more cooking tips

Flavoured mayonnaise may be made by adding crushed dried desired herbs. Or even fresh, very finely chopped ones will do. But make sure to refrigerate always, and use of some fresh herbs will decrease the life of the mayonnaise.

Thin slices of brinjal, may be rubbed with salt and a dash of turmeric, the water which oozes discarded, and then dried on a mesh in hot direct sunlight till dry and brittle. These may be crushed an used in raithas or salads when brinjals are not in season.

Do not discard water drained from tied curds (whey). Use to either knead chappati dough for softer, tastier chappatis. Or dip an old toothbrush in this liquid and give your blackened silvers, like anklets, chains, rings, etc. After brushing, wash with a milk detergent solution, wipe dry. Your silvers will shine like new.

Try to store dishes like buttermilk, or its variations in ceramic, glass or earthen containers. This will keep them from souring fast, and will not taste rancid so quickly too. Pouring also becomes easier.

Run the inner side of muskmelon skin, over face and neck. Allow to dry and keep for 15-20 minutes. Wash off with cold tap water. It will leave your skin feeling fresh, clean and taut.
Excess tomato puree may be frozen in an icecube tray. Remove frozen cubes and store in a sealable freezer bag, using as and when required.

Always keep a glass of very hot water and a large flat knife ready, if required for finishing touches. When the knife is dipped in hot water, then the icing spreads very evenly and quickly.
When sprinkling coloured sugars, granules, etc., in a partial area of icing, first pipe a rough outline to work as a guide. Highlight outline after the sprinkling is over, by piping again exactly over it. This way your end result will be much more clean and accurate.

To store sugar paste animals/flowers, etc. place carefully in compartmentalised box with fitting lid, and refrigerated till required. This way the pieces won't get damaged due to one another.
Always brush the top and sides of cakes before starting to ice them, with a food brush. This way the crumbs won't get embedded in the icing while
Preferably make the cake previous night, soak with syrup or as per recipe, and ice it the next day, for a smoother, cleaner icing. Never ice a cake which has not cooled thoroughly, through and through.

Never overbeat mixture for muffins, biscuits, cookies, etc. as lumpy batters turn out better textured products. Always handle the batter gently. Make sure to sieve all dry ingredients together 2-3 times for better blending, and even softness.

Deepfried sweet like pineapple triangles, karanjia, choorma ladoo, etc., taste as good as fresh, if placed on a tissue paper in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.

Clean sheets of plastic should not be discarded after use. Soak in warm soap suds, wash with clean warm water, followed by cold water, drain, wipe dry and use as and when required.
If kitchen platform is too small to roll icehalwa, it would be more convenient to use the dining or other large table top for placing the sheets to roll.

To keep the cornflour paste melted, keep it near the stove, so it does not solidify in the process of using, since ghee tends to set very fast.

Fresh drumstick flowers and leaves may be used as an excellent garnish for curries, veggies, and even rices, etc. They can also be boiled in vegetables for vegetable stock to give an unusual flavour to soups, etc.

Veggies, kormas,curries, dals, etc. to which onions and garlic have not been added will keep good for much long hours.

Dry masala veggies like drumstick aloo sabzi can easily be converted to thin gravy curries, by adding enough water with the ground masalas to make a thinner curry, to be eaten with steamed rice, etc. But make sure to alter salt, and other spices as per resulting taste change.
Cheese will stay fresh longer if wrapped in clingfilm once seal is broken. Take care to refrigerate in the chiller tray section of the fridge, to keep if good for days.

Scrape, cut and store drumsticks in clean ziplock or freezer bags, make a few small holes, and the drumsticks will stay fresh for 8-10 days in the refrigerator.

Drumstick leaves were used for cleaning vessels in earlier days, mixed with very fine dryriverbed sand. The thick roots have medicinal value, and benoil: extracted from the drumstick seeds, is used in cosmetic and cooking purposes.

One may add bundled lemon grass leaves to give the tea a different zest. Make sure to reduce the quantity of ginger used, if adding lemon grass leaves.

