Helpful Cooking Tips

 

Water 

Always sue hot warm when adding water to the ingredients in the skillet. Hot water maintains the cooking temperature and makes the food tastier.

Grinding

Hand grinders are the best solution for grinding small amounts of spices. However, these days electric dry grinders are what most people use for convenience.

Keeping Your Kitchen Clean

Add essential oils like lavender or almond along with some fruits or herbs to boiling water and leave it in a corner of the kitchen after cooking a big meal. You can use the following combinations as well: orange + cinnamon, lemon + rosemary, lavender + grapefruit.

Blanching

Blanching slows or stops the enzyme action which can cause loss of flavor, color and texture. In this process, usually a vegetable or fruit, is scalded in boiling water, removed after a brief, timed interval, and finally plunged into iced water or placed under cold running water (shocking or refreshing). 

Peeling Off Tomato Skin

Boil a large pot of water. Make a cross mark with a knife at the bottom of each of the tomatoes. Drop each tomato into the boiling water and take them out after 30 seconds. Remove the tomato skin now with ease.

Get More Juice From Limes

To get more juice from the limes, just press it on flat surface with your palm for 3 or 4 minutes. More juice will come more easily than if you had not done this step. 

Prevent Sliding of Cutting Board

Place a damp paper towel or regular towel under the cutting board. The board will stick to the towels and not move. 

How to Break a Coconut

Pierce the eyes of the coconut with a sharp object.  Pour out the juice for drinking or discard it. Put the coconut is a pre-heated oven at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Take the coconut out and strike it with a hammer. The coconut will break into two and the shell will come away from the flesh inside it. 

Peeling the Shell of Hard Boiled Eggs

In a deep pan add water and eggs. Also add 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Boil the water and once done the peeling off the shell will be easy. 

Tenderizers

Lemon - The citric acid in lemons helps tenderize meat for kababs. It also helps add a great sense of freshness and taste when sprinkled on food before serving.

Papaya - Papaya contains a chemical called papain. Papain breaks down proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. That's why it works great as a meat tenderizer.

Yogurt - Yogurt contains certain strains of bacteria that helps break down the meat fibres and make them tender and soft. 

Vinegar - Acetic acid in vinegar helps tenderize meat and other food items.