Cooking Tips

Cooking Tips

Food is the Basic Necisity for any Living creature on earth. Humans being more advanced they need to cook food to please their Taste Buds.

Here We bring you simple tips which help in cooking healthy and tasty Food.

Last Updated - 3rd October 2005

General Cooking

To avoid discoloration of Cut apples sprinkle lime juice over them.

To preserve Pickles for a longer time add a few drops of vinegar.

To ensure that sausages keep their shape, put them into cold water, bring to boil, drain immediately and then grill or fry in a saucepan.

To unmould jellies, dip the container into hot water up to the rim, place an inverted plate over it, then invert the tin and the plate again, shake the tin a little and the jelly come off.

Do not cook a caramel custard too quickly, as this will cause bubbles in the mixture.

A quick desert: arrange stewed or canned fruit in an over-proof dish, sprinkle with icing sugar and brandy, cover with marshmallows and brown under a hot grill.

Sour cream can be made successfully by adding a little lemon juice to fresh cream.

If Almonds tend to break while shredding soak in hot water for 30 minutes.

Always turn the refrigerator to its coldest setting 60 minutes before Freezing Ice-cream. When cream has frozen turn back to normal.

When browning meat in fat, choose a large, deep pan. This will enable you to fry quickly, without slashing the stove with fat and meat juices.

Add a tsp. of vinegar to the water in an aluminum saucepan when steaming, to prevent discoloration of the pan.

To keep Peeled and Sliced potatoes form discoloringbefore use, keep them covered with cold water.

To Avoid crying while chopping onions, peel the onions and dip them in cold water before chopping.

When making Short-Crust Pastry, the higher you lift flour while crumbling, the more air you infuse, and thus make the pastry lighter.

Yeast bread dough rises more rapidly at higher altitudes and has to be watched carefully. Should be allowed to rise only till doubled in bulk.

When using butter or margarine over direct heat, always add a little oil, to avoid the butter burning very fast and thus getting discolored.

Always Store Egg-Whites in a lidded jar in a refrigerator.

To store Egg-Yoks, cover them with a thin layer of water, so that the top does not dry up.

To remove fat from curries, soups, etc., cool, then refrigerate. When cold, the excess fat will solidify and come to the surface so that you can remove it.

Always place oven shelves in position before lighting the oven, as they expand when hot, and are often difficult to move.

To Crush Garlic, peel it, chop it fine and then press it with the heel of a knife.

While making cutlets, if you find the mixture too soft to shape, chill it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes, and shape again.

Condensed milk will keep for a week or so after the can has been opened, as the sugar acts as a preservative.

Another method of skinning tomatoes is place a tomato on a kitchen fork and hold it directly over the gas flame, and keep turning until the skin pops. When cool, peel of the skin.

Adding sugar to tomatoes when cooking takes away that slightly bitter taste of tomatoes.

To ripen fruit quicker place them in a brown paper bag.

Peel tomatoes easily by boiling them in a mesh bag for a few minutes.

To rid your hands of cooking odors use a paste of baking soda and water.

Microwave Cooking

While cooking an assortment of vegetables, arrange large or tougher vegetables (carrot, cauliflower, etc.) toward the outside of the dish and small tender ones (peas, mushrooms, etc.) in the center so they finish cooking at the same time.

Always start with the shortest cooking time listed in the recipe, this way vegetables will not be over cooked. You can always cook it for some more time if required.

Place absorbent kitchen paper underneath bread and pastries while re heating to prevent them from turning soggy.

Season Vegetables with salt after cooking them in microwave. Salting before hand could leave brown spots.

Meat, Large Potatoes and cauliflower need to be turned over during cooking. Items such as chops and steaks should be turned over when being thawed.

Keep a half glass of water next to the Microwave Dish while cooking a small quantity of food to avoid burning.

Cover the casserole / dish with tissue paper while preparing 'temper' or while frying seeds like cumin, mustard etc. The tissue paper retains the seeds while allowing the moisture to escape.

Never boil an egg in the microwave as it will explode.

Avoid using alcohol in puddings, which have to be micro-cooked, since it may catch fire.

Use deeper dishes than used for conventional cooking for more liquid based recipes like soups, cakes and sauces, as these items increase in volume temporarily when cooked in microwave oven.

Always keep a glass of water in the microwave when not in use. This will keep the microwave fresh and Odors free

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