Thai food is more authentic, when garnished with small flowers made of fresh chillies, spring onion, scallion flowers and crisp deepfried basil leaves, rather than just chopped coriander or mint leaves. Cheese are generally not used, except for grated tofu, that too sparingly as a garnish.

Lemon grass, peeled and chopped finely may be frozen in clean freezer bags for further use. Make sure to thaw properly, before adding to the dish.

Coat skewered veggies, beancurd chunks etc. with chilli flavoured oil, before roasting on a barbque, to give a better flavour and finish to the chunks and pieces.

A teeny bit of thai pastes of sauces added to regular dips and barbque marinades will enhance their flavours a great deal.

Warm dry spices ever so lightly, over a heated griddle, to lighten them so crushing is much easier and faster. Also the aromas exuded will be much richer.

Wear surgical gloves or use scissors to cut green or fresh chillies, since the oils in them tend to burn the hands long after cutting. So save tears by using scissors and gloves.

If you will be using apples a while after chopping, dip in some water to which salt and lemon juice have been added. Keep for 5 minutes, drain and keep in colander till required, to prevent from discolouring.

To get a smooth cream from top malai of milk, run in a small mixie for just 4-5 seconds, before chilling. This will give a smooth texture cream which may be used exactly like commercial fresh cream.

Mix extra pastry dough, to the breadcrumb stage, and store in airtight container in refrigerator. Use as and when required, for simple and quick results. Same dough may be used in a number of tarts, pies, cookies and puddings.

To get a neat finish of tart or pie moulds, always roll a wider round than the circumference of the mould, so that it will fit right to edge after pressing into the mould. Flute edge by pinching and lifting, to give a wave design if desired. But make sure you work on a cold surface, like marble, granite, etc.

Good apple peels can be included in a salad or eaten as is, since they are storehouses of vitamins and fibre.

Powder vermicelli or sago and roll patties or croquettes in this powder before frying, to get a crisp crunchy cover. At the same time, much less oil will be absorbed while frying.

Have an invigorating bath by finishing off with a bucketful of water to which 3 tbsp. of white vinegar, 2 tbsp. rose water and a few drops of your favourite flowery essence has been added. The vinegar makes skin supple and avoids the dryness and scaliness of skin.

Rub brinjals with a little salted oil after slicing to avoid discolouration.

Wash, grind and apply a mixture of drumstick leaves and jaggery as a poltice over wounds, and add a tsp. or so of turmeric if wound is septic, for quick and gentle healing of wounds.

To brown rice evenly while raw, wash, drain in a colander, keep aside for 10 minutes. Heat some Ghee in a pan, fry rice till it is first dry, then brown gently stirring. Proceed as required for recipe.

Grind a cupful of fried onions (fried to a light brown) to a paste and keep handy to add body and flavour to a dish, when you do not have time to chop onions for one.

Stuffed veggies like bittergourds and potatoes, etc. can be stored in freezer bags, and thawed as required. Make sure to thaw completely before proceeding to cook it. Or else it will crumble easily.

Any pickle will last much more longer if a little care is taken to avoid moisture contact at any stage, and jars, bowls, ingredients used, etc. are wiped dry with a clean dry kitchen cloth, which does not have lint fibres.

Strained fresh bittergourd juice is applied over wounds to heal quickly. Even a poltice of grated Bittergourd tied over the wound works wonders.

Juice extracted from raw grated bittergourd can be mixed with a helping of honey and Salt, and add some plain water. Drink this extract to rid of small home ailments and give A general feeling of goodwill.

Collect clean scrapings of bitter gourd. Tie in a thin clean muslin cloth and use as a facial and body loofah to scrub out dead cells.

Salads can be made very very decorative, by using normally discarded skins of apples, peas, cucumbers,etc.

Never discard nutritious skins of apples, when peeling. Eat them or add them to a chopped salad, raitha.

To get a light and better taste as a variation, dry roast ingredients like rice, dal, on low till aroma exudes. Then proceed as per recipe.