Cooking Tips

These chitkalu are very useful for both novice and experienced cooks

1. When peeling the skin of the small onion or sambar onion, cut 2 edges of the onion put in the water for 2 to 3 minutes. It is easy to peel and chop.
2. When you want to fry brinjal add salt immeditaly, so that brinjal pieces don't shrink in size and not turn the color into black.
3. At the time of cooking curries or fries, add turmeric powder at the time of seasiong. So that the color of the dish looks nice.
4. While preparing dosas, soak 1 spoon of menthi seeds and soya along with rice and urad dal.
5. When preparing toor dal, soak raw dal for 1 to 2 hours before cooking to save consumption of gas and electricity.
6. To peel garlic pieces easily, add drop of oil to garlic flakes and keep it for sun for 30 minutes.
7. Before cutting plaintain apply drop of oil to your hand and drop the cut plantain pieces in the water with adding 1 spoon of curd.
8. When preparing dosa,  drop  oil on pan and spread with a small piece of onion to avoid sticking of dosa to pan
9. Wash leafy vegetables throughly with running water before cutting to avoid lose of vitamins.
10. To wash the stains on cups etc. rub it with salt , stains go off easily.
11. If you want to store rice for long term, add some neem/vapa leaves to rice to avoid worms.
12. Remove the stems of the green chillies to keep them fresh.
13. Remove curry leaves from branch and keep in airtight box for freshness.
14. Don't cut the vegetables much in advance before cooking to avoid decrease in nutrition value.
15. Cut the vegetables big chunks to preserve food value and minerals.
16. When you cook the vegi\etables don't throw the water, use it in making soup.
17. Keep the used lemon pieces in the bottom of the pressure while cooking to remove stains if any.
18. Add little water to vegetables when cooking separately to avoid lose of vitamins.
19. Add little bombay rava to wheat flour while preparing poories for its crispness.
20. Keep hing in air tight box to save its flavor.
21. Add salt while grinding urad dal for vads instead of water to avoid vada batter becoming loose.
22. Add turmaric powder in heated oil at the time of seasoning to curries. Color of the curry will look nice.
23. Measurements is only for guidance. It is best to adjust the measurement according to your taste.
24. Use dry spoon for serving pickle. Otherwise pickle will spoil quickly.
25. Before storing any pickle or chutney in the jar or bottle, keep the jar under the sun for few minutes.
26. Add one piece of  lemon peel to avoid , becoming of black from use.
27. If the curd is too sour, add water and kept aside. After 1hour remove water collected on top.
28. For crispy dosas add fenugreek seeds and channa dal while soaking rice and urad dal.
29. Boil the eggs on slow but continuous flame.
30. Don't add water to greens while cooking. Most of the greens releases lot of water. 
31. Do not cook on high flame.Food is tasty when cooked on low flame.
32. Mix pinch of salt to hing blocks and make it soft powder. Fine hing powder is ready to use.
33. Soak hing blocks in enough water and store in liquid form in air tight bottle and keep it in the refrigerator . It can be used instead of hing powder.
34. Before squeezing lemon, roll it with your palm.You can get more juice out of lemon.
35. Don't boil eggs taken straight from refrigerator. Let them cool to the room temparature or put  them under running water.. Otherwise the sudden change in temperature will crack them.
36. When peeling garlic cloves , lay a flat - bladed knife over the clove and slam down hard. Be careful about your fingers.
37. To avoid smell of cabbage while cookin add a piece of ginger while cooking.It will tastes good.
38. Grease oil to both of your palms while cutting Aratikaya etc.
39. Toreduce salt from curry, add mashed potato and mix well.It adjust excess salt.
40. Chopped tomato also will adjust  and reduce salt.
41. To check freshness of beans, hold it between your fore finger and thumb and bend it gently. If it is fresh it will break.
42. Keep small piece of hing in chilli powder container to store chilli powder long time.
43. Immerse coconut  in water for few minutes  to remove its hust easily.
44. Do not stir idly batter frequently. The air which has been incorporated during fermentation will escape.
45. When the noodles are boiled, drain the hot water and add cold water. All the noodles will get separated.
46. While cooking potatoes. Cut them into 2 .So that potato cooks faster.
47.  To remove the skin of tomato, keep them in little warm water for 3 minutes.
48. While making chapati, leave the dough for 15 to 20 minutes to make chapati soft.
49. Use flat bottomed pan for cooking, for equall distribution of heat.
50. Dip the knife in water for cutting of boiled potatoes to avoid sticking knife.