Category Archives: Tips For Cooking

13 Tips to Cook Faster

In this busy world, it is very difficult to find time for cooking. For working Individuals, time spent in the kitchen is less. Homemakers also need to be fast in packing lunch and making breakfast. So an individual must learn how to reduce cooking time in the kitchen, especially how to cook fast in the morning to catch up with their busy schedule. Home food can be taken by everyone if cooking is made easy and thus we can lead a healthy lifestyle.

Here I want to share some time-saving practices which I learned in cooking every day. In years to come, I learned to save time and energy while cooking.

For Cooking made Easy let us see some tips. Cooking very quickly saves a lot of time and makes us an efficient cook.

Plan your meal well in advance.

Planning is essential in the kitchen too as you can keep all the ingredients handy and start off your day in a smooth way. You need not panic. Buy the ingredients the previous day itself and keep them ready.

Keep your kitchen organised.

Always keep the knives, ladles, utensils, cutting board in place. This will prevent wasting time unnecessarily searching. An organised kitchen will always ensure fast cooking.

Use time-saving cooking appliances.

  • Use pressure cookers for cooking dals and rice that is for anything which takes a long time to cook.
  • Vegetable cutters can be used instead of manually cutting the vegetables. It saves energy and time.

Practice multitasking as much as possible.

As you cut the vegetables you can boil water and milk. Heat the pan simultaneously. Use many appliances like rice cookers, induction stoves and ovens. Use gas stoves preferably with 3 or more burners. Note: Multitasking can be done by cooks with experience in the kitchen and not by novice cooks.

Cut into smaller sizes.

Vegetables cook faster when they are cut into smaller pieces. If the pieces are bigger it takes a lot of time. It is not only vegetables even meat /chicken when cut into smaller pieces cook faster. Minced meat /chicken or grated vegetables cook faster.

Always keep hot water ready.

At the beginning itself, that is as soon as you enter the kitchen and before starting any other work heat the water so that you can add the hot water in preparation for curry or for cooking vegetables. This saves a lot of time.

Use a big bowl for removing vegetables from the fridge.

Instead of walking several times to the fridge, save time by removing all the required vegetables for the day at once in a big bowl. Imagine walking to the fridge several times for each ingredient…oof what a waste of time!

Thaw the meat beforehand.

Never remove the meat from the freezer at the time of cooking. Remove it earlier and thaw it until it reaches room temperature and so cooks faster. Frozen meat takes a long time to cook. Always cook with meat at normal temperatures.

Keep a garbage bowl handy.

Instead of walking several times to the dustbin to dispose of waste little by little, have a small garbage bowl next to you. As you proceed with the cutting keep filling the garbage bowl with the waste. After cutting everything you can once dispose of the collected garbage waste from the bowl to the dustbin at one time.

Use sharp knives.

Sharp knives cut the vegetables faster than blunt knives. You need not put a lot of pressure to cut if you use sharp knives. Cutting is made easy with sharper knives and you tend to cut faster. In the case of blunt knives, the vegetables tend to slip away.

Use smaller vessels or vessels appropriate for cooking.

Always use smaller vessels instead of bigger vessels for cooking. The bigger vessels take a lot of time to get heated and so cooking takes a longer time.

Use a lid to cover the food while cooking.

When the food is covered with a lid while cooking it tends to cook faster as the steam trapped inside enhances cooking.

Keep the ingredients handy and ready.

In case you want ginger garlic paste, keep it ready instead of preparing it at the time of cooking. Keep the pudhina and spinach leaves handy and ready to use. This really saves time a lot of time in cooking. Even tomato puree can be used for cooking faster.

 

Do practice these tips while cooking and see how you can save a lot of time in the kitchen. A healthy home meal can always be taken every day. Happy cooking!!!

Vessels and appliances required for cooking

For a beginner, the choice of vessel is very important. For the correct choice of vessel knowledge of the vessel used is required.

Let us discuss some vessels and appliances used in the kitchen.

Pressure Cookers

Pressure Cookers are used to cook food faster. For ingredients that require a longer time to cook, you can use them. It saves cooking time.

