Balancing work and home can be quite a handful for ladies. And managing the kitchen can be more stressful than work sometimes. But doing things the right way can often reduce the time taken to do a particular chore and make life easier. Here are a few kitchen tips that do just the same. • If fish is to be stored for more than a day, clean it, rub with salt, turmeric and a dash of vinegar before freezing.
• If dried herbs are used in a recipe, crush them first to release their fragrance.
• Save the peel of apples, cucumbers and peaches and grind them as ingredients for green chutney (coriander leaves, green chillies, ginger, coconut, salt and sugar).
• Never scrape burnt leftovers from casseroles. Instead soak it in a weak solution of vinegar, salt and soapy warm water for an hour or so. The stuck particles will come off very easily, without scratching the dish.
• Always soak cauliflower in warm salted water for some time to get rid of the tiny insects that are present deep inside the florets and not visible to the eye.
• Adding a little dry rice to sugar while grinding it, will keep it from becoming lumpy.
• The easiest way to chop raisins is to sprinkle some flour over them so they don’t stick and then cut with a small kitchen scissors as required.
• Adding a few pinches of turmeric, a small spoon of ghee, to dal before pressure cooking it imparts a better flavor to it.
• Add a pinch of soda bicarb to the water to boil peas etc. faster and also to retain their bright green color.
• Store chopped vegetables in airtight plastic containers in the fridge to keep from browning and drying up.
• Add some salt or vinegar drops while washing vegetables and greens to make them clean and germ free, eg. Cauliflower, spinach, etc.
• Boil potatoes in their jacket, drain dry and keep them in the fridge. They always come handy when you have a time crunch. You can use them in sandwiches, for salads, curries, for stuffing, etc. The potatoes will stay good in a refrigerator for 2-3 days.
• Make bread crumbs from toasts and store some in the fridge. They come in very hand for thickening gravies.