Grandmother's Handy Tips-
Kitchen Related
To Retain the Green Color
of Leafy Vegetables even after they are cooked, Cook them Uncovered for the
First few minutes. Then Add a few Drops of Lime Juice or Vinegar when they are
almost done. This should retain the Greenness
To Clean Cauliflower
thoroughly, always separate the Cauliflower florets and keep them soaked in
Salt & Turmeric Infused Hot Water for 10 Minutes to get rid of the Tiny
Worms/Insects that may be sometimes present Deep inside the Florets and not
visible to the Eye
A slice of
Bread can soften the Hardened Brown Sugar if placed in the Sugar
For Perfectly
Shaped Cakes, First Grease the Baking Container & Line it with Butter Paper
After
grating Cheese, grate a raw potato to clean the Cheese out of the Grater holes
While
Cooking in a Handi, to avoid the Food from Burning Keep a Griddle (Tawa) below.
This Tip would be most useful while Cooking any Pulao/Biryani in a Handi
While using Food Coated
with Paprika, we have to be careful as it Scorches easily and becomes Bitter
To Avoid a Mushy Filling
in Apple Pie, Try putting Apple Cubes instead of Slices. The Cubes hold up the
Upper Crust better and allow Better Distribution of Sugar and Seasonings
For any Recipe, Crush the
Dried Herbs Before Putting in to release their Fragrance
Dal Cooks faster if Oil
is applied on it before cooking as the Proteins get a little Soft beforehand
this way. What’s more, to make it Easier for us most commonly used Toor Dal is
sold Rubbed with Oil (called Madhi Toor Dal) & Packed for convenience!
Remove the Stems from
Green Chillies & Keep in a Ziploc Bag before refrigerating them. This Helps
to Retain their Freshness for a long time
These Below 3 Tips comes
from our South Indian Households- While soaking Rice & Urad Dal for
Idli-Dosa, it is Important to Clean & Wash Both thoroughly many times before
Soaking. Later Try to Use the Soaked water while grinding as if the Rice &
Dal are Washed after Soaking, Most Vitamins will be Lost
While
grinding the Batter for Idli, 1 Cup of Beaten Rice Flakes (Poha) Soaked with 5
Cups of Rice will be useful as Idli turns much Softer and Lighter
Also, Crisp Golden Dosas
are easily achieved by Adding a Tsp. of Fenugreek Seeds (Methi) in the Soaked
Urad Dal & then Grind it
While Preparing Vadas,
Watery Batter can cause the Oil to Splatter during Frying. Add a Tbsp. of Ghee
to the batter & See the Magic!
Soak Washed Rice in water
for at least 10 Minutes before cooking to avoid Sticky Rice. If you forget to
do this, then a Tsp. of Oil can be added to get Separate Grains in the Cooked
Rice
A little Soda Water added
to Our Favourite Fruit Juice can add that extra Zing & Bubble to our Drink!
A Tsp. of Cold Water
added to the Egg White can help expedite the Whipping Process!
To Separate Egg White
from Yolk, Break the Egg into a Funnel Set over a Bowl so that the White glides
through & the Yolk stays back in the Funnel
To Prevent the Eggs from
Spoiling in summer, apply some Oil on the Egg surface
Add & gently blend a
Raw Egg/ some Milk or Cream with the Scrambled Eggs if they tend to get too
Firm
Using Powdered Citric
Acid Crystals helps it blend into the Recipe much easily before adding to any
Preserve/ Murabba, etc.
After Bananas have
ripened, refrigerate them to help slow down ripening. The skin will turn dark
brown, but this does not damage the fruit inside
To keep the Fresh Soft
Dates retain their Freshness for weeks, Dates should be refrigerated in
Ziploc/any Plastic Bag
For a Great tasting
Flavour, Fruits like Grapes, Plums & Pears should be allowed to Ripen at
Room Temperature before refrigerating
To Soften the Hardened
Solidified Jam, Add a little Hot Water to the Required Amount of Jam
& Stir
After removing Pickle
from the bottle, always press it back into the Oil layer using a rubber spatula
or spoon. Make sure the Pickle is fully submerged in the Oil to prevent it from
getting spoiled
For a Fruit Cocktail, dip
the Glass Rims in Lemon Juice, next Gently Dab Confectioners’ Sugar on the Rims
& then place them in the Refrigerator for about 20 Minutes to create a
Frosted Look on the Glasses
To retain the Green
colour of the Vegetables even after cooking, just Add a Pinch of Turmeric
Powder in the Oil before adding them
To make a perfect
Bhatura, roll out small portions of the Maida Dough into small Puris, cover
with a damp cloth. Roll them out to the desired size just before Frying
A Piece of Blotting Paper
at the bottom of the Storage Container will keep Biscuits/Cookies Fresh for a
Longer time
When the Sliced Onions
are Caramelized, Add Salt to help in the Caramelizing Process as well as to
stop the onions from Burning
Rinsing Long-grain White
Rice before cooking removes excess starch, thus helping the rice cook more
evenly and be less sticky. Some Special Rice Varieties such as Basmati is
always rinsed and soaked before cooking to obtain Separate, perfectly cooked
grains. However, some other rices such as Arborio, known for its High Starch
Content in the Risotto is never rinsed!
Adding a little
Cornstarch to the Gram Flour (Besan) Batter Results in Crispy Fritters
(Pakoras)
About ½ Tsp. of Salt added in the Onions will help
Brown them Faster while Frying
Use Finely Chopped Spinach in Lentil Preparation (Dals)
and Vegetables Curries instead of chopped Coriander as it is more nutritious
and rich in Iron content
Always make sure that any
remaining Water in the Frying Pan/Skillet has evaporated completely before
pouring Oil to avoid risk of Splutter
Express Ice Cubes can
be prepared faster by leaving a few Ice Cubes intact before refill the tray
with water as the old Cubes chill the water by Convection process and allows the
Water to convert to Ice in less than no time!
When Barbecuing Food, Oil
the barbecue lightly before adding the food, also oil the Skewers, Tongs and Barbecue
to help to prevent it from Sticking
