Kitchen Tips

The following are the tips that I have learnt from my amma, mummy, some sites and personal experience and since then have adopted them in my kitchen. Here I have added only the ones which I follow. I will update this post as and when I come across new ones. Hope you find this section useful.

Freezing tips
Following is the list of items which i have been successful in freezing.

Carrots, French Beans, Beets. - Wash them well, dry them on a kitchen paper, cut them into the desired sizes which you require for a particular recipe, Put them into ziplock bags and freeze. For peas I buy the readymade frozen ones. The same procedure can be followed for the fresh ones also. I think cauliflower and broccoli can also be stored by this method but i have never tried that. Spinach can also be stored similarly but it becomes very soft on thawing. Same is the case with Green Chillies. They too become very soft on thawing but can be used for curries which doesn't require chillies to be chopped.

Pulses can be sprouted in advance and stored in ziplocks in freezer.

Home-made paneer can be cut into cubes and stored in freezer.

Curry leaves can be stored for a longer time by drying them in shade. When they become fully crisp store them in boxes. The dry ones need not be stored in the refrigerator. By this method curry leaves lose their colour slightly but are very good for making chivda as they have no moisture. I use the dried ones in all my dishes.


Cooking tips
When boiling dal directly in a pressure cooker add some oil to it to prevent the dal from oozing out of the whistle.

When frying onions if a little salt is added to it, the process becomes quicker.


Cleaning tips
If the cooker becomes dirty from inside try pressure cooking a lemon rind with some water for 1-2 whistles. The cooker becomes clean.

For stubborn stains and residues on the gas burner and platform sprinkle some baking soda, leave it for a min or two and then scrub with a cloth or a plastic scrubber.

If your metal scrubber catches rust, after use put it in a plastic bag and place the bag in the freezer. Use when required and place it back in the freezer. This prevents the scrubber from catching rust.