Kitchen Management Part 1,

Cooking is a pleasure for some, pressure for some! But if one knows the tricks and tips in cooking, it becomes an easy task and pressure turns to pleasure. Here are some tips, you can share with others.

Add a teaspoon of honey along with sugar to the custard and see the taste of custard! 

Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic add at the end of the recipe if you want a stronger taste of garlic. The same principle is applied for garam masala too.

Add three pieces of fresh coconut pieces to curds  to take out sourness.

After buying garlic from the market, separate them from the bulb and apply oil on the pearls and dry them in sun.

 The peeling would be easy, or can keep them in the fridge and then peel. 

 An easy way to separate drumstick leaves: wrap them in a piece of cloth and voila, the leaves come out of the stem.

Another method is to take two same size, shape and same material containers or bowls place the garlic  in one cover this with the other and keep shaking vigorously and see the result for yourself!

Before packing food on a banana leaf, wipe it with a wet cloth and show the reverse side on the gas flame gently  to avoid the leaf from tearing.

Cover flowers, with plastic, tie with a rubber band, and refrigerate.

Curry leaves and pudina/ mint  leaves can be dried and stored in freezer in an air tight container. When they are costly and you need them they become handy.

 Cutting on a marble slab will blunt your knives.

 De stem the greenchillies and store them in paper covers.

Don’t store onions with potatoes.

 Dry roast lady finger in a tawa or kadai to prevent them from sticking to each other.  Squeezing lemon while cooking also helps. 

Freeze  the dry fruits for one hour, then dip the knife into hot water before cutting them.

If the coriander leaves have become old or dried soak them in water for some time before using they will be fresh. 

If the potatoes are over cooked, sprinkle some milk powder to make it hard.

If the tomato soup become watery , take a  boiled potato, mash and add. 

 If you boil vegetables in water, do not throw the water; keep it to make gravy or soups.

If you run short of wheat flour while making roti or puri add boiled potatoes to the dough and knead well .

If your sambar becomes salty, cut some slices of raddish and add in the sambar and allow it to boil for 5 minutes, the extra salt would vanish.

Keep  the washed ginger in the freezer. It grates easily.

Keep biscuits fresh for a longer time place a piece of blotting paper at the bottom of the container.

 Keep coriander leaves after removing the roots in a muslin cloth bag or wrap them in news paper to store in the refrigerator. They will remain fresh for a longer time.

 Keep the tomatoes in the freezer tray two hours before making salad dressing to get the shape.