- To preserve buttermilk for a long time, add lot of water to it and let it set. When it sets, buttermilk sits at the bottom and water at top. Spill the water at top and replace it with fresh water. Repeat this every day.
- After bananas have ripened, store in the refrigerator to help slow down ripening. The skin will turn dark brown, but this does not spoil the fruit inside.
- To avoid eyes tearing up while chopping onions, cut the onions into two parts and place them in water for 15 minutes before chopping them.
- To get thick cream from milk, boil it and let it cool at room temperature. Then refrigerate for a few hours. You see a thick layer of cream on top.
- If the lemon or lime is hard, put it in warm water for 5-10 minutes to make it easier to squeeze.
- To keep the chilies fresh for a longer time, remove the stems before storing.
- Adding half a tsp of sodium bicarbonate in the milk while boiling will not spoil the milk even if you don’t put it in the fridge.
- To remove the bitterness of bitter gourd, cut them into desired sized pieces. Mix some turmeric powder, salt and chili powder and leave it for 1-2hours. Squeeze out the pieces to remove water. This water removes all the bitterness.
- Apply some lemon juice on the cut surface of the apple to avoid browning. They will look fresh for a longer time.
- To keep coriander and other leafy greens fresh longer, wrap in newspaper and place in a perforated container in the fridge.
- If the milk begins to boil over, quickly sprinkle a little cold water over it and the overflow will subside.
- Use the water drained from curdled milk to knead chapati dough. They will turn out softer.
- To keep chapatis warm longer, cover the pile with two pieces of clean cloth above and below in a tight steel container. Leave on a griddle that has been warmed first
- To preserve Semolina (Wheat Sooji/Rava) for a long time, fry it in a frying pan for some time and store it in an airtight container after it cools completely.
- Pooris will be crisp if you add little Semolina and sugar while kneading the tough. The dough should not be very soft.
- Warm garlic flakes a little either in a microwave or on griddle before peeling, to make the skin come off easily.
- Grind a cup of soaked rice flakes for 5 cups of soaked rice to make softer dosas and idlis
- Do not beat idli batter too much just before spooning into molds. Just spoon as is. The air already incorporated while rising is lost and idlis may not be as soft as they should be.
- Store excess batter in the fridge for 2-3 days without turning sour. Do not add salt to that batter beforehand, add it a few hours before using.
- If bread slice is too dry, just hold the bread in the steam over a pan of boiling water for a few seconds.
- Always mash potatoes when they are still quite hot. They mash more easily and can be finely mashed too.
- When very finely chopped greens or chilies etc. are required in a recipe, use a pair of sharp scissors instead of a knife. The job will be made faster, more efficient and safer to cut.
- Salad tastes better and crisp if the vegetables have been soaked in chilled water for a while.
- Never use stainless steel spatulas/spoons while cooking in non-stick cookware. They will scratch the surface due to which the coating will disappear gradually.
- Cooking tamarind, lemon based or any other sour food in non-stick cookware reduces the durability of the cookware.
- To clean spilt oil, spread some flour on oil, wipe it off with old newspaper and then clean with a cloth.
- Do not use wooden vessels or spatulas while mixing saffron to any dish as they might absorb the saffron content.
- To clean the grease of butter from your palm or utensils rub some gram flour over them and then clean with water.
- To clear the blocked drainpipe of your kitchen sink, mix 1/2 cup sodium bicarbonate in 1 cup vinegar and pour it into the sink, and pour about 1 cup water. In an hour the drainpipe will open.
- Grind some common salt in your mixer/grinder for some time every month. This will keep your mixer blades sharp.
- Moisten the base of the vessel with water to reduce the chances of milk to stick at the bottom. Keep a spoon in the vessel while boiling milk at medium heat. It will avoid sticking the milk at the bottom of the vessel.
- Add a pinch of turmeric powder to the oil before adding green vegetables. The vegetables will retain their greenness better even after cooking.
- Blanch green leafy vegetables (fenugreek, spinach, etc.) in boiling water for 2 minutes. Hold under cold running water, press out excess water, store in freezer for about 2 weeks without spoiling.
- If there is a lot of leftover paneer crumbs, dry in a warm oven. Fry till crisp and store in the fridge. Soften in boiling water, drain and add to thicken gravies of any vegetables and curries.
- If you happen to put excess salt in the curry, cut a raw potato into about 10 pieces and drop them into the curry & leave for 15 min. They will absorb the excess salt. Remove the pieces before serving.
- Use a steel knife instead of iron to cut brinjals, plantains, ladies-fingers and mangoes to avoid blackening.
- Avoid deep frying. Substitute deep frying with stir frying or oven bake. Do not pour the oil but make a habit of spraying the oil in the utensil for cooking. Heat the utensil first, then add oil. This way oil spreads well. You will use less oil this way.
- Put some boric powder in kitchen in corners and other places. Cockroaches will leave your house.
- Use a wooden board to chop vegetables. It will not blunt the knife. Don’t use a plastic board, small plastic pieces may go with the vegetables.
- Putting 3-4 cloves in the sugar container will keep the ants at bay.
- Always use glass, porcelain or china jars for pickling. Make sure the lids can be secured tightly.
- Never use wet spoons, ladles etc. to remove or handle pickle. Moistures paves way for rotting.
- To allow free flow of sauce from a sauce bottle to a pourer, insert a drinking straw halfway, into the bottle and hold it there lightly with one hand while pouring with the other.