Daily Cooking Tips That Save Time

A few drops of vinegar added to cooking water can prevent white vegetables, such as turnips and cauliflowers, from getting discolored.

A few pieces of tender raw papaya, added to meat while cooking, helps to soften it.

A good way to peel tomatoes without any trouble or mess is to freeze and thaw them for a little while.

A little salt sprinkled in the frying pan whilst frying an egg will prevent the egg from sticking to the pan.

A pinch of crushed camphor added to coconut oil will prevent the oil from going rancid. The oil will last longer.

A pinch of herbs added to the basic batter mix improves the flavour.

A pinch of salt added to carrots, bring out latent flavours.

A rasher of bacon added to the cooking water gives boiled cabbage more flavour.

A spoonful of honey added to custard along with sugar will improve the taste.

A tablespoon of honey added to meat before cooking improves its taste and flavour.

Acids help proteins coagulate, so add either vinegar or lemon juice to water used for poaching eggs to prevent them from spreading out.

Add 1 tablespoon of corn flour instead of 1 egg to cutlet mixture as a binding – good option for vegetarians.

Add a bit of besan to fish before frying. It will make the fish crispy and nice and will also prevent the fish sticking to the pan.

Add a dash of lemon juice while cooking leafy vegetables to retain colour.

Add a few drops of salt water to banana chips while frying them as this will make the chips crispier.

Add a little tamarind or a small piece of lemon with water you use in the cooker to avoid discoloration.

Add a teaspoon of vinegar to the water when washing salad greens. Any insects in the vegetables will drop off into the water.

Add fresh celery leaves to the pan while cooking shrimps for it helps to remove the odour.

Add salt to the oil before frying potatoes in order to make more crispy.

Add small fried pieces of bread to very well beaten curds, and you have what is called “quick dahi vadas.”

Adding few cashews to coriander chutney while grinding makes it into a chunky rich spread to be used on bread.

After boiling the peas, pour cold water over them. They will remain green and fresh.

After churning curd to extract butter, dip your hands in tamarind water and then collect the butter to avoid sticking.

After cutting marrow, soak it in water in which a teaspoon of milk has been added, cook it in the same water.

After making ghee from home-made butter, tie the residue in a muslin cloth, use to wipe your tava before use.

After separating butter from buttermilk, boil the buttermilk on a medium flame and pass the liquid through a sieve.

Air bubbles in cake batter can be avoided by pouring the batter into the tin with the help of a slotted spoon.

Avoid cooking sour dishes (like tamarind based dishes) in non stick pans because the sourness removes the coating faster.

Baking fish on a bed of chopped onion, celery and parsley not only makes fish taste better but also keeps it from sticking to the pan.

Before frying fish, put a little rice in the oil to prevent the fish from sticking to the kadai.

Before frying fish, soak it in water mixed with lemon juice as this improves the taste and also there will be no smell while frying.

Before grinding green chillies, soak them so that they soften and make a finer paste.

Before roasting or braising the chicken or duck, place a small piece of star anise in its cavity for a sweet and spicy flavour.

Before using mustard oil for cooking, heat it till it begins to smoke, cool and then use. This would remove the pungency from the oil.

Boil beetroot with leaves. It will cook in half the time it takes when the leaves are cut off.

Boil poppy seeds and then grind them to be used to thicken a gravy.

Bring eggs to room temperature prior to beating them to improve the aeration. Your omelets and meringue will turn out much lighter.

Butter will not stick to the sides of the jar if you rinse the jar with hot water before churning butter milk.

Buy peas in bulk, blanch, freeze them in zip lock bags. Big savings when they are not in season.

Chill cheese for easy grating and shredding. Chill hard cheeses in the freezer for 30 minutes and soft for 15 minutes or until firm.

Clean mushrooms by wiping them with a damp cloth or a quick rinse in cold water. Never soak them or they will get soggy.

Coat cutlets with a fine powder of roasted chickpeas if you have run out of breadcrumbs. You can also coat them with semolina.

Cook cheese slowly at low heat because high heat tends to make cheese tough and stringy.

Cook hard vegetables in microwave oven for 1 minute before cutting them into slices. They will be much easier to cut.

Crush chikki coarsely and use as nougat over cakes and ice creams. Use nuts of your choice.

Crush excess katlis in a dry mixer and refrigerate in an airtight jar. Add this to gravies to give a Moghlai touch to the dish.

Crust removed from bread while making sandwiches can be sundried or oven dried and powdered in a mixer to form fine breadcrumbs.

Cut a drinking straw into 3 and insert on top of the pie you are baking. This will prevent the stuffing of the pie from boiling over.

Dip cookie cutters in flour before use and lift the cutouts with a thin, long spatula to keep the shape of the cookies intact.

Do not add salt to beans or pulses while they are cooking as they tend to take longer to cook. Add salt when the beans are tender.

Do not add too much sugar to the ice cream mixture. The ice cream will not set well.

Do not carve roasted or grilled meat before a minimum resting period (fifteen minutes – one hour) or the juices will run out.

Do not salt meat before cooking. Salt forces the juices out and impedes browning. Instead, salt it halfway through cooking.

Do not store apples and carrots in the same fridge compartment. The apples emit a gas that makes the carrots bitter.

Do not throw away orange or sweet lime rind. Dry it and use it for flavoring cakes and puddings.

Do not throw away the water in which dal is boiled. Use it as a stock for a soup or even add to any gravy.

Do not throw leftover vegetables. Use them as a stuffing for paranthas.

Don’t add lemon juice to hot food as it will taste bitter. Instead, add lemon juice after it has cooled slightly.

Eggs keep getting cooked after they are taken off the heat. Turn the heat off a few moments before they are completely done.

Flattening a chicken breast gives it a uniform thickness and tenderizes the meat thus aiding in more even cooking.

Foods that are to be steamed should be cooked until they are just done and served immediately. Overcooking can make the food dry.

For a never fail meringue, add a teaspoon of corn flour to the sugar before beating it into the egg whites.

For custard ice cream, add poppy seeds, strong tea or coffee when the milk is heating up, to get a novel flavour.

For light and fluffy scrambled eggs, add a little water while beating the eggs.

For perfect bhatura, make small balls of dough, cover with a damp cloth. Roll them out to the desired size just before frying.

Fried eggs will not stick or break in the pan if you add a teaspoon of flour to the hot fat before frying.

Fry cashewnuts followed by almonds since almonds discolour the frying medium.

Fry ladyfingers (bhindis) slightly in a little oil to prevent the vegetable from being sticky.

Frying cluster beans in oil before cooking in water makes them softer.

Good variety chillies or chilli powder gives good colour to gravy. Try to use long variety red chillies

Grease your baking tray and dust with flour before pouring in your cake mixture. The cake will come out easily when baked.

If a lemon seems to be dried out, or the skin is too stiff, soak it in hot water for ten minutes before cutting.

If custard curdles while cooking, take it off the heat and whisk well with an egg until it becomes smooth and creamy.

If fat catches fire throw a handful of flour in it.

If you are using wine in a risotto, add it before any other liquid, so that the dry rice quickly absorbs its flavor.