Tips And Tricks

During the process of cooking, we all make mistakes whether we are a novice or an expert. Sometimes we realize there is excess salt in the gravy or sometimes we end up burning something,  the list can go on! In such cases, following some tips and tricks can go a long way in giving your dishes the extra oomph and making the cooking process comfortable by preventing things from going wrong or correcting what has already gone wrong. Additionally, in today’s time when there is so much stress on re-use, there are numerous ways in which we can avoid wastage while cooking as well. So here is a list of tips and tricks which we swear by, and hope you find beneficial as well.

Tip#1 –  Always remove the stem of green chillies before preserving it in refrigerator, the chillies will stay fresh for a longer time.

Tip#2 – To avoid worms in Rawa/Sooji (Semolina), fry it without oil till little brown and then store.

Tip#3 – To avoid sticking of ground onion to pan/kadhai while frying, add a little salt.

Tip#4 – Dry fruits should always be stored in refrigerator for keeping them fresh for longer time.

Tip#5 – If curd tastes sour, add some milk for making the taste better. For making lassi and raita with sour curd, add milk instead of water.

Tip#6 – Left over dry cooked vegetables like cauliflower,mixed vegetables etc, can be used for making delicious vegetable sandwiches.

Tip#7 – If salt is more in cooked gravy, add a small ball of atta and heat it for 2-3 minutes and then remove the ball.

Tip#8 – After peeling the top skin of an onion, keep it in water for sometime before chopping to avoid watering of eyes.

Tip#9 – Add few dried red chillies while storing raw Dal to keep ants and other insects away.

Tip#10 – If dahi on top of dahi vada dries up, don’t use spoon for turning as it will break the dahi vada. Instead, hold the container with both hands and shake slowly(add little water or milk if required). Curd will come up and dahi vada can be taken out easily.

Tip#11 – A basic one which we often tend to forget – Always use dal after soaking in water to save fuel and for it to cook better.

Tip#12 – Soak potatoes and eggplant/brinjal in water after cutting to avoid discoloration.

Tip#13 – We use cardamom seeds for preparing cardamom powder, however the left over cardamom skin (chilka) should not be thrown away. Instead store them in the container which has tea leaves stored; this will ensure that the aroma retained in the skin is spread to the tea as well.

Tip#14 – To prevent the utensil from getting too sticky with the banana juice while boiling raw bananas, add few drops of oil while boiling.

Tip#15 – Mixture, puffed rice, fried chiwda etc get damp/ soft during rainy season. Warm in a pan on low flame to make it crisp.

Tip#16 – During rainy season, dry all leafy vegetables under fan before storing for longevity.

Tip#17 – Mix 1-2 teaspoons of besan (chickpea flour/ gram flour) in curd(depending on quantity) before using it in preparation of vegetables for thicker and better tasting sabzis and curries.

Tip#18 – If cucumber turns yellowish and is not suitable for salad, do not throw it. Instead, you can use it to make tasty sabzi.

Tip#19 – Left over dal can be used in preparing dough with atta for making crispy and delicious parathas.

Tip#20 – Used tea leaves, after washing and drying, can be used as a manure for plants, especially rose plant.

Tip#21 – If tomatoes become soft, immerse them in ice cold water for 10 minutes to make them hard and firm.

Tip#22 – Small quantity of leftover tomato soup (or tomato with a combination of other vegetables like carrot, spinach, etc) can be used in vegetable gravy/curries. This ensures a good use of leftover soup and also gives the curry a nice and different taste.

Tip#23 – Add few drops of lemon juice while cooking rice for fried rice. This will help rice grains to stay separate and not stick to each other.

Tip#24 – Keep a lemon cut into half in the refrigerator to kill the odour of stored food in it.

Tip#25 – While boiling vegetables, add a little salt to preserve their colour.

Tip#26 – Fruits like banana, guava, apples etc that are rich in Iron content turn black in a while once cut. To avoid this, add few drops of lemon juice on the cut fruits.

Tip#27 – During rainy season, to avoid onions from turning rotten fast, keep them in a basket in open air.

Tip#28 – Make dough of atta a little soft while making stuffed parathas for smooth and crispy parathas.

Tip#29 – The skin of bitter gourd can be used to make tasty vegetable instead of throwing it away.

Tip#30 – While frying anything, always ensure the oil is at the correct temperature. If its too hot, the outside will get browned up too quickly before the inside gets cooked. If its not hot enough, the fried food will absorb too much oil before getting cooked.