tips for cooking

Watermelons can be slices thinly, to expose high seed areas, from which seeds can easily be dropped down with a fruit fork or knife tip. Or cleverly handling a mixer for a few seconds, can separate seeds from fruit, like watermelon, custardapple, etc. The mixture when sieved will separate the seeds from the pulp.

Do not throw away decorative wrappings and boxes you get from diwali, and other festive occasions. Use the good ones to pack your preparations creatively and attractively, by just adding a few ribbons or flowers.

Never overheat butter if melted is required, or else it will curdle to turn to ghee, and will not give the same taste and texture as required in any recipe.

Dried peels of almonds, can be powdered fine, sieve and mixed with gramflour to use as a scrub. Mix 1 cup gramflour to 1 tbsp. Almond peel powder. Store in airtight container. For one bath, take on heaped tbsp. Mixture with 1 tsp. Curds or cream, scrub over body, instead of soap.
Take a teaspoonful of sesame seeds, just pop into mouth, chew on them, consume. This helps significant reduction in hairfall. But do not expect overnight results.

A good and fast way to skin charred or grilled veggies, is to place them inside a closed polythene bag for a few minutes, then remove and rub skin off easily.

Chop apples, pears, etc. into a bowl of chilled salted water, drain, pat on clean kitchen towel, to keep them from discolouring for a longer period.

Though salads taste best fresh and crunchy, one may prepare dressing ahead of time, and chop nondiscolouring or wasting ingredients, like oranges, sweetlimes, veggies, etc. hours ahead and finish off in a jiffy at the time required.

Chill whole those fruit which discolour, and then cut when required in recipe, so they are chilled yet not discolour.

Any leftover thick kheer may be further boiled to thicken more, oversweeten a bit, cool and set kulfi in kulfi moulds or icecube trays.

Just sprinkling three-four threads of saffron on the kheer,after pouring into individual bowls, makes all the difference, in the kheer looking rich and inviting.

Just bury a sweet potato which has 'eyelike' growths at nodes, in a pot of soil. Water regularly, and you have a lovely bright green creeper growing beautifully in your sill! Below the soil,small potatoes will be taking shape. Don't harvest your sweet potato, until after season is over, and the leaves tend to turn yellow and fall off.

To prevent falling hair - take a thick succulent leaf of the aloe plant. Make a slit on one side, lengthwise, fill the slit with 2 tsp. fenugreek seeds. Tie with twine, keep aside for 24 hours. Grind the leaf, the sprouted fenugreek inside, and 400 ml. coconut oil.together. Apply this mixture on hair and scalp overnight, tie with cloth. Wash off with mild shampoo or shikakai next day. Repeat every week for 6-8 weeks.

If preparation of kheer in advance is desired, then boil milk, add sugar, and complete the time consuming steps a few hours ahead of time. Heat milk, finish off additions and final steps just before serving.

When kheer is served in small earthen teacups available in many parts of India in many shapes, they give add a wonderful earthy preparation to the dish, as also make unique cups to serve in. They are small containers, marked by the absence of handles, since they do not heat due to the hot liquid poured in them.

Leftover kheer may be further boiled and used to make goodies like kulfi, rabdi, etc.Use the liquid part, by spooning out the rice/sago/vermicelli/etc. These may be ground to a paste in the mixie before adding back to the liquid.

For the calori-conscious, you may use lowfat, skimmed milk to make kheers, instead of wholemilk.

If fruit like peaches, apples, pear, pomegranate, etc. turn out to be sour, do not throw them away. Dice, add chaat masala, sugar, salt, pepper and toss, adding cucumber, coriander, if desired. Will transform into a tingling, and interestingly refreshing salad.

Place some camphor in your toolbox, to keep the tools from rusting.

Place a few empty toiled soap wrappers in you wardrobe: will give a pleasant aroma, ward off insects and avoid musty smell.

Add a pinch of salt to hot water, to retain its heat for a longer period.

Remove crayon marks by rubbing cigarette ash over them.

Dip incense sticks in baygon liquid spray and then light, when dried. Will keep away the mosquitoes.

Clean door and window screens with kerosene dipped cloth, to remove rust and even keep mosquitoes from sitting on them.

If making a variety of lebanese dishes, then it would do well to soak and boil a large amount of garbanzo beans. Pressurecook till they are soft to touch. This is approx. 5-6 whistles. Drain and refrigerate. Remove as and when required, washing with fresh water before adding to dish, or following in a recipe.

Coriander, parsley and other such strong smelling herbs must be refrigerated in plastic bags after wrapping in brownpaper or newsprint. This way, they will not get soggy or dry, and their aromas will not permeate into the fridge and other refrigerated items.

Place portable light citrus juicer over a folded hankie or other cloth to prevent from slipping and sliding all over.

Soak new brightly coloured clothes in half a bucket of water, to which half a cup of salt has been added and dissolved. Wring out after half an hour, without rinsing in other water. Dry, iron and use. Next time you wash these clothes, their colour will not fade soon, as also it will not bleed onto other fabrics.

Save a teaspoonful of urad dal while grinding for idli, before adding salt. Rub this dal between palms, apply on face and rub gently. Add a few drops of olive oil if desired. Keep for 5 minutes, wash Off with running tap water, dab dry. Leaves you face clean, and flowerfresh.

To give a spicy indianised taste to any bland (non-cream based) soup, add a dash of either malakapudi or andhrapudi, while it is being cooked.