All Tips
- Just dip a small clean rag in a teeny bit of any oil (edible too) and rub on creaky hinges. You will experience quiet doors and windows in a jiffy.
- To break open the coconuts easily (the brown ones..), place them in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes. This would seperate the shell easily.
- Rub chopping board with a slice of lemon vigorously, after cutting onions, garlic, etc. This will ensure that all odours of such vegetables is rid, then wash thoroughly with washing soap.
- Always warm dry spices like cuminseeds, cardamom, cloves, etc. on a griddle before powdering. The grinding will be done faster and powder will be finer.
- While tasting hot decoction, keep very sweet, since after cooling the sweetness reduces, as also The added icecubes will dilute the sweetness.
- Warm garlic flakes a little either in a microwave or on griddle before peeling, to make the skin come off easily.
- When garden saplings of palak, chilli, are attacked by sparrows cover with an old door or window mesh or spike up a tent of an old nylon mosquito net.
- Always powder citric acid crystals before adding to any preserve or murabba, etc. It will blend into the recipe much better and faster.
- Use any of the above leftover sabzis can be used to make masala parathas. Add the sabzi to Some wheat flour, add any other veggies if desired, like grated gourd, or greens, or carrot, Or just dry masalas like chilli powder, salt, dhania powder, turmeric. Add some oil too. Knead To a soft dough, and make parathas or puris as desired.
- One tsp. of plain flour mixed in 1/4 cup water boiled in a stock (2 cups) will lend body and enhance consistency of the soup.
- When chilling puddings in the refrigerator, cover the containers with cling film or plastic sheet to protect from water and crystal formation in the dish.
- Chillies
Do not throw away unused chillies in vinegar while making a chinese course. Blend, bottle and use to spice up soups, rices, etc. - 1. To make soft idlis and dosas add a handfull of Puffed rice or Poha 2. To prevent insects like silver fish from creeping into your cupboards and damaging your clothes and books tie few Kalonji seeds in a muslin cloth and keep in the corner of the shelf.
- When storing cheese in the fridge remove from tin, wrap in cellophane or foil and place in covered container to prevent it from hardening.
- Crush chikki coarsely and use as nougat over cakes and icecreams. Use nuts of your choice.
- To avoid stains and smudges on costly cookbooks while following recipes, slip them, open page up, into a transparent plastic bag.
- If not using tea leaves for a long time, pour into clean ziplock bag, remove excess air, seal tight And place in an airtight container, to lock it freshness in. Especially so when you are going to Lock up home for a while.
- 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.
- Glassware
Rinse glassware in a solution of 1 part vinegar and 3 parts water after washing with soap. This will make the glassware gleam and clean. - To avoid stains and smudges on costly cookbooks while following recipes, slip them, open page up, into a transparent plastic bag.
- Lemon and orange peels, dried and powdered and mixed with gram flour can be used as an excellent exfoliant. When required add 1 tsp. curds to 1 tbsp. flour mixture. Rub face gently with mixture for 5 minutes, wash with ordinary tap water for a clean, clean, feel. This can also be used as a bath scrub for body, daily.
- Do not use soap when cleaning a mirror because it streaks the glass. All you need to do in cleaning a mirror is to wipt it with a cloth moistened with water in which a little vinegar or ammonia has been added, and then wipe the mirror dry with a soft cloth that is lint free.
- Rub the point of a bee-bite with soft mud and salt made into a paste. The swelling will subside soon, as also the poison will not spread further.
- Use cornflakes as a substitute for sev or papdis. It is available everywhere and give the same crunchiness to a dish, eg. bhel.
- Always add a tbsp. of oil to plenty of water while boiling pasta of any kind. It will keep them from sticking to each other.
- Add a tbsp. of honey to a cup of whipping cream to keep it better in the refrigerator.
- Before storing spices like coriander, cumin, chilli powder, keep them in the strong sun for few hours or lightly roast them in a frying pan.
- Run a spoonful of any sev, papdi, or farsan made of gram flour in a mixie. Add this powder to thicken gravies which have a watery consistency. Take care to use non-chilli sev for light coloured gravies.
- Grease the grated on both sides with oil before grating sticky items like cheese or boiled potatoes, to allow for smoother grating.
- In US Tomato Juice is available in large cans. This is very convenient for making rasam and other dishes which require the usage of tomato. I normally buy a large can pour it in the Ice cube containers in the freezer (normally used to make ice). I store these cubes in a ziplock bag and use them. They are very convenient and rasam and other dishes taste very good with these too.
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