Cooking Tips

Cooking Tips:

• Wash vegetables before peeling or cutting so that we can preserve the water soluble vitamins.
• Peel vegetables as thinly as possible so that the minerals and vitamins are preserved.
• Soak potatoes and eggplant in water after cutting ,so that the colour will not change.
• If you boil vegetables in water, do not throw that water, use that water to make rasam, gravies.
• To avoid browning of apples, apply a little lemon juice on the cut surface, the apples will stay and look fresh for a longer time.
• Keep coriander leaves in a  paper bag in the refrigerator so that they will remain fresh for a longer time.
• Remove the stems of green chilies while storing them so that they will be fresh.
• After peeling onions cut in half and soak in water for about 10 minutes before cutting to avoid water from eyes.
• Soak almonds in a cup of boiling water for 10 minutesso that the skin will peel off easily.
• Wrap the fruits and vegetables in newspaper before refrigerating to keep them fresh for long.
• To Chop the dry fruits let them freeze them first for one hour & then dip the knife into hot water and cut them.
• Heat the oil thoroughly before adding seasonings or vegetables.
• Fry the seasonings until they change color, to get full flavour of seasonings.
• If masala sticks to the pan that shows quantity of fat included is not enough.
• Add some hot oil and 1/2 tsp of baking soda in batter while making pakodas.
• When coconut is used in grinding masala, do not fry for a longer time.
• To make pooris more crispy add a little rice flour to the wheat flour while mixing.
• Pakodas will turn out crisper if a little corn flour is added to the gram flour (besan) while preparing the mixture.
• Fry the masala in reduced flame, so that it does nt lost colour and taste.
• When tomatoes are not in season, tomato ketchup or sauce can be  used in the gravies.
• To retain colour in the gravy always use ripe red tomatoes.
• Good variety chillies and chilli powder also gives colour to the gravy. As far as pos sible try to use long variety red chillies.
• While using ginger and garlic paste in curries, always use garlic and ginger in the same ratio.
• To make 1 cup of dal, add atleast 2-3 cups of water, depending on the type of dal.
• Soak whole pulses overnight and other dals for one hour before cooking so that they will cook very fast.
• Always add hot water to the gravy to enhance the taste.
• Add 1 Tbsp of hot oil to the dough for making Kachories or Kulchas.
• Always use heavy bottomed vessels to make desserts, in order to avoid burning.
• Whenever curd is to be added to the masala, it should be beaten well and add gradually.
• Use the leftover dal water to make rasam or sambar.
• Onions and masala are fried in the cooker body itself, raw vegetables are added to that with enough salt and water. Cook under pressure according to the cooking time of the vegetable, this method helps us minimise our
• cooking time, use of utensils and nutrients are also preserved.
• While boiling milk, always add a little water at the base of the vessel to avoid the milk from sticking at the bottom.
• Add a tsp. of hot oil to homemade pastes of garlic, ginger or green chili, along with salt to make it last longer and taste fresher.
• Store raisins in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will stay fresh for much longer.
• You can also leave a spoon in the vessel in which the milk is being boiled at low heat so that it does not get burnt at the bottom
• Add a few drops of lemon a tsp of oil to rice before boiling to separate each grain.(Fried rice,capsicum rice)
• Put tomatoes in a large bowl and cover with boiling water Leave it for about 5 minutes. Take out one by one, piercing them with a sharp knife, the skin will peel off easily.
• Immediately after boiling noodles put them in normal cold water to separate them each.
• If you forget to soak chana/Rajma overnight. Just soak the chana/Rajma in the boiling water for an hour before cooking.
• Potatoes soaked in salt water for 20 minutes will bake more rapidly.
• To Make rice or briyani for about 2 cups of rice and 31/2 cups water it.
• You can cook the raw vegetables before adding to curries by keeping them in a microwave safe dish and sprinkling water on top and cooking for about 3 minutes for 300 gms of vegetables
• To cook an average potato will take 3 minutes
• Always in a microwave the food cooks from the middle.
• You can make rice , kurma’s , bryani’s and also cook potatoes, heat milk , water and reheat any left over s in the microwave
• To reheat any cooked meal you can find the options on the microwave panel , you should press the kind of food and the weight it will give you correct time
• And also you can defrost the frozen food in minutes
• For heating or cooking if you are not sure about the time, you can set the time low and you can always open it and keep checking if the food is done.
