Home & Kitchen> Quick Cooking Tips

Image: What's Cooking?
Image by: Billingham

Text by: Tanya Munshi

Cooking is a hobby and it can be very relaxing for some. Personally, I find cooking quite creative. With a bright red tomato - sliced, fresh green lettuce leaves on the side, finely chopped spring onions and diced chicken – I look for ways to make the dish as colourful and delicious as possible.

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But if one has to toil the entire day in the kitchen, especially after returning form work, then this hobby would change into a chore. The aim here is to keep cooking a hobby by following some easy kitchen tips. This will save cooking time and keep cooking an enjoyable task.

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Tips to make life in the kitchen simpler:

1. Keep unpeeled boiled potatoes in the refrigerator. Whenever you have to make a curry, take the number of potatoes you need, peel and cube them and drop them in the curry. Keeping unpeeled boiled potatoes in the refrigerator will save you a lot of cooking time. Don’t remove the peel and keep otherwise the potatoes will spoil soon.


2. To remove the skin of tomatoes, first place them in warm water for about 5-10 minutes. This will help you to remove the tomato skin with ease.


3. Whenever the prices of tomatoes shoot up or are in short supply, tomato ketchup, puree or sauce work just fine.


4. At times over ripe tomatoes can leave you a little flustered. Fret not; just place them overnight in cold water with salt and next morning you will find firm and fresh tomatoes.


5. Trying to set yogurt? Well, boil the milk on a low flame a little longer to condense it. Then pour lukewarm (not hot) milk in a ceramic bowl and add two tablespoons of curd to set it. Now for the magic potion – add 2-3 drops of tamarind juice in it, stir slowly and set aside. You will get yourself a curd that’s thick and delicious.


6. Boiled the milk to find that it’s turned bad? Not to worry, squeeze half a lime or 2-3 teaspoons of white vinegar and mix it well. You’ve got yourself paneer!


7. If you don’t have lemon or curd to marinade meat or fish, no problem! Use 1-2 capful of white vinegar instead.


8. For seasoning the dal, sambar or rasam, splatter in sprouted mustard fenugreek seeds. Sprouted seeds are known to possess higher nutritional value.


9. Having guests over? Add 2-3 drops of lemon juice in the water before boiling while preparing rice. This will make the rice look whiter!


10. Love to have a few papads along with your meal, but watching your weight at the same time? Simple, just place them in the microwave on low and you get fat free roasted papads!


11. Not getting the time to make paneer? You want to store it for a little while longer after purchasing it? Cover it up with a blotting paper and place it in the refrigerator.


12. Don’t fry after thawing the paneer. Cut into equal pieces and drop them in boiling water to get soft and delicious paneer.


13. During season, buy fresh green peas. Take out the peas, wash them thoroughly, dry them and place them in packets in the deep freezer. This way you can enjoy peas all year round.


14. Chop beans, carrots, lady’s finger, cabbage, and cauliflower etc. After washing and drying them, place them in food grade plastic packets and store them in the deep freezer. This will save time during cooking.


15. For those of you who cannot do without a cookie with milk, tea or coffee…place a blotting paper at the base of the cookie jar. This will keep the cookies fresh and crisp for a longer time.


16. To save time, keep curry leaves, coriander or mint leaves – washed, dried and placed in separate containers in the fridge. Whenever you have to flavour a dish, take the leaves you want and add a dash of it in the boiling curry.

Published in CookingGoddess.com, on May 12, 2007
Link: http://www.cookinggoddess.com/category/Kitchen-Couture/Quick-Cooking-Tips/