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 | Cheese will stay fresh longer if wrapped in clingfilm once seal is broken. Take care to refrigerate in the chiller tray section of the fridge, to keep if good for days. |
| | Scrape, cut and store drumsticks in clean ziplock or freezer bags, make a few small holes, and the drumsticks will stay fresh for 8-10 days in the refrigerator. |
| | Dry masala veggies like drumstick aloo sabzi can easily be converted to thin gravy curries, by adding enough water with the gournd masalas to make a thinner curry, to be eaten with steamed rice, etc. But make sure to alter salt, and other spices as per resulting taste change. |
| | Veggies, kormas,curries, dals, etc. to which onions and garlic have not been added will keep good for much long hours. Also reheating veggies too many times, will spoil their taste and keeping quality. Reheat only as much as required, each time. |
| | Fresh drumstick flowers and leaves may be used as an excellent garnish for curries, veggies, and even rices, etc. They can also be boiled in vegetables for vegetable stock to give an unusual flavour to soups, etc. |
| | Always handle messy mixtures like that of fudges, chocolates, etc. with hand dusted with cornflour, it will be much easier to handle. |
| | When ginger, garlic, etc. are crushed in a mixie, it gets tedious try to remove all of it, from under the blade, etc. Once crushed and removed, run a little water in the mixie, and pour into the batter, The mixie will get cleaned as well as ingredients will be used economically. |
| | For a tasty nutty sandwich fillingin a hurry, mix together prepared green chutney, some tomato ketchup, mayonnaise, chopped onion and tomato, and a few crushed peanuts or walnuts.Butter slices apply mixture thickly inside, and your sandwich is ready. You can refrigerate this mixture without onions and tomatoes, for almost a week. |
| | Never discard nutritious skins of apples, when peeling. Eat them or add them to a chopped salad or raitha. |
| | Salads can be made very very decorative, by using normally discarded skins of apples, peas, cucumbers,etc. |
| | Use a perforated double boiler economically and with time saving by arranging small heaps of required veggies side by side. Leave a hollow in center for steam to come up. Steam till veggies are boiled as desired. If any of them are faster cooking, remove that heap in between, with a spoon. Continue to cook the rest as required. |
| | Soak cleaned cauliflower in salted water for a few minutes, before boiling. Add a little milk to the water in which it is boiled. This will remove the raw and flat taste significant of cauliflower. Never over boil cauliflower, it should always have a bit of a bite. |
| | Healthfully stuffed veggies like stuffed carrots, cucumber, courgettes, tomatoes, etc. (without cheese toppings), served either hot or chilled, make excellent accompaniments to cocktails and mocktails, without piling on tons of calories. |
| | Line cake and bread tins with greaseproof paper greased on both sides. Keep a bit extra margin folded over the rim to the outside. This will help in lifting the contents of the tin easily, and without breaking. |
| | Its always better to semiboil hard veggies just a bit, before cutting them in slices, pieces, shreds, shapes, etc. since they are easier to handle. At the same time they will not discolour very fast on cutting. Good examples are beetroot, carrots, turnips, radishes, yam, etc. |
| | To make veggies chilled and crisp, dip in icecold water, and keep in fridge till required. Drain,and dab lightly between the folds of a clean kitchen towel, just before using. |
| | To maintain the bright colour of carrots even after boiling, dip in boiling water, keep for 5 minutes, drain and pour cold water over them. Drain, dab with kitchen towel. Put in a sterile polybag and refrigerate or freeze till required. If using much later, freeze and thaw to room temperature before using again. |
| | To give that just made effect to vegetable or fruit burfis, remove from refrigerator, and reheat in a microwave for 25-30 seconds just before serving. It will taste just made fresh and warm. |
| | When using buttermilk for breads without yeast, if sour buttermilk is not available, use sourmilk, made by mixing 1 tsp. lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup of milk, and keeping aside for 10-15 minutes, before using. |
| | Spinach may be boiled in the microwave too. It will simplify procedures and time required for cooking. |
| | Best cheese to use for heart conscious is homemade paneer made from milk from which the fat or malai has been skimmed off after boiling and cooling. It is also good to use this milk for their teas, coffees, and even milkshakes! |
| | For those who are haters of veggies, whether kids, adults or seniors, incorporating crushed veggies in dishes like parathas, stuffings, sandwiches, casseroles, so that intake is increased manifold, while the person eating them will hardly be able to gasp at the ‘veggies’. |
| | Sprinkle veggies with very little salt after cutting, to tenderize them and retain their colour. Do not use too much, as it is not too cardio friendly when in excess. While cooking the recipe adjust amount of salt, and add very sparingly or it may get bitter. |
| | Fruit like strawberries, mulberries, apples, soaked black raisins, etc. may be used to make delicious low calorie sweet dishes like sandesh, which also consume very little sugar. |
| | Powdered makhanas, or wheat bread crumbs may be used to thick gravies, etc. for dishes, instead of using cashews, peanuts, creams and other highly fattening ingredients while making cardio friendly dishes. |