• You can have a healthy and easy cooked meal from a microwave cooking
• And also all the microwave’s are not the same they differ from size and voltage and also depends on the options they have on the control panel
• Add a little oil and turmeric powder to the dal before placing it in the cooker. It will get done in 10 minutes flat.
• To preserve ginger-garlic paste: Fry them in oil before grinding and store in the same oil.
• Soak some fenugreek seeds in water for sometime, grind it to a smooth paste and add it to the dosa batter to get crispy dosas.
• Before cutting vegetables or any meat, dip the knife in hot water and you will be amazed to see the ease while cutting.
• If you are cooking cabbage add a small piece of ginger for a different and enhanced taste.
• If poppy seeds are used in grinding, soak it in hot water for 10 to 15 minutes before grinding in a mixie.
• Masala tea: Lightly roast dried ginger, cardamom peels, cloves and grind them. Store them in a bottle. Add to the boiling water with the tea leaves.
• If you have added too much salt according to the dish you are preparing you could add a few pieces of cooked potato, breadcrumbs,cooked tomato, maida, rice flour or chilli powder to solve the problem of too much salt.
• Always soak cauliflower in warm salted water for some time to get rid of tiny insects which may be hidden deep inside the florets.
• When you make dosa, grease the pan with an onion. It helps to get it crispy and remove from pan easily.
• When boiling noodles, add some oil to it so that they will not stick.
• while washing utensils add some drops of vinegar so that it get rid of bad smell from utensils.
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•  Always mash potatoes when quite hot so that you get finely mashed potatoes.
• Want to chop finely mint/green coriander Use kitchen scissors instead of a knife to chop finely, green coriander, green chillies, mint or tulsi.
• Storing green chillies fresh clean and cut stem from each chilli and store in freezer bagsso that they will be fresh for a number of days.
• Retain food values in vegetables Wash well before chopping, slicing or dicing. Do not wash after they are cut.
• To prevent okras from sticking to pan Add a spoon full of yogurt while cooking.
• If you have high blood pressure Cook with low sodium salt and do not add raw salt at meal times.
• Add a handful of rice flour to bajji batter for crisper and less oily bajjis.
• Use tissue papers for reheating fried snacks. For example, samosa, vada, kachori, bajji, etc. The paper will absorb the excess oil and moisture and keep the snack crisp. Reheat on high for 1-1 1/2 minute.
• To make samosas crisper add some corn flour to the maida for dough.
• If you are making potato or cauliflower curry and you do not want any change in the colour, then adda few drops of vinegar.
• If you are cooking cabbage, add a small piece of ginger for a different and enhanced taste.
• To make fluffy chapathisUse warm water when mixing the dough for chapathis.
• To make fluffy pooris use a little ghee while mixing the dough.
• For coconut to break exactly into two, sprinkle some water on it before breaking.
• While preparing sambar or rasam, always soak tamarind in hot water to extract the essence easily without any wastage.
• To ensure that the tawa is hot enough before spreading dosa, sprinkle a little water over it. If it sizzles immediately, then the tawa is hot enough. Wipe with a clean rag, proceed.
• Add a tiny piece of crushed ginger to tea, while boiling, for the extra zing especially during winter.
• To determine whether an egg is fresh, immerse it in a pan of cool, salted water. If it sinks, it is fresh, but if it rises to the surface, throw it away.
• Don’t store potatoes near onions! Potatoes rot quickly if stored near onions.
• Run the mixie at the slowest speed for a little while and then run it at the maximum speed so that it will have long life.
• The weight of the cooker should be placed only after the steam rises out.
• To easily slice boiled eggs, dip the knife in water first then it will not stick to the blade.
• Before beating eggs, rinse the container with water. The mixture will not stick to the sides of the vessel.
• When you use cardamom for anything do not throw away the skin instead put them in the teapowder and your tea will have the flavor of it.
• Putting a lemon in hot water before squeezing will give you more juice than usual.
• After cooking in the pressure cooker open the lid and rinse the lid and rubber in cold watertill use it for the next time, this will increase the life span of the rubber.
• If you have vegetable stains in your hands rub your hands with a tsp of sesame seed oil.
• You can keep cut lemon in fridge to avoid bad smell.
• You can use neem leaves to avoid the bugs and insects in cupboards and shelfs.