Cooking Tips

Actually there are many tips we need to know before cooking.Here are some tips which I do follow.

1. Many vegetables and fruits, including potatoes and apples, retain many of their nutrients in their skin. So when possible, leave the skin on your fruits and vegetables and cook them whole.

2. Store cheese in your refrigerator, which approximates the temperature of aging rooms. Keep it wrapped tightly in plastic, away from air. Bring cheese to room temperature before melting. Melt cheese over a low heat to help prevent toughening and separation of  oils and liquids.

3. Retain the freshness of plain flour,semolina and gram flour by storing them in a refrigerator and they will remain fresh for a long time.

4. After peeling onions cut in half and soak in water for about 10 minutes before cutting to avoid crying. 

5. 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.

6. Never discard the water in which vegetables are cooked, use it in gravies or soups.

7. When refrigerating fish for your curries, rub some salt and turmeric so that the fish remains fresh and flavorful for longer.

8. To get rid of the smell of prawns, apply salt and lemon juice to the prawns before cooking. Leave for 15-20 minutes, then wash off and proceed with the recipe. This is usually done with prawns, fish and al kinds of seafood.

9. If you want to store fish for more than a day, first clean it, rub it with salt, turmeric and maybe, a dash of vinegar, and then freeze. It will stay fresh.

10. Soaking rajma or chickpeas in warm water will reduce the time it takes for them to get softer. You can soak them for 4-5 hours and use that water to cook.

11. With a refrigerator in the house, you need not kneed the wheat flour everyday. Prepare enough dough that will satisfy the roti needs for you and your spouse for two to three days.

12. Immediately after chopping raw garlic or marinating process,rub your fingers thoroughly with the bottom of a stainless steel spoon under running water.Then wash your hands with soap.The metal magically neutralizes the garlic fumes.

13. Scrape the ginger with our normal cooking spoon.You might get lots of wastage in ginger if you use your knife.

14. Sprout beans of your liking and keep those in the freezer. whenever its necessary you can semi cook and have them ready.But don’t keep for more than 2 days. Check only for one inch sprouts.If sprouts grow longer it become a waste.

15.Cut the bitter gourd into rings or cut it lengthwise and discard the seeds. Apply a little salt and keep aside for 30 minutes. Squeeze to get rid of all the bitter juices and rinse it under running water to get rid of the bitterness partially.