Generally 1.5-2,3,5 Litre Pressure Cookers are available. Even higher capacity are available. Cookers made of aluminium, stainless steel and hard anodised aluminium are available. 

Cookers with both gas and induction compatible base are available. Gas compatible cookers cannot be used for induction stove.

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Kadai/Wok

It is used to make curries and gravies. Non-stick, granite, steel and cast iron Kadai are available.

In non-stick kadai the food does not get stuck to it. Use Wooden ladels for cooking in them inorder to prevent scratches. While using non-stick cook on medium flame. Do not use high flame.

Cast iron Kadai is safer than non-stick. You can use it for deep frying.

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Tawa

It is used for making dosa and chapathis. It is also used for shallow frying and grilling.

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Skillet/grilling pan

It is used for shallow frying and grilling.

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Tadka pan/ Spice Heating Pan

It is used for tempering.

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Buying Vegetables

How to buy fresh vegetables?

In the beginning, buying vegetables is a daunting task for everyone. Vegetable buying requires special skill and this is acquired by experience. Nowadays, vegetables can also be bought online through Big Basket, Amazon, Natures Basket and many more.

Buying fresh organic vegetables is always considered healthy. Now you may wonder, what are organic vegetables? Well, organic vegetables are those that are grown using biological fertilizers and are pest controlled using animal or plant waste. The best economic way is to grow vegetables in the kitchen garden and use it when required. But whatever the case may be knowledge of choosing the vegetables is required. So here we go…

All vegetables are best when they are fresh as soon as they are plucked from the plants (if grown). Next comes the vegetables from the farmers. This is followed by vegetables from the vendor. Vegetables got online are not often fresh always as it depends on the time of purchase and how far your place is.

The common rule for all vegetables is they should be bright in colour, dry and rigid. They should not be bruised or damaged nor emit foul smell. To make things easier let us delve deeper for some common vegetables.

Onions

Fresh Onions

Fresh onions(Buy these)

They are firm and dry. You can check the area where sprouts appear. This place should be dry. The scales of the onions should be smooth

Old onions(Do not buy these)

They are wet and soft and become soggy. You can check the area where sprouts appear. If it is wet here then the onions will get spoilt easily. Do not buy such onions. Older onions also give a rotten smell.

Sprouted onions are older so avoid buying them.

Tomatoes

Fresh Tomatoes

Fresh Tomatoes(Buy these)

They are rigid and firm. The colour is bright red for ripe tomatoes and red with yellow/green spots for unripe tomatoes depending on how ripe they are.

Older ones(Do not buy these)

They are soggy (that is, soft and wet). The wetness usually is seen on the scar. (the place where the stem is attached to the tomato) Sometimes they have wrinkles. The older ones emit a rotten smell and liquid oozes out. If they are much older they also develop moulds.

Green Chillies

Fresh green chillies

Fresh ones(Buy these)

They are firm and the colour is uniform throughout. They are dry.

Older ones(Do not buy these)

They are soft and wet. The liquid oozes out in older ones and sometimes the shape changes as one end is firm and the other end will be soft.

Ginger

Fresh Ginger

Fresh ones(Buy these)

Ginger should be rigid and dry enough such that they are brown in colour as shown in the picture.

Older ones(Do not buy these)

They are soft and wet and they look shrunken. The drier ones are lighter brown and very hard.

Garlic

Fresh Garlic

Fresh ones (Buy these)

They should be rigid and intact. When you move your fingers around them there should be no major depressions.

Older ones (Do not buy these)

They are drier and some may have major depressions.

Potato

Fresh Potatoes

Fresh ones (Buy these)

The potatoes that are brown in colour uniformly are the best. The skin should be soft and the eyes(a small ridge as shown in the picture above) should be intact. They should be rigid. There should be no sprouts.

Potatoes covered with mud are better than clean ones and will tend to last longer.

Avoid potatoes with two varying shades, for example green and brown.

 Older ones (Do not buy these)

They tend to become soft. Some may also become soggy. (both soft and wet) and the liquid oozes out.

Sprouts appear.

Cauliflower

Fresh Cauliflower

Fresh ones (Buy these)

They are uniformly white in colour with no black/brown spots. The flower heads should be intact and close to each other.

