Dry tea leaves for about 10 minutes in a hot oven before using them. There will be a marked difference in your cup of tea.
Drop mint leaves in ice trays before making cubes. Use it in lemon based drinks.
To separate coconut from its husk or shell, place it over a high flame order a gas stove for above 2-3 minutes. The coconut will come out in a jiffy, like magic.
Apply butter to the sharp edge of the knife before using it to cut bread. This way you get thin, even slices.
To make dahi vada softer, add some rice flour while grinding the urad dal.
While whipping cream for desserts, don’t overdo it or butter will form. Whip over a bowl of iced water and do so in sharp upward strokes till soft peaks form. Then store in the refrigerator
Salads taste better and crispier if the vegetables have been soaked in chilled water for a while.
To fluff up puris made if wheat flour, knead the atta with a little milk (preferably boiled and cooled).
Add a few drops of vinegar (brown) to the oil to prevent the puris from soaking oil, and you will get soft, fluffy ones.
Raw mangoes will ripen faster if embedded in wheat
If some oil is smeared on the outer surface of brinjal before roasting it over the fire for your bhartha preparation, the skin will peel off easily after roasting.
To make white potato chips, soak them in cold water to which a little alum has been added
An easy and effective way of greasing a tawa for making dosas is by using half sliced onion dipped in oil. Hold the onion by piercing with a fork.
To prevent pressure cooker from discoloring from the inside, drop a half squeezed lemon peel inside the cooker before boiling or steaming.
If you do not have a non-stick pan or if the non stick coating has started to wear off, sprinkle a little Maida or self- raising flour in the oil before frying fish. The fish will not ostick to the pan.
To make softer idli, add some dry fenugreek seeds while soaking rice for the batter.
For healthier, sponger cake, add a big spoon of honey to your cake batter and see the difference
Soak desicated coconut in a bowl with hot water before grinding and you will get a smoother paste.
It is easier to separate the egg white when the the egg is cold. But the egg is best beaten when warm. Separate the egg white as soon as you remove the egg from the refrigerator and beat later. equal proportions of warm milk and water for about half and hour. Put into a blender and blend. You will have the equivalent of freshly ground coconut milk in flavor and consistency.
For crisp onions to top your biriyani, slice the onions lengthways and dry them in the sun for half an hour. They will fry faster.
Add a teaspoon of salt to warm milk overnight at room temperature. Delicious yoghurt will be ready the next day.
When heating butter to make ghee, add a few crystals of cooking salt to get soft, grainy texture;curry leaves for aroma; and a few methi seeds for a longer shelf life.
Crumble a cupful of gulab jamun and add them to the coconut when making coconut burfi for added taste.
To prepare thick and tasty curd in winter, put a piece of plantain leaf and one tablespoon of buttermilk in 2 cups of hot milk.
To avoid making mushrooms from turning black, add 2 teaspoons of hot milk while cooking.
Making fried rice? Cook it in coconut milk instead of water. The rice will look glossy and taste great as well.
If you have run out of onion paste for a recipe, replace with ginger juice and asafoetida. It lends the same flavor.
Add a cup of milk to the cake batter for better tasting cake.
Add a pinch if sugar to green leafy vegetables and cook them on high heat. This way they retain their natural green color.
Use margarine instead of butter to pan fry or sauté. Butter burns quickly.
While making moong dal halwa or urad dal halwa, add a teaspoon of wheat flour to the heated ghee before adding the lentil paste. This prevents the paste from sticking to the pan.
While cooking bitter gourd (Karela), add 2-3 slices of raw mango to kill its bitterness.
Mint or cherries frozen into your ice cubes add a pretty touch to a party drink.
Never over boil cabbage or onions. Due to high sulphur content, they give out a peculiar odour if boiled too long.
If you add a little citric acid to the sugar syrup while making jalebis, it will not crystallize.
If you have to set fresh curd and do not have any leftovers to set it, use a green chilli. Put the chilli in warm milk overnight and watch your curd get ready.
