and the non-stick coating means the cheese won't tear apart when you go to turn it, which is one of the more common frustrations people run into.

Getting the slice right

Halloumi is usually sold as a block, and how you slice it matters more than people expect.

• Aim for slices around 1cm thick. Thinner than that and it dries out and turns tough before it's had time to colour properly. Thicker and the outside can overcook while the middle stays cold.

• Slice lengthways along the block rather than across it, you'll get larger, more even pieces that sit flat against the ridges rather than curling at the edges.

• Pat the slices dry with kitchen paper before cooking. Halloumi is stored in brine, and any surface moisture left on it will fight against getting a good sear, the same principle as drying potatoes before roasting them.

Cooking method

1. Heat the griddle over a medium-high heat for a couple of minutes before anything goes on. Halloumi needs real heat to sear rather than steam, so don't rush this step or turn the heat down to be cautious.

2. Add a very light brushing of oil, either directly onto the griddle or onto the halloumi slices themselves. Halloumi has enough fat content of its own that you don't need much, just enough to stop any sticking.

3. Lay the slices onto the ridges with a small gap between each one. Don't move them once they're down, resist the urge to check or shuffle them in the first minute or so.

4. Cook for around 2 to 3 minutes on the first side, until you can see clear golden ridge marks forming and the edges have started to firm up. You should be able to lift a slice cleanly at this point, if it's resisting and tearing, give it another 30 seconds.

5. Flip and repeat on the second side, usually a little quicker than the first, around 2 minutes.

6. Serve immediately. Halloumi firms up fast as it cools and loses a lot of its appeal within a few minutes off the heat, so have everything else ready before it goes on the griddle rather than after.

A few common mistakes worth avoiding

Cooking straight from the fridge. Cold halloumi dropped onto a hot surface cools the pan down right at the point you need it hottest, and the outside can end up overcooking before the middle's caught up. Give it ten minutes or so at room temperature first if you can.

Overcrowding the griddle. Halloumi releases moisture as it cooks, and slices packed too closely together trap that moisture between them rather than letting it drain away into the ridges. Cook in batches if your griddle isn't large enough to space everything out properly.

Pressing down on it. Unlike a smash burger, halloumi doesn't benefit from being pressed flat, it's already a fixed shape and pressing just squeezes moisture out unevenly and risks breaking the slice apart.

Simple ways to serve it

Griddled halloumi works well, well beyond a side dish. A few easy directions:

• Layered into a wrap or flatbread with roasted red pepper and a drizzle of chilli sauce

• Served over a salad while still warm, the heat softens the leaves slightly and makes for a better contrast than cold halloumi ever does

• Alongside griddled vegetables, courgette and aubergine both cook at a similar rate and share the ridges well

• On its own with a squeeze of lemon and a scattering of fresh mint, which is honestly all it needs

Cleaning up afterwards

Halloumi doesn't tend to leave much stuck-on residue if it's been cooked properly, since a good sear means it releases cleanly rather than tearing and leaving bits behind. Any moisture that's drained into the ridges will have mostly evaporated by the time you're done, so a wipe with kitchen paper followed by a quick wash is usually all that's needed. With the handle removed, the pan sits flat for cleaning too, no awkward angling around a fixed handle to get into the ridges properly, which matters more than it sounds when you're trying to clean grooves rather than a flat surface.

Once you've got the timing down, halloumi is one of the quickest things you can put on a griddle, a few minutes a side and it's done, which makes it worth keeping in mind as a fallback whenever you want something that feels like more effort than it actually is.

Check out the Pep Griddle Pan and see how easy it makes cooking!