Cooking is a very long process for every Indian household. We don’t understand instant cooking. There is no term for instant cooking in Indian culinary practice. Even today when someone goes for an arranged marriage, the first thing people ask is whether the bride-to-be is accustomed to cooking or not. This is not to question her credibility but to understand how patient she is. You need loads of patience to prepare a meal. So we always wonder how we could ease the process by applying some flexible kitchen hacks.
Let’s see how you can ease kitchen hustles by implementing some handy kitchen hacks.
1. Effortless Masala Preparation
Bulk Grinding: I love using masala that I make with my own hands unlike purchasing packaged spices. For that, I choose Sunday to make my fresh batch of chili paste, ginger garlic paste, cumin powder, coriander powder, and garam masala powder. You too may make a large batch of your choice of masala which may last for at least seven days. Just store them in airtight containers and store them appropriate way. For example, I store the chili paste and ginger-garlic paste in the fridge. For the dry masala, my kitchen cabinet is sufficient.
Instant chili paste: I love to use green chili in its paste form. I choose the ripened green chilies to make the paste. Simply blend them with a little water and a dash of oil. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for upcoming uses.
Instant Ginger-Garlic Paste: As I told you I prefer storing ginger-garlic paste for instant usage. You too may consider this as a befitted kitchen hack. Just blend equal parts of ginger and garlic with a little oil and store in the fridge. It stays fresh for weeks and can be used directly in cooking.
2. Storing Herbs
Ice Cube Trick: The best way to preserve herbs is to store them in the freezer. Chop fresh coriander or mint and mix it with water in an ice cube tray. Now freeze them for quite a longer usage. You may just pop them out, thaw, and use them whenever needed.
3. Quick Rice Cooking
Soak Before Cooking: We Bengalis are the rice-eaters, and so is almost our entire eastern region. Mostly we survive on rice. It’s better if we know the best way to cook it. For faster boiling, soak the rice grains for minimum 30 minutes prior to cooking. It would not only let you achieve a lesser consumption of fuel and time, but you will get fluffier grains too.
4. Peeling Garlic
Shake It Up: Peeling a garlic is a tedious work, no doubt. But you may avoid the pain if you know the kitchen hacks. Put a couple of cloves of garlic in a metal container with a lid. Now shake it vigorously for about 30 seconds. You will see the skins are coming out. Shake for some more time. Peels will loosen and come off easily.
5. Preventing Spice Overload
Use a Small Spoon: Indian foods are famous for their spices. But sometimes we just can’t measure how much is too much. You should always use a small spoon to avoid adding too much of spices, especially with potent spices like chili powder.
6. No More Burnt Chapatis
Preheat the Pan: Just a small trick and your chapatis will never turn brown. Make sure your tawa/griddle is hot before you place your chapati on it. This helps in cooking evenly without burning.
7. Quick Chopping
Use a Food Processor: I know our elders are not that familiar or fond of this appliance, but it’s important for you. Just go for it. Vegetable chopping will not be a task anymore for you.
8. Storing Pulses and Grains
Bay Leaves and Red Chili for Freshness: Add a few dried bay leaves and/or dried red chilies to your containers of lentils and grains to keep pests away and maintain freshness.
9. Storing sugar
Cloves to shoo out the ants: Add a few cloves to your sugar container. This will not allow the ants to climb onto the container.
10. Easy Peeling of Tomatoes
Boil and Ice Bath: Make a slight ‘X’ cut at the bottom of the tomatoes. Now blanch them in piping hot water for a minute or two. Then transfer them to ice water. The skin will peel off easily.
11. Flavorful Water for Cooking Rice
Add Spices: Cooking rice with Akhni water, which means adding a small bag of whole spices (like cloves, cardamom, or bay leaves) in the water can lead you to achieve a dash of flavor. For rice like pulao or biryani, it’s an essential step.
12. Vegetable Storage
Paper Towel Trick: I go for vegetable purchasing just once a week. So I must store them most properly so that they don’t spoil. I wrap the leafy greens in a paper towel before placing them in a plastic bag in the fridge. This helps absorb moisture and keeps them fresh longer.
13. Leftover Chutney
Use in Curries: If you have leftover green chutney, just blend them with yogurt or cream. It will create a quick sauce for marinating or cooking chicken or paneer.
Conclusion:
Use these kitchen hacks to make your daily cooking journey easy.
Read other Kitchen Hacks here.