To prevent the
insides of the cooker from turning black Add a piece of tamarind or lemon
peel to the cooker while boiling
To preserve the
white color in cauliflower and cabbage. Add a teaspoon of milk or milk
powder while cooking.
To prevent the
burn sensation after grinding chilies Dip the hands in cold milk
To prevent milk
from curdling while boiling Add a pinch pf baking soda to it and it will
regain its freshness
To save oil
while frying Add a pinch of salt to the oil while frying
‘pakodas’ or ‘koftas’ and you will use up less oil.
Boiling Pasta
& Noodles Boil pasta/noodles in plenty of water and remove just before
it is fully cooked. They continue to be cooked even after it is removed from flame and
drained.
French fries First blanch cut potatoes in hot water or medium hot oil till
tender, then deep-fry in very hot oil till crisp. Take care not too add too many potatoes
at once to the oil. This causes the temperature of the oil to come down and you will end
up with fries that are greasy, not crisp!
If potatoes or
carrots get over-cooked Just mash them well and serve with butter or use
it as a batter for preparing cutlets
To soften cream cheese
quickly remove it from the foil wrapper and microwave it on medium for 30-40
seconds.
When soups and
stews get burnt, you can renew its taste By pouring the liquid gently and
carefully into a clean pan and flavor with curry powder or mustard or some chutney to
camouflage the burnt taste
When a recipe calls
for instant coffee substitute instant espresso powder for an extra boost
To remove
bitterness from karela Slit it from the middle and rub a mixture of salt,
wheat flour and curd over it. Keep aside for 1/2 an hour, before cooking.
To regain
freshness in stale chapattis Just wrap them in a clean cloth and pack them
in an airtight container that will fit into the pressure cooker and pressure cook for two
whistles and serve fresh and hot.
To determine if
baking powder is still active add 1 teaspoon to 1/3 cup of hot water. If it
bubbles vigorously, it's still active and will give good baking results
Save your margarine
or butter wrappers to grease your baking pans, Just fold in half the wrappers
and put in refrigerator. Take out and add a little shortening and spread in pan, then
throw away
Retain the green
of vegetables Green vegetables lose colour if subjected to continuous
heat. So, do not overcook them.
Wet the measuring cup
It will make removing the sticky ingredients like shortening or peanut butter easier.
Put folded paper
towel in bottom of salad bowl. Add veggies and greens to a salad bowl
containing paper towel . Just before serving remove towel (which has absorbed all the
water and adds crunchiness to the dressing). Salad will be snapping crisp. This is great
for carrying a salad to work. No more limp lettuce.
Tired Of Sticky
Measuring Spoons & Cups? Before measuring honey, syrup, or molasses
spray the measuring spoon or cup with a coating of nonstick cooking spray. The
sticky ingredients slides right out with no mess on the spoon or cup.
Use your pizza
cutter!! It does a great job cutting rolled out dumplin's into squares. Or use
it to cut up the kid's waffles or pancakes
To prevent icing from
running off your cake dust the surface lightly with cornstarch
To keep your bananas
from going too ripe too fast keep them in a plastic bag
To avoid
stickiness in Rice Add a few drops of lemon juice to the rice while
cooking, you will find that the grains of rice will remain separate.
For crispy lady
fingers Add a few drops of lemon juice while cooking for a crispy taste
To remove excess
oil in any fried vegetables Sprinkle a little gramflour over the
vegetables. Gramflour absorbs the excess oil and makes the vegetable tastier.
Serving Boiled
Noodles later If noodles/pasta has to be used after some time, then
refresh the boiled noodles in cold water and drain. This way they will not stick to each
other.
Making potato
cutlets? When boiling potatoes for cutlets add the salt to the water
itself as potatoes absorb salt better this way.
Curry turned out
a bit oily and pungent ? Take two bread slices and powder them coarsely.
Add this to the curry and mix well. Bread absorbs the excess oil and spice
Hurry to cook 'dal' ? Add a little oil and turmeric powder to the dal before placing it
in the cooker. It will get done in 10 minutes flat.
Make a soft
fluffy omelet Heat a non-stick pan and add a little more butter than
usual. Now beat the egg and stir briskly (even while frying) with a fork. This way more
air goes in your omelet, making it light and fluffy. Fry till done and serve hot.
Prevent onions
from burning, frying Add a little milk to onions while frying, this will
help retain a rich colour and prevent them from burning.
Soft paneer for
children After taking out the butter in the milk cream add a little milk
or curd to the remaining buttermilk and boil. Voila! you now have a soft paneer which is
specially good for small children and those with weak stomachs.
Instant Lemonade
Pour lemon juice with sugar and a little salt into ice trays, to make cubes which
can be used for instant lemonade.
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