For crispy ladies fingers (okra) add a few drops of lemon juice while cooking.
If there are no onions in the house and you want to prepare gravy for curries, you can use grated cabbage instead. The gravy will be just as tasty.
To prevent oil from turning brown while frying, drop a marble-sized ball of tamarind or a betel leaf into it.
While making samosas or any other friend wanton, add a few drops of lime juice to the dough; it will make them very crispy.
For cake decoration, create chocolate leaves by brushing melted chocolate on real (non- poisonous) leaves. Freeze Until solid, peel the leaves away and use the chocolate leaves on the cake.
To remove the burnt flavor from pulao or biriyani, place a piece of fresh white bread on top of the rice dishes and cover with a lid; within a short time the burnt taste will disappear.
To preserve the color of spinach and ladyfingers, add one-fourth tsp of vinegar as soon as the dish is prepared.
For a healthier option, garnish your soup with popcorn instead of fried croutons.
Add a tablespoon of hot oil to home-made pastes of garlic, ginger or green chilli along with a pinch of salt to make them last longer and taste fresher.
If gulab jamuns become hard, pressure cook them along wth sugar syrup for 5-10 minutes.
A plain cake will stay moist if you add two teaspoons of ground almonds to the cake batter.
Pop soggy potato chips in the microwave for 30 – 60 seconds. They will turn crisp again.
Added too much salt to the soup? Just add a slice of raw potato to it; it will absorb the excess salt.
If your rice gets over-cooked, add a little cold water and ghee to it and let it stand for a few minutes. Then strain and spread it on a plate. As it cools and dries, the grains will slowly separate.
Instead of throwing away sour curd, use it to feed your curry leaf plant. The curry leaves will become more fragrant and will taste better too
Many a time, only half a lemon gets used. To keep the other half fresh for at least 2-3 days, rub a little salt over the cut portion.
Do not waste leftover syrup of canned fruits. Pour the syrup into ice cubes and freeze. Use this instead of sugar in your lemonade.
Leftover idli and dosa batter will not turn sour if you put a betel leaf on top of the batter.
Leftover biscuits can be crushed and added to flour while kneading to make chapattis and puris.
If tomatoes become soft, take a large bowl filled with cold water, add a small amount of salt and soak them overnight. The tomatoes will be wonderfully firm by morning.
After making ghee from malai, don’t throw away the leftover golden residue. Mix it with flour and knead it to make delicious puris.
Add boiled and mashed potato leftover to vada batter to make it tastier and crispier
Add orange rinds to tea while it is boiling; it gives a fine flavor to the tea.
To keep green chillies fresh for a longer time, remove the stalks and place the chillies in a plastic bag and store in the fridge.
To have free flowing salt all year around, put some grains of raw rice in the salt shaker. The salt will not absorb moisture and will flow freely.
To keep cockroaches away from your fridge, keep a few aspirin tablets inside.
Keep two sheets of paper towels inside snack tins. This will absorb the moisture and keep snacks like biscuits fresh and crispy.
Prepare tomato purée when tomatoes are in abundance. Pour them into ice cube trays and once frozen, store the cubes in freezer in an air tight box or bag.
Mix a little salt into tamarind and store in airtight container. It remains fresh up to 6 months.
To keep broken coconut fresh, rub salt on the insides of the coconut and keep it in the fridge.
Home made cottage cheese (paneer) remains fresh when wrapped in blotting paper or paper towel before refrigeration.
Ginger and garlic paste will not change color after a few days if you add salt and cooking oil to it.
Coriander (cilantro) and other leaves remain fresh if wrapped in muslin cloth and refrigerated.
To keep lentils free from weevils, dry them in the sun for a few hours.
A natural way to keep rice and pulses insect free is to place some pieces of dried bitter gourd in the containers
Refrigerate coffee powder and it will not form clumps.
If you break egg and if the yolk floats on top, then the egg is good. If the yolk spreads or settles down, it is stale.
To make home-made toddy (used for making appams), collect coconut water in a bottle for week and add a little sugar to it. This is as good as toddy.