Older ones (Do not buy these)

The flower heads tend to move apart from each other and black /brown spots develop.

Carrot

Fresh Carrots

Fresh ones(Buy these)

Carrots should be bright orange in colour .They should be soft and smooth.

Older ones(Do not buy these)

Colour fades and they tend to be harder and the ridges are seen distinctly. They are more dry.

Some may also tend to release liquid .

Brinjal (eggplant)

Fresh Brinjals

Fresh ones (Buy these)

The stalk head (the green portion) is big and broader. Brinjal is lighter in weight.

Older ones(Do not buy these)

Wrinkles appear and the brinjal tends to shrivel up.

Okra/Ladysfinger

Fresh Okras

Fresh ones(Buy these)

They are dark green in colour(uniformly),soft and on pressing the edge should break easily.

Older ones(Do not buy these)

They are lighter greeen, harder and do not break easily when pressed on edges.

Bell peppers

Fresh bell peppers
Fresh bell peppers

Fresh ones (Buy these)

They are rigid and dry. The colour should be uniform throughout. Dark green and bright ones are the best.

Older ones (Do not buy these)

They tend to get shrunk and wrinkles appear. Some maybe wet.

Hope this helps. Don’t forget to eat more vegetables and stay healthy!! 🙂

12 Basic Tips for Cooking

Introduction to Cooking

As a beginner it is common for anyone to wonder where and how to start cooking. You would be confused as to where to start in cooking. Well remember, cooking is an art. Once you master the basics you can gradually cook mouthwatering dishes that you will be damn proud of. Cooking is like an ocean that has no limits. There are many cuisines there to explore.

So, come on, put on your apron and start the great journey. Try different dishes and indulge in the joy of cooking. The most important criteria for cooking is to know the right amount of spices and salt to be added although the choice varies from one to another.

In the beginning you may find it pretty difficult but you will find it easier as time flies by and master your cooking in years to come. The basic trick for good cooking is to add the ingredients in right proportion especially that which is associated to our taste buds –

Red chilli /pepper/green chillies for spicy food

sugar for sweet dishes

lemon /citric acid powder/tamarind for sour food,

 salt for most dishes except sweets. 

Now let us see some basic tips for cooking for beginners.

Basic Tips for Beginners

1.Learn the different positions in a gas stove – low, medium and high flame.

2.First learn how to use a lighter and then use it to light the gas stove. While lighting the gas stove never touch the burner.

Remember to give some space between the lighter and burner. Sometimes you may need to strike the lighter 3-4 times to light the gas stove.

If that is the case, do not keep the gas on for a very long time. Switch the gas stove off and try again.

3.If you are using an induction stove or microwave oven learn to operate it. Check whether  the vessel can be used for induction stove/microwave oven. 

In case of induction stove only flat steel vessels or vessels designed for it can be used.

Similarly, only microwavable vessels can be used in microwave oven. Remember not all plastics can be used for microwave oven.

4.Keep kitchen towels away from the gas stove. Use clamps to hold vessels. Practice lifting empty vessels with clamps first.

5. To start with know the essential ingredients like sugar, salt, chilli powder, rice, dals, sauces,oil, tempering ingredients. (mustard, urad dal, chana dal, asafoetida, curry leaves).

6.Initially use heavy bottom vessels to cook and cook on low flame.

7.Cook easy and simple recipes. Cook one dish at a time and cook small quantities in the  beginning. As days pass by you can cook for more people.

8.Read the recipe fully and get all the ingredients required for cooking beforehand.

9.Avoid using old stock. Use quality ingredients for better taste.

10.Use sharp knives instead of blunt knives. Blunt knives cut deeper compared to sharp knives.

11.While using cutting boards ,place a wet cloth  underneath the cutting board to prevent it form skidding.

12.Choose the knife you are most comfortable with. The comfortability varies with every  individual.

Precautions while cooking

  1. Never touch a hot vessel directly with your hand. Either use a cloth or the handle.
  2. While handling oil or any other liquid for that matter be careful.
  3. Never keep inflammable substances like kerosene near the gas stove.
  4. Tie your hair before cooking. If required wear a cap.