When my guests compliment me on my culinary skills, I generally confess that I am not as interested in cooking as I am interesting in eating interesting food. Sometimes the easiest thing is to learn to cook what you enjoy eating! Since I don’t like to spend much time in the kitchen and also hate waste of any sort, I am always on the lookout for kitchen hacks or cooking tips that help save time, effort or other resources:
I find that a sharp knife is a safe knife. It makes for precise cutting and thin slicing. A sharp knife means you need to apply less pressure, so there is less chance of the knife slipping or injuring yourself.
When you want to chill a beverage bottle quicker, set the bottle in a bed of ice cubes in the freezer (the wet-a-towel wrap hack does not work; I tried it). Remember in the freezer there is always the apprehension of the bottle bursting, so set a timer (20 to 30 minutes).
Someone sent me over some fresh celery from the garden; much more than I could use. I didn’t want to air dry the leaves; takes too long. I found that it is possible to do this in the microwave. Keep them on a paper towel and zap at regular intervals of a few seconds (to avoid getting them burnt), turning them over each time. Soon, they are dry enough to crush and use as and when needed.
Another way to keep herbs edible for longer: clean them, chop them fine and then mix them up with softened butter or olive oil. Add the whole mixture to an ice-cube tray. When properly frozen, transfer cubes from the tray to a ziplock bag and back into the freezer. Take out and use when required: simply add to sauces, marinades, dressings.
I use a dry grinder to powder sugar so there is always some easily-soluble sugar at home. It is useful for cakes, icing, pancakes, waffles, whipped cream and for cheeni ka parantha. In summer, it is most useful for fresh lime sodas or cold coffees. Label the bottle though; so you don’t mix it up with salt.
Use a food grade plastic bag (or a pastry bag) to store extra pancake or waffle batter in the fridge. When you want to use it, simply snip off one corner to squirt the batter on to the skillet or the waffle iron. Less mess, more precise; plus you can make shapes!
Pasta should ideally be cooked al dente (to retain a bit of bite) for reasons of health. There is also the fact that we generally cook the pasta after draining it as well: after you put it in the sauce. So to avoid breaking the pasta and making it all mushy, remember; al dente! Drain it while it still has a bit of bite to it.
Sometimes, the milk is not cold enough for the cold coffee. But you also don’t want to dilute your coffee with ice cubes. So make your coffee to taste and fill up an ice tray (useful things, these ice trays) with it. Use as desired for a quick chill fix!
Don’t you hate it when your white sauce has lumps in it? Me too. So, warm your milk before you add it bit by bit to the butter and flour roux and stir continuously over a low flame to avoid those dreaded lumps.
This is a golden rule I follow while cleaning all herbs and leafy veggies: spinach, fenugreek, coriander, celery, mint, dill, parsley. Don’t clean under running water. Instead, submerge all leaves completely and let them sit in a bowl of clean water for at least 15 minutes to let the impurities settle to the bottom. Skim the leaves off the top. Use the dirty leftover water for potted plants!
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