| | To peel corn easily from layers of covering skins, make a vertical slit along the length, and two if the cob is very large. Now peel off the leaves very easily, instead of wrestling with them. |
| | It’s a good idea to use the stock of boiled veggies to boil rice, or knead chappati flour, since it contains the nutrients washed from veggies. Strain and use as part of the water required in recipes. Make sure to deduct the same amount of water from the recipe as the stock used. |
| | Collect clean scrapings of bitter gourd. Tie in a thin clean muslin cloth and use as a facial and body loofah to scrub out dead cells. |
| | Juice extracted from raw grated bittergourd can be mixed with a helping of honey and salt, and add some plain water. Drink this extract to rid of small home ailments and give a general feeling of goodwill. |
| | Strained fresh bittergourd juice is applied over wounds to heal quickly. Even a poltice of grated bittergourd tied over the wound works wonders. |
| | Any pickle will last much more longer if a little care is taken to avoid moisture contact at any stage, and jars, bowls, ingredients used, etc. are wiped dry with a clean dry kitchen cloth, which does not have lint fibres. |
| | Stuffed veggies like bittergourds and potatoes, etc. can be stored in freezer bags, and thawed as required. Make sure to thaw completely before proceeding to cook it or else it will crumble easily. |
| | Remove icecreams, puddings, etc. 15 minutes before serving into lower section of refrigerator, to soften enough. Extra hard icecream does not bring out the full flavour. |
| | Good fresh apple peels need not be thrown away. Be a bit greedy, make the peels come out just a wee bit thick, and munch on them as you would munch on junk food – only this is total health food! |
| | Cashews, walnuts, broken dry fruit bits, make excellent toppings when one is in haste. To fix them in place, just use a little butter icing as glue. |
| | Never overcook or undercook rice dishes while steaming them. They will either taste raw, or become too rubbery if overcooked |
| | Make a decorative aarti plate from food by using your imagination: Make the plate of peanut chikki recipe, shape modaks, diyas, etc. with coconut laddoo recipe, flowers, leaves, fruit, etc. may be shaped either out of sandesh or almond paste or butter icing. |
| | Most ganesh chaturthis recipes except those which need frying, are excellent and healthy eats, as snacks, or inbetweens, or even as a travel dish or for those trying to control their weight and sweet tooth. |
| | The coconut filling of karanjis is quite multipurpose: It may be filled into modaks, or to make sweet stuffed parathas, or even as a topping on sweet rice called beenaj. |
| | Goan dishes when cooked in seasoned earthen vessels, are imparted a beautiful earthly flavour, which cannot be got by cooking in nonsticks and aluminiums. |
| | Residue from coconut milk, may be used to thick gravies, just dry, grind to a powder, add to veggies for more body. Add more water to residue, grind again to get a thinner, second milk, which can be used to boil rice, make coconut based soups, etc. |
| | Do not discard cane baskets, bowls, etc. that come as part of the packaging in bouquets, cookies gifts, dryfruit gifts, etc. Line them with a nylon net,or even coconut fibres, fill them with potting soil and compost, and you have excellent planters ready to grow your own mint, thyme, basil, coriander, fenugreek or any herb or leafy green right in your window sill. Place them in a window with ample sunlight. |
| | Pour a little water (about 1 cup for a 3 litre vessel) in vessel in which you would boil milk. Then, pour in the milk. Heat container and bring milk to boil, without stirring. This way the milk will not scald at the bottom of the container. Take care to rinse vessel with clean water before using. |
| | Do not throw away Starch water strained from boiled rice. Use either to starch your dupattas and other clothes, as also to knead dough, in soups, or to make more rice. |
| | To prevent lumps while adding flour to any liquids, eg. Water, buttermilk,etc. first mix the flour in a little bit of the liquid to form a smooth paste. Add this to the remaining liquid and stir well. |
| | If you have excessive stock of green chillies, do not waste them. Boil in hot salted water, till white. Drain and sun dry till brittle. Crush or store whole and use as required in any dish requiring chillies, without changing the colour of the dish. |
| | Soak stiff starchy new cottons in a solution of ½ cup milk to 7 water. Soak for at least 1 or 2 hours. Wash off with regular detergents. This will soften the cloth removing undesired stiffness of the starch. |
| | Do not throw away discarded cucumber seeds. Either apply on eyes to sooth tired eyes for 15 minutes, or grind to a fine paste, combine with gramflour, honey and rose water, and apply as a pack. |
| | Curry leaves may be liberally added to seasoning of most dishes, since this is a very asian flavour adding an aroma to any dish. |
| | To powder cardamom, warm cardomom pods very lightly, cool and deseed. These seeds will powder more easily. |
| | Store banana leaves like a roll, wrapped in a moist muslin cloth, then placed in a polythene bag. They will stay fresh for a week, if refrigerated this way. |
| | The practice of not eating after sunset and before sunrise is not only of religious significance, but holds so true in maintaining peak health and good digestive system. It helps rest the stomach and intestines, as also gives a chance to the consumed food to be digested properly. |